JNC

Wow this sounds great! I would have liked to have seen this but the dates didn’t align unfortunately. But given it’s such a great success I will definitely try to catch it when it’s revived in the (hopefully) not so distant future. Nice to read the reviews and well done to Acosta for doing something a bit creative and getting a new audience in.

Also interested on reading thoughts for this. I very nearly booked (and primarily for Les Sylphides) so I’m selfishly glad they didn’t do that for my FOMO. (I stuck to two shows of ENB instead.) I do miss Bayadere though.

Well what a night! overall if this is setting the tone for the direction of ENB I was pretty pleased. It was an ambitious bill (technically with Balanchine, also with the various musical elements and two new choreographers we’ve not really seen in the UK I think) that covered off neoclassical, contemporary ballet as well as the more modern dance (Akram Khan / Bausch) that ENB have dabbled in with success before. It definitely feels like it is continuing Rojo’s vision for the company (no bad thing) and overall whatever personal preferences feels much more exiting and inspiring than any of the repertoire RB has been pushing out the past few years to be frank. I love Balanchine and so was very excited to see T&V for the first time. I love Symphony in C and Ballet Imperial (funnily enough I respect Diamonds but it leaves me a little cold). If I’m being honest, I was disappointed with this work. I can’t tell if it was the choreography itself (although I don’t think that was it as I could see flashes of Balanchine brilliance) or the execution. I know Sangeun is new having come with Watkins from Dresden and I’m sorry to say she didn’t really fit in with ENB for me. I found her movements too stiff and lacking in panache for Balanchine, she just seemed very flat and to my untrained eye she seemed to struggle to keep pace with the demanding choreography and timing of the music leaving things looking unfinished/underperformed. Gareth for me also was underwhelming. I’m sad not to see the likes of Frola or others in the role as I think they would have tackled this better. I disliked the peach tone selected for costumes as it just didn’t fit in with the clean white and creams (I would have gone for yellow or ice blue) and I found it odd the four soloists selected had very varying heights. The best thing about this piece was the artists. I’m seeing it tomorrow with Katja and Arrieta and have high hopes. People seemed to have not liked Les Noces but it was actually my favourite piece of the night. For context I loved Khan’s Giselle and Bausch’s Rite of Spring and Tanowitz’s Dispatch Duet that I know others also disliked (although hated Creature!) To get the gripes out of the way - I found the English “lyrics” distracting as the odd word/phrase you catch simply does not relate to the plot at all. And I wish they could have turned the lighting up a bit as I felt I was squinting at times. And yes, if I hadn’t read the plot beforehand (what happens after sacrifice) or wasn’t familiar with Bausch’s rite of spring maybe I’d feel differently. But, ignoring aspects of the plot I didn’t see, I actually felt the story was there - the ghost of the sacrificed, the emotions of her family left behind. Bellini and Velicu were great. I really liked the set and the staging of the singers on stage in a corner, dressed in black so we can only see their faces. I liked the use of the cloth(s) and the steps. I found the choreography really interesting. I don’t think it was ballet but if felt engaging and (if you ignored the lyrics) it did work with the music. I also loved hearing this live (previously I’ve only seen the RB version on DVD) although I wish they would have sung in Russian to avoid the disconnect with the words said. (Logistically I appreciate this adds additional cost and isn’t practical.) I felt the dancers really excelled in this and I’m looking forward to seeing it again and getting more from it. Even the annoying woman sat next to me rustling in her bag for the entire first part (!) didn’t ruin this for me and held my attention. Also I like that we’re seeing a new (female) choreographer. I think if you go into this with a little context but don’t try to follow every little meaning / detail it does work as a story and on an emotional level. I found the mother’s suicide quite moving actually (in real life I think suicides often probably are more quiet and less dramatic than portrayed on screen). Even if you didn’t like it, massive kudos to Watkins for the programming and the commitment to the music here. I would be curious to see this as part of a triple in future with Ek’s Rite and Bausch’s Rite. As for Four Last Songs, I didn’t love it but it was a pleasant watch and I appreciated that the choreography felt quite balletic (although certainly not classical) unlike MacGregor etc. Again, I really liked the music and the opera singer was fab. I do think it got a bit repetitive at the end and I wondered if at least one of the four segments should have been pas de deux focussed rather than all group pieces. It’s not something I’d go out of my way to see again specifically, but would happily sit through this on a future mixed bill. Overall a very enjoyable evening and sets a good promise for future programming I hope. Despite not loving all works it is probably more inspiring than any new work I’ve seen at the RB over the past 5-6 years (I specially said new so I’m not including Ashton/Balanchine revivals etc already in the rep, rather RB’s new commissions). I do think new commissions is where ENB excels for me - whether it’s bringing innovative choreographers like Khan in, or relative unknowns, or reworking of classics (Rojo’s Raymonda), or established ballet choreographed like Forsythe and Ek, it always feels more inspired and fresh than RB with the same old rotation/variations of MacGregor/Wheeldon/Pite with the odd (non ballet) random like Abraham etc thrown in. Well done to Watkins and the company and I look forward to seeing what more programming he’ll bring in future years! As for the Programme yes it’s overpriced/not good value for money all things considered but I do like to have the (short) write ups on the pieces and I almost see it as my “donation” to ENB. This has reinforced my belief that RB needs to step up its game frankly with more inspiring programming (heritage works mixed with actually good new works) when you have ENB and now Bonelli at Northern Ballet (with the new generations bill) and Acosta at BRB (ok Black Sabbath ballet may not be my cup of tea but at least he’s trying something different) being more creative and innovative. (I edited this post as I started with “so a brief review”, which this is not! I got carried away with all the thoughts…)

@Emeralds I meant individually given printed cast sheets rather than the one taped to the pillar! With the programme I feel it is justified they can print off some sheets of A4 to be honest.

very annoyingly after paying £8 for a programme they haven’t even bothered to put this synopsis in here! I won’t gripe about ROH programmes again… Oh and no printed cast lists either even though I’ve definitely seen some people with them (a large group, VIPs maybe…?) Will post thoughts in here later after the full bill has concluded…

I think most of the comments on this thread show a good understanding for the financial side (eg compromise or fine with nutcracker being an annual thing) but still want more diversity in programming. I agree re phrases such as “boredom setting in” and “uninspiring”. It feels now if you’ve been watching RB since a few years before the pandemic everything has come round again once at least with the exception of some mentioned here (Onegin, Coppelia, bits of Ashton and Balanchine and Robbins). I think the company has enough talent now to do Nutcracker alongside a mixed bill (eg Les Patineurs, still kicking myself for not seeing this pre pandemic) or Manon alongside an Ashton or “heritage” triple. I love Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty but even I can’t face much more, next year for Swan Lake I’d like to see Nunez as I’ve missed her so far but at these prices I won’t bother with other casts. The only programmes I’ve been really excited by post pandemic have been the Cinderella revival and Ashton triples (last year’s plus next year’s). I’m also looking forward to the MacMillan triple just because it’s not one of his “big three”! I would love to see Bayadere, Fille, Sylvia (more Ashton really), Les Noces (either Nijinska or a reworking could be interesting), things like Rite of Spring, more Balanchine or even MacMillan triples. At this point I’m not holding my breath. Even a pretty serious ballet fan like me can only take so much repetition and the lack of diversity in programming is depressing. It feels a decline of the RB at a time when the standard of the dancers is so high so wasteful - we barely see many principals as with the mammoth long runs of some productions over months they are cast only twice. I get the financial argument to a point but there seems enough money to do a new MacGregor every year…

I’m very disappointed but I suppose you can’t control these things, but I can’t make later dates and I missed Osipova last time, so will have to wait another 3-4 years again, and who knows if she’ll have a weekend performance then! having said that Magri is a very good replacement I think, and I’m sure she’ll be great. But given ticket prices I really did only want to see one performance and Osipova only.

No. the documentary should be discussed, investigated and more training etc put in place to ensure students aren’t abused/belittled. Being able to take constructive criticism is important, bullying obviously not ok. You can decide to stop supporting ballet if you want to but lots of sensible posts on here explain why your question/line of thinking isn’t helpful and quite unfair to many excellent dancers, teachers, and anyone else involved in the production of ballet and what we see on stage. I think being a ballet dancer is akin to being a professional athlete and the tough truth is it’s not meant to be physically or mentally easy. If we think ballet should be banned for some of the reasons mentioned, professional sports would have to go that way as well. As for boarding schools, I personally don’t like them as a concept (when they’re about the elite) but for ballet schools it does make sense - otherwise will the royal ballet school only take Londoners (a city that most families cannot afford to move to!). Teachers should be supportive but able to give fair, constructive feedback. If this isn’t happening better training/recruitment practices should be installed. Pastoral services including staff who are able to support welfare, and or mental health services (eg therapists) could become part of the dancing school overall programme/offering (if it’s not already). In competitive industries where not everyone can “make it” mental resilience to failure should be taken into account.

I think dancers obviously have lives outside of ballet and when we see them on stage they are not themselves but almost actors in a role. Social media is about them sharing their individual personalities off stage. so for me, I wouldn’t say any dancer’s content would affect how I see them on stage or put me off them (with the extreme example of the Putin tattoo which as it’s so visual you’re almost forced to have an opinion!) as I know there’s a difference in their on-stage professional personas and their off-stage (or more informal backstage/rehearsal) lives. I personally enjoy seeing the behind the scenes content and getting an insight into their lives, but having said that I only follow dancers I like (based on their performances) so I’m not likely to get annoyed by content of dancers I don’t like so much. Having said that I have noticed a correlation between dancers I like on stage and what I imagine they’re like in real life (based on social media, who knows how accurate that is!). For example I think Marianela Nunez is a great dancer, but through her social media you can see she is a lovely person, and also clearly very passionate and dedicated to ballet in performance/history etc. So this makes me respect her more as a dancer as I can see how much she loves dancing. Vadim’s content just makes me smile, although I don’t connect his off-stage cheeky personality to his on stage performances as I find them a bit more aloof to be honest (not saying he’s not a good character actor, maybe the opposite because I don’t see that personality on stage!). My favourite content is often dancers showing their humour or quirky personalities, also the backstage content to get insights into rehearsals and costumes. I’m less a fan of those who have glossy/curated more purely professional content of them attending events or doing promotional things as it feels a bit less personal and more of a business. In addition to the two I’ve already mentioned, I also like Yasmine Naghdi’s Instagram as it’s a good mix of personal/fun, and insightful behind the scenes stuff. Tiler Peck also has a great Instagram - you get a real sense of her personality but a lot of the content is ballet/dance related. As despite me not enjoying the purely professional content, I also don’t want to see only personal content (eg many pictures of their babies/children and social lives only) as that feels a bit weird to me as I don’t know them on a personal level. (On a separate note I do have a wider concerns about pictures of babies/children online as they haven’t given “consent” to it. I think photos to share for yourself and them to see when they’re adults, and to share to family is lovely but I don’t see why you’d share this with thousands of strangers, it’s a bit invasive even if the pictures are harmless and I think it’ll be interesting to see how those growing up with constant pictures of them since birth feel about it in future.) Anyway I think I ideally want a sense of their personality but much of the content to be dance related, with some personal posts thrown in. It’s fair enough dancers are using social media to curate a “brand” and make money - why not? It’s not hurting anyone, they’re usually promoting pretty basic things like dance wear or fashion things, pretty harmless considered against a lot of other influencing. As for the half naked type photos/videos - I don’t know with 100% certainty who is being referred to but I have a sense I can guess. It personally doesn’t bother me, it’s not hurting anyone. I wouldn’t say I’m a fan, but if it got to the point of annoying me then I would just unfollow that person. (If it’s who I think it is I don’t follow them anyway as they’re not necessarily someone I’d book to see.) I wouldn’t let it affect how I saw them on stage though, although everyone’s obviously entitled to an opinion! For me what I do think dancers should be careful about is over sharing. I don’t wish to be patronising but I do think it’s nice to keep some things personal for a bit of mystery and privacy! I enjoy the odd personal post but I don’t need to know the ins and outs of their relationships/what they eat/weekend activities etc. But I appreciate it’s up to them what they share and if I don’t enjoy the content I just unfollow!

Sad to hear the pony may be lost from Fille but I’d rather see a Fille without the pony than no Fille at all. I find the discourse around Alain curious. The ballet has no words so as far as I’m aware it’s not even certain that Alain has some mental impairment or disability - he could just be a kooky individual. Who has diagnosed this fictional character anyway? Was it a doctor and on what basis? Sorry to be a bit flippant and maybe there’s background understand I’m missing which confirms he is definitely meant to be impaired somewhere? Even if he does have some sort of condition, I hardly think he’s portrayed negatively - he’s not a cartoon “evil” character like Rothbart or Carabosse. So then I wonder if he’s not being made out to be evil/bad (and then the issue would be portraying all disabled people as evil) the problem is the simple fact of his character itself being portrayed is the problem - which is problematic as it suggests we shouldn’t have disabled (if he’s even disabled!) characters represented? I remain very confused by it all. I suppose the other thing is I assume it’s speculation that Alain and or the pony are why Fille hasn’t been revived so it could be neither of these things and simply ROH thinking the public won’t enjoy it/it won’t sell etc…?

From my notes made last time round Bolle was actually technically ok but didn’t bring a depth of character to the role that, for example, Ball did. I thought Nunez was a good Manon but my favourite last time round was Morera!

I really disliked Mayerling when I saw it back in 2018, but I love Manon. It is dark and depressing but I find Manon very moving (if the casting and mood is right). I found Mayerling didn’t have the same depth for me, and it felt overly busy with lots of characters and cluttered scenes and the final ending seemed more dark/scary (murder suicide) than emotionally moving with Manon (treated poorly by men and society). Just my opinion and I know Mayerling has many fans but my point is just because your mum found Mayerling too dark it may not be the case with Manon.

I know it's not necessarily your opinion PeterS and you're just quoting what a lot of people think, but as someone who lives in a 'regional city' I don't think there as much disposable income as people seem to think, at least now. While yes, rents and house prices are less than London, this by no means equates to 'affordable', and they have steeply risen meaning much less disposable income generally as more is going on these essentials. Coupled with generally lower wages, and the price of food/eating out and household bills not differing that much, and public transport generally costing more than London (proportionality to distance certainly) I don't think the average person outside London has more disposable income than in London, it would either be roughly the same or actually even less. Nonetheless I'm glad to see more productions touring to 'regional cities', but only if the prices are reasonable. It will be frustrating if due to poor sales they think there isn't the interest for this outside of London, when that won't necessarily be the case.

Is Manon the only Winter production? Or is swan lake casting coming later? I think for me I'll deviate from the favourites so far and think given they are given matinees as well Hayward/Sambe and then depending on seat availiability perhaps Osipova/Clarke as well. I really enjoyed Osipova/Clarke in Giselle so hoping they'd be equally as dramatic/moving in Manon, and Hayward is meant to be perfect in this role and the Magri/Campbell supporting cast looks great also. I imagine it will be three years when Manon comes round again, at which point I will prioritise Kaneko, hopefully with Bracewell or again with Muntagirov so I'll await reviews of their performance.

personal opinion but I agree. In fact I’d forgotten I’d even seen him live until this thread reminded me! (And I follow him on Instagram so many opportunities to have been reminded!) I really wish Hayward had been paired with Corrales but I suppose his injury put paid to that. Who was her DG last time? I’m not sure about her and Sambe as a chemistry combo - perhaps others (those who saw Like Water for Chocolate) might give their opinions? Hayward is meant to be an excellent Manon and I missed her last time but I’m not sure about her and Sambe - if it was with Campbell or Bracewell (or Corrales of course) I know it would be great.

Thanks to those who reviewed the gala as I couldn’t make that, have enjoyed reading various thoughts. on a personal level I’m glad I prioritised Jewels over the Gala - when they came out with the selection for it I guessed it may be hit or miss for me (and the ones I knew I’d like I had seen previously) and comments align with what I would have thought myself I imagine (although I seem to enjoy Tanowitz a lot more than everyone on here as I loved Dispatch Duet, having said that I didn’t get on too well with Secret Things). As for the concept of celebrations being looking forward or looking back, I can see both sides. What I do think though is if some of the older pieces aren’t going to be shown again as the company is moving in a different direction, surely they should be shown at an anniversary celebration precisely because of this and to give them a proper goodbye? Ideally I suppose you’d have two programmes - one a celebration of the last X number of years and another a looking forward featuring existing and new choreographers that will create works for the company going forward (and or choreographers whose work will be acquired). I was disappointed with the RB’s Diamonds Bill being including a lot of “looking forward” works so my personal preference is always to celebrate the history and heritage!

Agreed! Maybe I should bite the bullet and just take a similar approach now. It’s not only the railing but they have some sticking out bits of scaffolding (for lack of a better word), which also really get in the way as they jut out quite far. I really do wish ENB went elsewhere other than the coliseum (I know they do sadlers wells for their more contemporary offerings).

I think I can only make one date of this anyway, but I’m curious to whether based on previous experience there may be ticket offers closer to the time? I have really mixed feelings about the coliseum - I hate that in their highest section (the cheapest) that barrier is a real eyesore. But not sure I can justify to pay to go a row down as in the past if tickets have sold they just bump everyone down and close off the top. It would be a bit of a kicker to have paid more to sit one level down only for others to get a free upgrade!

It was just a guess. I imagine the curtains will stay, more for cost reasons rather than anything else, until they’re worn down!

Is it to announce Charles as patron of RB? Currently is it still listed as former Queen Elizabeth (or something along those lines). Or maybe Queen Camilla? and some new curtains perhaps?

Well they’ve still not released the Ashton triple from a year ago on either streaming or DVD with no plans to do so have they? Agree with @zxDaveM - too many long runs of MacMillan and the Tchaikovsky three. I would sort of accept this if they had other diverse programming alongside but alas.

Well tonight was a lovely, beautiful evening and I’m so glad I made an effort to see this. I’d only seen Diamonds previously as part of the ROH bill last year and I have to say it was great seeing Jewels in full, as Balanchine intended. First Emeralds, I wasn’t sure what to expect but this turned out to be my favourite of the evening. To me (someone who hasn’t seen this before and has a non technical eye) this was danced perfectly. It was beautifully lyrical, soft, and made me realise we really are lacking in lyrical/romantic repertoire and I want to see more of it. The costumes were beautiful and sparkled wonderfully, and the costumes, set, dancing, choreography, music was just in perfect harmony. It’s really hard to say more than that as with abstract non-plot ballet I can’t describe particular movements but I just loved every minute of it. I thought Sharni Spencer was just wonderful. I thought whoever coached them must have done a very good job and the dancers all seemed to really embody the lyrical style so well. Rubies - this felt very fun and I loved that it captured Balanchine doing something new but you can see the beginnings of choreographers like MacGregor and Forsythe in these movements. The tall girl role was just fabulous and danced brilliantly and it was so quirky and fun. The audience seemed to really enjoy it with lots of applause and some laughs(popular opinion I sense preferred this to Emeralds). my one minor gripe was I wonder if it could have been danced a little faster at points, and I wished some of the pas de deux dancing was a little spikier/sharper/sexier? But I’ve not seen this previously so it may not be a technique/style issue and more my preference. Overall though smashing performance. Diamonds - a beautiful piece but the opening scene I find a little dry. But I loved the pas de deux, with echoes of the Swan Lake Act 2 pas de deux, and then the following scene with four female dancers replicating some choreography from Raymond I think, or the Czardas in Swan Lake, and the dreamy music. And the grand finale which mirrors Sleeping Beauty Act 3 in both music and choreographic nods. I have to say I prefer Balanchine’s Ballet Imperial and Symphony in C for his “white” classical pieces but I would happily watch Diamonds (and indeed Jewels in its entirety) many, many more times in future. I thought Australian Ballet were a very strong company (in character and technique) and am very pleased they are here and perhaps they will return soon! (And would love to see Jewels return into RB rep soon). For fun I thought about some dream RB casting for Jewels: Emeralds Hayward/Bracewell (or if anyone Morera please) Rubies Tall girl - Melissa Hamilton or Yasmine Naghdi. I also think Kaneko would be very good here too. couple - O’Sullivan and Sambe or McRae. Maybe also Luca Acri. I know Sarah Lamb has also danced this and could see that, to be honest I think lots of principals would suit this role! Diamonds well of course Nunez and Muntagirov, but I also think Kaneko and Clarke, Naghdi and Ball, again a wealth of talent here in the current company. As an aside the programme had lots of nice pictures and was very informative. It’s through the programme I got the hint to look out for Swan Lake/Raymonda/Sleeping Beauty and I got lots of internal ballet satisfaction from picking this up (which I hadn’t previously noticed in Diamonds last year) so it really demonstrated the value of good articles in programmes! Overall an absolutely wonderful evening. I hope it’s not another 35 years before Australian Ballet is back here, or indeed before we see Jewels again! Would love to see Jewels in the 24/25 rep, or failing that certainly more Balanchine, he really is a genius. Oh and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia were excellent also! I’m not musical but they just created a wonderful atmosphere and to my ears not a note wrong.

In short yes. Not all of this is down to the increased prices as it’s also because I’ve moved out of London. And due to programming. But the price increase is undeniable. DQ - have only booked one ticket for this, because I’ve not seen osipova in the role. If prices were more favourable I would have also liked to have seen Kaneko/Bracewell and or Magri/Corrales and would have made an effort for matinee performances in particular. But I can’t really justify the cost of trains (and additional accommodation) to pay £50+ to sit mid amphi. So in theory, 3 tickets is now only 1. Dante Project - I would have made an effort to see this again and it’s not as horrendously priced as others. But I simply am annoyed by their whole strategy and didn’t like Dante enough to spend £100+ on a round trip for mid amphi again at the matinee so haven’t booked at all. The Cellist - this is priced “reasonably” but I haven’t booked as I’m not interested enough in the programme. To be honest even if I lived in London I might give this a miss unless I picked up a good SCS Nutcracker - no tickets. A combination of both having seen this a few times now and it not being in my top ballets means I won’t pay these prices. If I lived in London I would have maybe treated myself to one amphi performance but it’s not justifiable with travel and potential hotel costs. It’s very sad because I used to book to see each performance at least once, to have only booked one performance for the whole season is shocking for me. Part of it is because of additional travel/hotel costs now I’m no longer in London, and part of it is also due to the programming not fully appealing to me this time. But it’s undeniable a large part of it is due to ticket price increases. For example I made an effort to see multiple performances of Cinderella and Giselle and adjusted my pattern away from central amphi more to the sides (but not slips) to afford this. But now they’ve hit those seats as well. Looking ahead I would have tried to have seen a Winter’s Tale as I’ve not seen it before, but I’ve already decided I won’t book for it if it’s priced like DQ/Manon, and I’m less willing to give things a go to support ROH now. I also wouldn’t bother at all with Swan Lake next year due to the pricing likely to be DQ (or worse!) but will try to make an exception to see Nunez as I missed her last time as she was ill for the performance I booked. so that leaves me with the rest of the whole season to book: 1 x Manon if I can make Hayward. May make a special exception if Kaneko is cast with Bracewell as well and the dates align. 1 x MacMillan bill 2 x Ashton (it will cost me but I feel I need to see one of each combo. I’d also love to combine to see Sarasota ballet as well but I doubt I’ll get a ticket on general booking). I’ve gone from seeing on average 20 odd performances a year, to 5, maybe 6. In fact, I’m almost seeing ENB more (proportionality to how many performances they do) as I’m going to see Our Voices twice and will make an effort to see Giselle also, so that’s three guaranteed performances. I know I’ve been very negative about price rises but it’s only because I care so much (!) and it upsets me that ballet is becoming elitist and ROH don’t seem to care about preserving and performing a diverse repertoire, supporting regulars and friends of all financial means to attend. Yes I know it’s unrealistic to think I have a “right” to attend as much as I used to, and it is still a luxury to attend these things but the fact they are deliberately raising the price of the better value/cheaper seats at an unfair and disproportionate rate to other seats is why I’m so cross! sorry it’s so long and much of it probably repeats what I’ve said elsewhere on the forum but if I can’t see it here there’s nowhere else!

Does Alex Beard not realise that certain seats were in demand BECAUSE they were a certain price/value and this strategy is eroding this. I really do not see any evidence in any of what Alex Beard is saying that fairness is at the heart of their policy. Only greedy grabbing squeezing every single maximum pound out of every possible seat. How much did these external consultants cost? I wonder if before engaging these people they considered doing focus groups with audience members, Friends and non-Friends who would likely have done it for free, or perhaps for a voucher to use towards a performance or a free programme and ice cream. I do appreciate Alex Beard is in a difficult position but his reply frankly stinks of corporate messaging. I guess in fairness to him he did bother to reply at least so I’ll give him that. Sorry to hear lots of booking issues this morning - has anyone contacted ROH about this bizarre exceeded ticket allocation people are experiencing so they can attempt to fix it? (I presume going by previous experience it will take ages so they might as well start now and maybe it’ll be sorted by the opening of the 24/25 season). Sorry to be so cynical but the prices just feel out of control and whilst data is important it feels pure data without understanding the consumer, and what is “fair” isn’t actually worth much.

It is an intriguing email but probably gives a less positive reaction than ROH think! it’s very frustrating for people who plan in advance in preparation for booking date to not have a performance available. If it’s something like a guest star then why is this opportunity to book tickets not open to all (admittedly maybe they are planning to open up tickets on sale for a later date to everyone). If a guest star this exciting enough to half ticket sales, presumably either Corrales or Magri will be getting bumped off the ticket, which is unfair to them given they do only have 2 performances. I appreciate at this stage speculation is probably unhelpful so let’s just wait and see what ROH say. But I think some speculation could have been avoided by keeping the email more neutral perhaps (essentially the same email but without the word excited!) as what’s exciting to one person is annoying/frustrating/anticlimactic to another!