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A correction has been added to the original review: This article was amended on Monday 15 October to correct the name of Sophie’s sister in Mayerling, and the occasion of the ball. That hardly clarifies things : Sophie's sister?? For the record, the Empress, Rudolf's grandmother, died in 1872, 9 years before his wedding. Macmillan's error can be excused on the grounds of artistic licence. What's Luke Jennings' excuse?

And if you look at photos of the real Empress with her carefully cultivated waist-length hair and beautiful complexion she probably did look younger than her unhappy son. Where the ballet is concerned, I remember one dancer who really was about a decade younger than the dancer playing her son. Still looked very convincing in performance. Linda

I loved the ThreeMusketeers when I saw it the first time around, at Sadlers Wells. I'm redecorating my home at present and I came across the CD of the music I bought at the time. Just playing it brought back so many happy memories. I do hope we get the chance to see it down South one more time. IMHO, this is the sort of ballet to bring in newcomers and I wish some enterprising TV company would think about broadcasting it. Linda

You're right about Rudolf - I remember being very impressed by his performance. I don't remember seeing him in Onegin but that doesn't mean he didn't do it. It was about 13 years ago and I expect lots of ballet.co'ers will know.

Adam Cooper danced it when he was a soloist but was immediately promoted to principal on the strength of his performance. I don't know if it was announced on stage but that was not unknown back in those, less considered, days. From what I've been reading today I can't help wishing we could return to a more spontaneous, less corporate time. Linda

Of course, forgive me but it's the weekend and my brain is on downtime. TLAs are Three Letter Acronyms, very common in IT. There are also four letter versions - my favourite is RTFM, frequently used on the support desk. I'm sure you can work that one out even if posting rules forbid me for spelling it out...

Sorry I'm a bit out of touch with TLAs - what is BCF?

I've pm'd you Anne.

Me too, I was following a new post so I have also put my post on the Mayerling thread. Sorry about that - can the moderators move it? Thanks Linda

Not at the ROH, I think. Re the cast change, it's sad for Ed Watson but a wonderful opportunity for Hirano. But has he had enough time to rehearse with Osipova? Those pdds look very dangerous and I understand that was why entire casts have been replaced when a different dancer substitutes at short notice. Linda

Thanks for the information Amelia, I didn't know that he couldn't train in Russia because he's Ukrainian. Ivan Putrov is also from the Ukraine - did he also have to train in the West? Mind you, the way things are going with the current Russian leader, I wouldn't put money on the Ukraine staying independent for much longer. Linda

This is what intrigues me. Why didn't he train in Russia? I was under the impression that many ballet schools in Russia actively look for, and support financially, talented children. And in Russia, ballet dancers have a far greater status than here. So why come to London? And is his British training the reason he hasn't received any offers from companies like the Bolshoi or the Mariinsky? Ballet school is no bed of roses wherever you are and plenty of dancers talk of losing out on adolescence. The film 'A Beautiful Tragedy' shows Mariinsky Principal Oxsana Skorik when she trained at the Perm ballet school. A thousand miles from her home and family in the Ukraine, she was so miserable she developed anorexia. Like Polunin, the decision to become a ballet dancer was not hers but her mother's but she kept working and eventually made it to the top. Polunin obviously has the talent but perhaps lacks the application. Sad. Linda

I'm recording this even though I don't expect any new revelations. I expect it will be available on iPlayer from tomorrow. Linda

H'mm, having read his announcement I suspect he should have retired a little earlier, before the waffle quotient took over. But to be fair, I did enjoy many of his earlier reviews and didn't he once sum up what many ballet-goers feel at Christmas with the memorable words 'we are all one Nutcracker nearer death'? ** I also remember him at an Insight event explaining brilliantly just how remarkable and distinctive Ashton was. He even demonstrated the Fred Step so clearly I still think I could do it myself! It's a wise critic who knows when he has said enough and should simply stop. Linda ** Or was that Clement Crisp? Apologies if I'm wrong.

I'd like one at least and I will check if any of my ballet-going friends would like the other. Best wishes Linda

I'm assuming it's Mara. One of my favourites too and still a very active performer though it's been far too many years since she was with the RB. Linda

Thanks, Sebastian, both for the suggestion and the sympathy! I'll get on to it right away. Linda

You've been very busy, Sebastian. Seems like Sheridan was spot on about the 'woman in white' being a familiar character in the theatre. I didn't know that Anne Boleyn was executed in white but there's a famous work of art: Death & the Maiden by Delaroche (1833, in the National Gallery) which is of the execution of Lady Jane Grey in which she is dressed in white. It would be fascinating to trace the origin of this, if I were a professional art historian/critic I'd consider making it the subject of a programme for BBC4 or possibly the South Bank show. I would love to find out where and when it started. I think I will start with Wilkie Collins whose novel The Woman in White is often described as the first true detective novel. Somewhere there must be some information about his sources. I'm currently recovering from a broken foot so this should keep me occupied while I'm stuck on the sofa. Thank goodness for the internet! Linda

Oh go on, you know you want to..

In 1779, the playwright Richard Sheridan wrote 'The Critic' , a parody of the conventions of Elizabethan theatre. It includes a play within the play about the Spanish Armada, featuring a virtuous heroine called Tilburina. In this play Tilburina goes "stark mad in white satin," and her confidante "stark mad in white linen." She wears white, according to the play because "when a heroine goes mad, she always goes mad in white satin." So presumably, women in white were a theatrical cliche from much earlier. Incidentally, the plot of 'Tilburina' would probably make a (short) ballet. As far as I can remember, she's the daughter of the Lord Lieutenant of the Tower of London and she falls in love with a Spanish nobleman who has been arrested as a spy. She goes mad when he is executed but I don't remember what happens next - perhaps she becomes a Wili? Can anyone else remember? Linda

Sorry, I hadn't seen the other posts but Pierrot is definitely one I'd go a long way to avoid. Linda

Do you mean 'Pierrot Lunaire"? I'd happily confine that to the vaults. Linda

I've seen the Wheeldon Cinderella on TV and one of the things I liked about it was that one of the 'Ugly' sisters found happiness at the end with the Prince's friend. Otherwise the pathos of the sisters can rather spoil things. Linda

I'd add all McGregor - there are other companies in the UK that do contemporary works as well as (if not better) than the RB. I take the point about Jewels but I'd keep the Rubies section, perhaps as part of a mixed bill with other Balanchine 1-acters. And can we please have a break from Nutcracker for at least one season? I'd much rather see Ashton's Cinderella brought back though perhaps with a re-design. Linda

Can't say I've ever enjoyed Don Q in any version. It's probably the music which sounds to me like plinkety-plonk waltzes, produced by the yard and totally forgettable. I suppose Minkus must have written some good stuff but I've yet to hear it. The music is the reason I don't care much for Bayadere either. The entrance of the Shades is worth watching but the rest of the ballet sends me to sleep. So, for me, it's always the music first. Linda