RHowarth

34 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

Nice to see Liam Boswell getting flowers. Have there been many flowers for the Princes so far in the run? I was expecting there would be, now flowers for men are allowed, but at the 3 performances I've been to there's been none.

Bracewell got some on Friday. Well deserved! 

With regards to the seasons' pages, weren't they always JAs? I'm sure Yasmine Naghdi was a JA when she was one, according to the book her mum wrote?

Edited to add: or was that MAs? I think Naghdi joined the RBS in year 8 and did Cinderella before that.

27 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

Just noticed this error on the RBS show page:

 

RUNNING TIME

The performance lasts approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes, including an interval.

APPROXIMATE RUNNING TIMES:

Act I: 1 hour 10 minutes

Interval: 25 minutes

Act II: 1 hour 5 minutes

I noticed that a couple of months ago when booking my train tickets, and it nearly caught me out. Thankfully I had my wits about me and booked my train home for 7pm. I had meant to email them about it but forgot! 

Just now, Bluebird said:

 

I also got this email and what interested me was the opening sentence:  

"In what promises to be the most glamourous event of London’s cultural calendar, we are excited to be returning to the Royal Opera House in London this August for the first time in 35 years."

If they haven't been here for 35 years, I'd like to know which company brought the Ratmansky Cinderella to the Royal Opera House in the Summer of 2016!

That was at the Coli! 

54 minutes ago, JohnS said:

I was trying to see if any seats had been held back for public booking for the Royal Ballet School’s summer performance - I have a ticket via Friends of the School but would have liked to see if there were any better tickets. I’m finding the performance seems not to be available for public booking but I am having some broadband problems. Has anyone had any success in booking for the School’s performance this morning?

I managed to get G43 and 44 in the amphi. When I checked back 15 minutes later to see if anything else had become available, there were only RV and amphi standing left.

Me please!!

3 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

What a shame re Shang's fouettés - they had been superb on Thursday evening.

Shang had an exit strategy- she transitioned into a flick jete and it wasn't too noticeable. The fact that she managed that suggests that she hadn't fully lost control of the fouettes.

Sorry I missed you, Sheila! 

12 hours ago, Suffolkgal said:

I remember Bracewell saying in a podcast he did the Dream at BRB and was coached by Dowell. I do

don’t I? A bit addled tonight after the awfulness of the BAFTAs 

He did do it at BRB, and was wonderful in it.

8 hours ago, Sim said:

Was anyone lucky enough to be at the Semionova/Lawrence SL tonight?  

Yes, and can only echo what others have said. Semionova was exquisite. All the pliany and physique of a Russian-trained dancer but with such warmth. The longest arms, and they're boneless. She occupied the narrative from the moment she stepped onstage. Her Odette was in a kind of dreamlike state, with eyes only for her Siegfried (and what chemistry between her and Lawrence, who fit together like hand and glove) while as Odile she flashed her eyes at her audience onstage and off, reeling us all in. Due to the kindness of a friend I was lucky enough to be in the third row of the stalls with no-one in front of me and a very clear view, and I was so involved in the story that I welled up at the end of act 3 when Lawrence, as Siegfried, realised her deception.

Riku Ito as Benno showed that his move from Northern Ballet is paying dividends for him, and the whole company was on top form. There was a real air of excitement; as Semionva danced, the eyes of the corps followed her, and during the standing ovation that met the whole company at the end, I could see from my slighty side-on seat that the wings were packed with dancers. A wonderful evening and well worth the 170 mile (each way!) trip. Now looking forward to this afternoon's matinee. 

17 hours ago, LinMM said:

Rob S trust me not to notice the pillar in standing D.5 🙄…rather like not noticing a large tree right in the middle of a school car park once and just reversed straight into it 😳

Luckily it was in the days when we had a car each but these days we share one so think I’d have to fake my own death if did it now 😂

But back to the pillar I suppose it’s quite a long way to the left so might not actually block out too much if you were leaning forward. But because I’m tall I then get a prob. with the Grand Tier overhang a bit. It’s still a standing place I would just about consider if it meant the only way to see some rare visiting artist or Company. 

Thanks Lin. Never mind leaning forward, I tend to be more or less resting my chin on the rail - so it sounds promising.

54 minutes ago, LinMM said:

I'd say it’s more the overhang of the Grand Tier there’s no pillar or anything but I have to say dislike the extreme ends of either sides because the overhang is the same both ends.
I’ve got really fussy in my older age and only really like standing between D. 20 to D.35 though D41 and 40 are not too bad. I stood in D.9 last time I stood which was so so but D.10 has the pillar. Some standing although quite central have objects hanging down which could also be a bit of a nuisance though not too obstructive unless two or three of them.  

I'm just under five feet so never have an issue with the overhang or the hanging objects - but anything in front of me is a different matter! I don't like the four on the extreme at either side (1 - 4 and the opposite) but it sounds as if D5 might be ok for me. Thanks Lin and Alison! 

1 hour ago, Rob S said:

 

The nearest I may have experienced to that this morning was when D5 for the 5/4 Cinderella was showing in a fairly dark colour and yet I couldn't press on it to either book or see the view from the place....as though it was indicating I'd already booked it in the session (which I haven't) 

Rob - what is the restriction for D5? Is it the pillar? 

Just now, alison said:

 

It's probably reasonably okay, but you're shorter than I am, so you may lose more of the stage than I do.  

Thanks Alison. I've actually checked back and I've sat in C36 before and thought it was fine. In my panic I also snapped up D5 in SCS...I know D7 is fine for me but D4 isn't, so I'll have to decide whether to stick with C36 in amphi or D5 in SCS for Bracewell/Kaneko!

I had an awful experience. Once I got to front of queue it took ages for me to be redirected to website. Then, once I put tickets in my basket, it told me I couldn't have them as I'd exceeded my ticket limit - despite the fact it was my first pair for Cinderella. Miraculously I manged to get pairs of SCS for the other 3 dates I wanted - but then it wouldn't let me enter my credit card details and I had to pay by my husband's PayPal as that was the only button it would let me press. All this was against the clock as I had a 2 year old with me who I'd strategically distracted but there are limits!

Once I'd had SCS in basket for 3 performances I didn't dare go back for the 4th performance I wanted, so I made a separate booking for that on my phone. I couldn't get SCS and couldn't afford my normal amphitheatre seat (far side of row F - F39) so had to get restricted view. Can anyone advise if the view from C35 and 36 in amphi is OK? 

I'm now waiting anxiously for my confirmation as I don't trust that my bookings have actually been made even though I've paid!

BRB's website suggests there is a Thursday matinee in Peterborough. 

Looking for SCS, preferably 2 but don't need to be together, avoiding 1 - 4 and the equivalent on other side. Fingers crossed!

12 hours ago, Bluebird said:

 

Leanne Benjamin has definitely done Odette/Odile. I remember seeing her performances and loving her in the role.   

 

I just did a quick search of the performance database and found that she featured in several performances in 2005 - i.e. when she would have been around 40 years old. 

 

Here are two of them:

 

 https://www.rohcollections.org.uk/performance.aspx?performance=1909&row=184

https://www.rohcollections.org.uk/performance.aspx?performance=1927&row=190

 

That's brought back memories. I don't think I've ever seen another Odette/Odile use their eyes the way Benjamin did.

Thanks for the info. I've just booked good stalls tickets for £20 each as part of Opera North's 'Try it ON' scheme, as I've never booked to see Opera North at Leeds Grand before. 

You are right, Emeralds- Ferri replaced Bussell. I remember getting a last-minute ticket in the slips!

51 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

Of course ENB pioneered this approach in the 1990s.  I can remember seeing them at, amongst other places, Malvern and Crewe!

 

IIRC they took this initiative before RB sent some dancers to small venues such as Blackpool.

Was it called Tour de Force?

Cast sheet for tonight. Hope the upload works!

These threads always strike me with panic! Is this for priority booking or have I missed a general booking period? Can someone please let me know what is in this BP? I checked Sleeping Beauty booking dates but there don't seem to be any scheduled for today- unless last week's was postponed due to the national mourning period?

I think the promoter has released quite a lot of £25 seats across all levels. I phoned the box office, got through straight away, and a lovely gentleman swapped my tickets from the front row of the Balcony to the back row of the Royal Circle - no fee.  

I was a little worried today about the view from my £25 balcony seats, so had a look at the seating plan - and noticed that there are now £25 seats in two of the lower levels too. I'm sure this wasn't the case when I booked back in the spring - or did I just make a mistake? 

I've emailed the theatre to ask if I can pay a fee to swap...

I think the content varies. When I went, we were able to glimpse a bit of rehearsals (through the studio windows). It was Monica Mason coaching Itziar Mendizabal as Mrythe. Saw some dancers by the lifts too. The area of the auditorium we went into was the grand tier. There was a stage call going on for - if I recall correctly - Winter's Tale - and Kevin O'Hare and Christopher Wheeldon were in the stalls, although the dancers were on a break. I would definitely go again; you never know who or what you might see!