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BalletBoysDad

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  1. I think it’s coming next week, as I queried arrival and departure times as I’ll be travelling by train.
  2. I second this too. I’ve been lucky enough to see all 3 performances with Vadim and Marianella. The gala was wonderful, simply for what it was. The second performance, I watched from the slight sides of the balcony, and although I’m a massive fan of the balcony, I felt that some of the subtleties in the choreo became harder to see. I also sensed some nervousness that wasn’t so apparent in the opening night. As it human, I saw some wobbly landings and an unfortunate stumble into the table. It’s also the first time I ever felt myself slightly squinting and missing details (as opposed to, say, Like Water for Chocolate that looked ravishing from any section of the auditorium). I watched again last night from the stalls, and it somehow all fell perfectly into place. All the dancers seemed to have relaxed into their roles and it all felt effortless and seamless. Whatever people think of the stepsisters, I personally think they look totally committed to their roles, never break character and perform it with real conviction. They are delivering exactly what Ashton wanted. The score, like all Prokofiev, gets more lyrical and memorable with every fresh recital. The lyricism is there from the beginning; you just maybe have to open yourself up to discovering it. The grand pas de deux was aching with longing, dare I say a very subtle eroticism. Marianella appeared to be floating on air. Although I agree that there is a feeling that Vadim is underused, it’s wonderful to see a production that really showcases the breadth of female talent. I seem to remember coming away from Mayerling thinking it was a showcase for the male dancers, and I’m glad to see parity for female dancers in Cinderella.
  3. I snorted my coffee when you said ‘Molly Goddard’. I thought exactly the same thing, with a brief contemplation of Giambattista Valli. Then fully settled on Molly Goddard 😂
  4. I was mulling over this morning, slightly in the angle of the Broadway World review, if Marianella’s Cinderella was a touch ‘one note’, or very understated. But I stared to think of the consequences if different emotions were on display. We see and feel her yearn for her mother, and we see and feel her yearn for the memories of her time at the ball, but the rest of the time she appeared in a state of kind content. She seemed bemused by her awful sisters rather than a victim of them. She seemed to have a contentment with her life and circumstances that never invoked self-pity, and it appeared her only disappointment of not going to the ball is that she longed to dance with a real human, regardless of the status of the ball itself. Had she appeared overly sad or distressed with her existence, or overly abused/tormented by her sisters, I imagine it would have steered the narrative to her being ‘saved’ by the prince, which would have probably totally rewritten the personality and character of the Cinderella Ashton had in mind. Maybe this is why Ashton chose not to have a cruel stepmother?
  5. I thought it was an absolutely wonderful evening. For me, the orchestra were on excellent form and Prokofiev is very safe in their hands. You could feel the yearning, longing and sense of sadness in the score right from the overture, and it set the perfect tone for the evening. The midnight waltz is thrilling. I personally loved the step sisters. The only ‘niggle’ which I imagine is in the choreography/direction is that sometimes their presence can be overpowering, for example their disappointment at the shoe not fitting detracted from that important moment where Cinderella’s slipper DOES fit. But it’s only testament to their conviction and commitment to the role which shone through. Whatever modern technology was at play, this production felt positively traditional. I loved the way the house gradually ‘pulls apart’. It felt genuinely exciting and magical. I can’t remember the last time I let out a massive ‘ahhhhhhhh’ at the end. There are ‘wishlist niggles’ where it would have been lovely to see her dress ‘transform’, which was a special moment I seem to remember in the Australian Ballet production. But overall I found it a joyous and captivating production that flashed in the blink of an eye. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it and am placing bets on this running over Christmas 24/25
  6. Does anyone have a link to (or image of) the cast list for tonight’s opening?
  7. True. It also felt similar during the early sales stages of ‘Like Water for Chocolate’. Unless you were familiar with the novel, the trailer and marketing gave very little away. Though mid-run, and after mostly favourable reviews it became ever more difficult to get a ticket.
  8. I’m not seasoned enough to make any comparisons, but would it be fair to say that Cinderella ticket sales look worrying at this stage?
  9. Ah, thanks for that. That was the first time I had ever watched Coppelia and I thought it was extremely charming. My prediction is that they will have another Nutcracker this Christmas (23/24 season) , and depending on the success of this Cinderella, possibly look to run it over Christmas 24/25 season and give Nutcracker a rest.
  10. Pre-pandemic, I have in the back of my mind that I heard whispers that a new Cinderella was being planned for a Christmas run. Then it probably went into a period of covid-induced hibernation. Post-pandemic, maybe swapping a revenue-assured 34/36 performances Nutcracker run at Christmas for Cinderella wasn’t something they felt comfortable with. If indeed, it was originally planned for Christmas. I’m sure I watched Coppelia in 2019, when there wasn’t a Nutcracker that Christmas. (I am probably wrong)
  11. It wouldn’t have bothered me for an opera. Sight lines of legs and feet are maybe less important there. 😂 But I’ve had some quite misfortune experiences with sightlines for ballet in the stalls, more so from the sides. That’s why I was surprised they were all a flat price for the performance-only gala stalls seats, when clearly some are much better than others.
  12. It all got happily sorted out in the end. Two (not that great side stalls) tickets were £550. I could have bought the ‘better 2’ new tickets like you say and have asked to convert the previous 2 to credit. But with moving house etc I rather keep the money. During Nutcracker, I had some side balcony seats and on 2 occasions, at a later date I saw some centre front row balcony seats become available. I can’t remember the exact amount I paid, but it was the relatively small cash difference in ticket price and maybe a £4 or £6 rebooking fee. I can’t quite remember, but it was definitely worth paying it for changing to much better seats without a huge price difference. That’s what I planned to do for Monday, but the issue was really the effort it took to get through to the box office. I’ve always found the box office to be fair and reasonable. It’s just on this occasion it was very hard work.
  13. Thank you, was just curious to know how the pricing structure worked, as I’m not a ‘friend’ and never saw what was available from the original releases. It’s been a frustrating week as I bought my tickets very late. It was the ‘best of a bad bunch’ that was available in the stalls at the time, but I was looking forwards to it. As each day went by, I saw really good stalls seats come available again, several at a time. On Tuesday, almost an entire central row became free. Numerous attempts to pay the booking fee and swap for a better seat failed due to phone calls going unanswered for ages, the ‘press 1 and we will call you back’ not working, emails being unanswered. Some very good seats were available for 4 hours and I had no success getting through in that time frame.
  14. Sorry, I haven’t read through the whole thread yet. I bough gala tickets very late. Still, ‘performance only stalls’ were £275. I wonder if they sold fewer of the ‘super premium’ tickets, and later raised the prices when it opened to general booking? All orchestra stalls, performance only, have been showing £275.
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