MJW

Is anyone planning to go? I will try and grab a cheap seat if I can - don’t think I can run to several thousand pounds for the top  seats !

1 hour ago, jmhopton said:

Great to see the collaboration between Marston/Cuthbertson/Sambe. it seems a real team effort and some of the pas de deux look really dramatic and exciting. Must be wonderful for Marcellino to have his first major role choreographed on him. A great milestone in his career. I hope it's a success. there still seem to be plenty of tickets on sale. Looking forward to seeing the first cast at the cinema and second cast at the ROH though once again shame about no matinees.  I'm sure I'm not the only person who can't get home at night and appreciates a matinee (even if tickets are now full price!). Also for a programme which isn't so well known or obviously appealing to non-ballet regulars I'm sure people are put off attending if they know they have to pay extra for accommodation. I would have thought if one of the evening performances had been a Saturday matinee it would have done better.

It is a shame about the lack of a matinee. I have booked for the 18th and have had to take an afternoon’s holiday from work in order to get up to London !

17 hours ago, Allegro said:

 

 

I too enjoyed David Donnelly’s performance at the matinee of 18th January.  I thought he had wonderful musicality,  he was able to project the emotions up to the amphitheatre and had beautiful technique.  However, this was all spoilt for me unfortunately by his noisy landings. Such a shame and a schoolboy error for me. He had great plié and good feet but he didn’t use either on his jumps/landings. 

 

Meaghan Grace Hinkis captured such a delightful portrayal of Olga, I thoroughly enjoyed her performance.

 

I loved Cranko’s choreography. Tricky pdd’s but interesting to see a move where the dancers partner adds an extra tempo within the step to whip the dancer round his body (not explaining this well at all but have absolutely no idea what it would be called, sorry!). 

 

I’m very envious of you all who can attend multiple performances. 

I’ve booked again for 22nd February so I will see if he has softened his landings !

On 21/01/2020 at 08:01, annamk said:

 

Thank you FioneE. 

 

So glad someone has posted about Donnelly, I wasn't able to make the performance so was really keen to hear  how he did. He's had very few opportunities in soloist roles, his last big one was The Invitation in which I thought he danced neatly with musicality and gave a thoughtful and intelligent character  portrayal. 

As you say, so nice to see him given such a prominent role and he was excellent. Hopefully onwards and upwards for him !

18 hours ago, Don Q Fan said:

Yesterday afternoon's matinee was a lovely show and I thoroughly enjoyed it, special mention to the corps for those 2 great run/leaps across the stage in Act1 that is one of my all time favourite "ballet moments"!   Soares and Mendizabal were great and I agree with the comment above about those fantastic lifts and whipped spins/turns in the bedroom PDD they were so fast!  Hinkis and Donnelly both made their debuts and very accomplished they were too.  At the stage door every dancer said how they really love this ballet - it really does "have it all".  Oh and when asked why Vadim isn't dancing, KOH said it was "his choice" at stage door.  Interesting.

Some photos from the matinee yesterday afternoon:-

 

Ensemble

 

Mendizabal and Soares solo curtain call (still in character)

 

Mendizabal and Soares

Hinkis and Donnelly

 

Terrific pictures - so much better than mine - it looked as though the London fog had suddenly descended into the auditorium! Did you use a camera or a phone? 

Well that was something pretty special!
 

Will write in more detail once I have recovered from my run for the train !

Something to whet your appetite !

https://photos.alastairmuir.com/Ballet/Royal-Ballet/Onegin-20/i-JpRksjP

Looking forward to Saturday's matinee

Unfortunately the videos the Foundation has uploaded on YouTube are not that easy to find but hopefully this link will help.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-VFxoZ0k5S4n8bU3LUB6kw/videos?view=0&sort=dd&flow=grid

Looks as though they have been re-uploaded with the addition of two videos from 2019

You all might be interested in these, given the news:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/royaloperahouse/albums/72157712560790361

Very well deserved - clearly this has been anticipated for some time - just surprised it didn’t happen last summer !

I don't think I have ever seen Soares live but have just realised that I will be seeing him in Onegin on the 18th, so at least I will have the chance to see him before he retires.

40 minutes ago, Don Q Fan said:

Lovely performance yesterday at the matinee with the effervescent Mayara Magri and Cesar Corrales.  Some lovely photos above too thank you they're great!  I've posted a couple of my own below.  I really like Mayara Magri and she is growing into these lead roles beautifully and with such confidence.  I do hope she will be promoted in the near future although the competition is stiff with Anna Rose O'Sullivan as well!  Cesar is just great I have always liked him ever since I saw him as an amazing Ali in Corsaire with ENB.  I was interested that Melissa Hamilton was "replaced" she was in fact dancing in Italy in "Roberto Bolle And Friends " Tour....slightly surprised that if a dancer is cast in a parent company show they are allowed to then go off to do private work? Assume that is in their contract and I suppose it gives other dancers a crack at the whip.  Yuhui Choe was of course delightful as Aurora and it pains me that she seems to be such an underrated dancer, when every time I have seen her she has always been so lovely.  I fear she is destined to the bridesmaid and never the bride  (principal) at the Royal Ballet.  Thomas Whitehead was excellent as well as Coppelius.  All in all a very good afternoon!

 

 

 

Great pics Don Q. Thank you for those - brightens a leaden grey day!

Very interesting what you say about Melissa Hamilton. I had noted that she was wasn't performing despite being on the cast list and then, as you say, she pops up on IG with Roberto Bolle (!)

1 hour ago, Rob S said:

 

 

 

You really do have brilliant photos!

4 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Corrales and Magri what can I say have never enjoyed this ballet so much ❤️❤️ More when get home. 

Absolutely. Corrales in particular was super - he has the cheekiness and swagger that fits the role perfectly. I’m glad I decided to see Coppelia again. Excellent seat in the GT

6 minutes ago, Peanut68 said:

And I’ve missed  it timewise today I realise!!!! Drat.... unlikely to be Coppélia for me & DD 😟

I think you’ll just have to keep checking back every so often unfortunately. There were quite a few coming available for all the remaining dates this morning. Either that or fingers crossed for Friday Rush.

As I type some are available for Saturday matinee

Just managed to book a last minute ticket for Saturday’s matinee. I had the screen for the tickets on my work PC and kept refreshing the screen !

As people have said it is very difficult to chose just one performance, and one always tends to remember the most recent. However, I would have to say my choice would be Alexander Campbell and Yuhui Choe in the Two Pigeons earlier in the year which moved me to tears 

Fascinating !

43 minutes ago, Sim said:

Me too!!

Tempted to see if I can get a last minute ticket in the Friday Rush, and see it again before the current run ends! Such a dreary couple of days at work, I need something to cheer me up!

For those who enjoyed Corrales and Magri today (and for those that haven't seen them) you might be interested in this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZSiT-McHLQ&t=606s

10 hours ago, nycitybird said:

I only made it to 4 performances this year unfortunately, but my highlight was The Two Pigeons with Choe and Campbell. I miss their partnership and find this ballet so whimsical and moving. And of course I burst into tears when the pigeons were reunited!

Don't worry, you won't have been the only one to have done that ! I saw it three times and still ended up doing that.

36 minutes ago, Rob S said:

I have just received a ‘good afternoon sir’ at the Piazza entrance 🙂

Make the most of it!

15 minutes ago, bridiem said:

I suppose there's always a potential mismatch between security and customer service, if you employ staff who specialise in these two very different areas. I wouldn't object to a (literally) serious security focus, if that's what was happening (though of course that wouldn't really tally with Open Up); but there's no point having unsmiling and unfriendly security staff who then don't do a proper bag search (which is what happened yesterday - also at the Piazza entrance). So I think the ROH needs to decide what it's actually doing here.

You must have had the same chap as me !

Can I just ask if anyone has had any issues with the people who check the bags of patrons entering the building? Since they started doing this I have found it perfunctory and erratic - one I went through one of the side entrances of the old building and walked straight through as only the middle entrance was being "served"!

Yesterday my bag was searched by someone at the Piazza entrance. He was incredibly offhand, hardly looked in my bag at all and I was then dismissed with a hand gesture. No "thank you" or anything. The same happened to the woman in front of me.

Given these men are front of house and for a lot of people are their first human contact, I was very disappointed especially as I generally find most of the staff very helpful and friendly.

I will be contacting Customer Services.