Bluebird

26 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

Australian Ballet has premiered Jewels in Sydney.  There is a review in today's Links (15th May):

 

 

Thank you, Janet. It certainly whets the appetite!

There was also an excellent review in the May 5 links.  I hope it's OK just to paste in the link rather than all the links for that day:

https://limelightmagazine.com.au/reviews/jewels-the-australian-ballet/

59 minutes ago, JohnS said:

Good to see such interest in pricing.

 

I’ve been following up the discrepancies between ballet and opera prices where some of the lower priced ballet tickets are significantly more costly than opera tickets (Sleeping Beauty/Cinderella v Don Carlo)......

 

.....There needs to be an element of fairness which was provided when there was at least consistency in pricing. How can anyone justify charging £112 for Sleeping Beauty/Cinderella when that same seat (Stalls Circle B26) is £90 for Don Carlo?

The prices in the Upper Slips have been the hardest to understand.  The acoustic there is, arguably, the best in the House for opera yet the price of a seat in the Upper Slips for opera has, consistently, been lower than the price of a seat for ballet.  I would have thought that most ballet fans would consider sight lines to be more important than an outstanding acoustic yet the prices do not reflect this.

Opera prices have ranged from £15 (Barber of Seville) to £18 (Werther/Don Carlo) whereas, for the better Upper Slips seats,  Cinderella and Beauty were priced at £22.

Edited to add the following:

Upper Slips seats and Stalls Circle Standing used to be sold at the same price for opera as well as for ballet.  There were a handful of seats at the very back of the amphitheatre which, because of their restricted view, were also sold at this price.

A couple of years ago, a new price band was created for these rear amphitheatre seats as well as for the better Upper Slips seats.  The interesting point is that this new price band was created for ballet performances only.  For opera, these seats remain at the same price as Stalls Circle Standing.

12 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

I suppose Don Q being (slightly) cheaper than SB or Cinderella is (slightly) encouraging.

It may be cheaper for the higher priced tickets - eg top price amphitheatre reduced from £112 to £104.  However, assuming I'm reading the pricing correctly, the price of the side front amphitheatre seats has been increased rather than reduced. For Cinderella and Beauty the price was £34. For Don Q it's £36. The price of the better Upper Slips seats has increased from £22 to £26. i.e. they've reduced the top prices at the expense of the cheaper ones

Edited for clarity

19 minutes ago, PeterS said:

obviously Natalia can’t get into work because of the train strike! 

I realise that was 'tongue in cheek' but the following was received a while ago from the ROH (my highlighting):

"We hope you are looking forward to seeing The Sleeping Beauty at the Royal Opera House.

We are sorry that, due to illness, it has been necessary to make a late-notice cast change for this evening’s performance: 

FRIDAY 12 MAY, 7.30PM

Natalia Osipova is replaced by Yasmine Naghdi as Princess Aurora."

5 minutes ago, Sophoife said:

Thanks for the casting update @Bluebird, I don't think I've ever seen Yasmine Naghdi on stage before, so I'm pleased to have the opportunity to do so. Very late replacement, yes, especially with a prince she ?hasn't danced this with before...

They did the Manon bedroom pas de deux in the recent Coliseum Icons Gala and I believe they've guested together with other companies but I have no idea if they've ever done Beauty together.

I don't think this has been referred to elsewhere.  Yasmine Naghdi replaces Natalia Osipova for tonight's performance:

1 hour ago, Emeralds said:

In this production, it is possible to have .....the same danseur as Guillaume and Benjamin (which Cirio did, and I think you could be right that Frola did too, though there is no public online archive to check for ENB like the one for ROH.)

I don't remember how, but I found the 2019 casting.  I've hesitated to post it in case it confuses people so I'll try to highlight the year:

NB THIS IS THE 2019 CASTING

My memories of the production are a little hazy but I'm pretty sure the Prince has more to do in this production than he does in the Ashton Cinderella.  When they last performed in the Albert Hall, the announced casting included the role of the Prince's friend, Benjamin.  I'm surprised it's not been announced this time as it's quite an important role.

Cinderella in the round casting is now on the ENB website.  I was about to start a new thread when I noticed Alison's post.  Here's the casting: 

https://www.ballet.org.uk/production/cinderella-in-the-round/#cast-section

Edited to add that I was trying to post the link to the full casting but it hasn't worked.  You just need to click on 'see casting for all dates'.

53 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

Is Alison McWhinney dancing this season? There's been no mention of her doing any solo roles in any of ENB's performances so far this season, so I wondered if she was out long-term with an injury or something.

Since she’s posted pictures on Instagram, I assume it’s OK to report that she gave birth to a baby girl in March. 

13 hours ago, RHowarth said:

I'm fairly sure Daphnis and Chloe was performed in the early 2000s at the ROH. I seem to remember seeing Cojocaru in it (with Bonelli??) and Nunez in the secondary female role. I think it was filmed for TV.

It was broadcast in December 2004 as part of "Ashton at 100: Fred's Steps".  The programme included Scènes de Ballet (Yoshida/Putrov), a series of Ashton 'Diverts' and Daphnis & Chloë in full with Cojocaru, Bonelli, Nuñez and Soares.

1 hour ago, JNC said:

I don’t see Choe as Cinderella

Yuhui Choe danced Cinderella several times in the 2010/2011 season and was really lovely in the role.  Edited to add that Sergei Polunin was her Prince.

Here is the cast for one of her performances:

https://www.rohcollections.org.uk/performance.aspx?performance=19703&row=0&character=Cinderella&person=Choe&searchtype=workprodperf

Here are the links to her other Cinderella performances that season:

https://www.rohcollections.org.uk/SearchResults.aspx?character=Cinderella&searchtype=workprodperf&person=Choe

1 hour ago, LinMM said:

Oh dear now I’ve another gripe! 
After the lovely LBC trip on Wednesday to see RBS upper school students in class and rehearsal have decided perhaps I should book Holland Park just in case don’t get to main stage show. 

 Remember that the Upper School are also performing in the Linbury in June (June 20 & 21)

https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/festival/next-generation-festival-2023-dates

3 hours ago, LinMM said:

I feel a bit frustrated with the booking system at the moment not for going wrong as such but for showing for weeks now that there are the “last few places” left £18-£42 for the RBS show on 16th July. However whenever you go into the seating map there are no seats available!! Can they just put sold out now!! But it’s annoying thinking there just might be some seats when there are not. 

When this happens, it’s sometimes because those particular seats are only available to people who are on the Access List. i.e. They only show up if an Access List member signs in to the website.

3 hours ago, Ondine said:

 

According to posts now deleted  (and for a change not posts by me, I note I've vanished into the ether again this morning) six young friends sat in the Royal Box, on four seats, while Kate and Charlotte sat in an adjacent one.

It's only a minor point but, in the interests of accuracy (since I assume it's my post you're referring to), all the children were in the Royal Box and the Princess of Wales and other adults were in the adjacent box.

Edited to add that there might well have been other adults at the very back of the Royal Box (i.e. keeping an eye on the children) but I would not have been able to see them from my position in the amphitheatre.  I could see the empty throne but I wouldn't have been able to see if there was anyone further back.

49 minutes ago, Sim said:

 There are usually forum folk up in the amphi terrace during the intervals

The restaurant has taken over the area where ‘forum folk’ used to meet. This afternoon, the rest of the amphitheatre terrace was packed full of people who were not attending the Cinderella performance. Sadly ‘Forum Folk’ no longer have a regular place to meet.

35 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

So are O’Sullivan and Naghdi the only female principals who haven’t done Kitri yet?

Yasmine Naghdi danced Kitri in the 2018/19 Season (with Marcelino Sambé as Basilio)

Here's the cast list for March 2 2019:

https://www.rohcollections.org.uk/performance.aspx?performance=33044&row=40

6 hours ago, FionaE said:

And unlike the ROH there are no restricted views anywhere … no pillars etc. 

There may not be any pillars but, in my experience, there are many seats from which it's not possible to see the whole Arena.  As Alison says, there are many seats in the circle which have a restricted view.  Even in the expensive seats in the Grand Tier there can be problems. In the past I've sat in the Grand Tier for rehearsals and, even there, I have found that there are seats from which I haven't been able to see the whole Arena.   Only in the Stalls (and maybe in the front of the Loggia) have I been certain of having a full view.  I'm sure there are full view seats elsewhere but I don't have personal experience of them.

6 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

Hi, just adding a question here about Royal Albert Hall seating (for ENB's Cinderella) as not sure where else to put it. Could anyone answer this - I'm looking at the seat map and of the two middle sections, stage and arena, which part do the dancers actually perform on? Sorry for what might be an obvious question, I've never seen a ballet there before.

When ENB perform full length ballets at the Albert Hall, they perform them "in the round".  This means that they perform in the arena.  

24 minutes ago, PatC said:

Tchaikovsky Piano which was called something else?

Ballet Imperial?

28 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

 

One of the stage hands, who has worked at ROH for 40 years

I think he was higher up than a stage hand. Kevin O'Hare did say that he started as a stage hand and progressed through many jobs until he reached his current position.

I didn't remember the name so I've googled it and come up with the name of Peter Sullivan, Head of Technical Operations and Logistics who, according to Linked In, has been at the ROH since 1983.

Even if this is the wrong person it's someone who should, most certainly, be congratulated for working for the ROH for such a long time.

Maybe somebody else who was there could confirm or correct?

Edited to add that I'm grateful to Thalia who has provided the correct name:

"It was Gary Whiffen who is a Production Stage Senior Manager".

It shows that Google can't answer every question!

1 hour ago, cavycapers said:

My friend and I saw performance on Wednesday and were wondering if the 'Stars' were danced by students as they all looked smaller than the other dancers?

They were all Company members except, possibly, for one Aud Jebsen Young Dancer.  A friend had told me he was having a problem identifying some of the newer members of the Company so I made a point of trying to see who was there.  The following are the ones I think I saw - in the order they appear on the ROH website:

Sophie Allnatt, Mica Bradbury, Hannah Grennell, Sae Maeda, Leticia Stock, Charlotte Tonkinson, Viola Pantuso, Amelia Townsend, Marianna Tsembenhoi, Yu Hang, Ginevra Zambon (all First Artists or Artists) and, I think, one of the Aud Jebsen Young Dancers, Scarlett Harvey.

If I've made any mistakes, I'd be happy to be corrected.

On 06/04/2023 at 16:20, emmarose said:

I was sitting in an unrestricted seat, SC A78, yet a big moment (when Cinderella walks down the stairs en pointe) was completely obscured by the crowded stage, I only saw the last two steps of her feet. It was a moment I was waiting for and was pretty much lost to me.

On 06/04/2023 at 16:35, capybara said:

I wrote in about there being so many 'onlookers' at the side of the stage that Cinderella walking down the stairs was obscured from view, even in the side Stalls. They could easily leave the fairy attendants out of the tableau and let the audience see the key moments such as this and the Prince finding the slipper.

 

 

 

Remembering last week's discussion, I just thought to take a screen shot from my recording of the televised 2003 performance.

Although the stage was clearly just as crowded as it is now, Cinderella appears to enter from a higher position - i.e. the staircase is longer.  From my normal seat in the amphitheatre, I've always been able to see the entrance.  The current problem appears to be with the sight lines in the lower areas of the House. I'd be interested to hear from Forum members who saw the last production from those lower areas.  i.e. was Cinderella's entrance visible to all areas of the House in that production?  If it was, then maybe the fault lies with the construction of the set rather than with the positioning of the dancers?

11 minutes ago, cavycapers said:

Do you think that means including interval or plus interval? 🤔

I've checked my Jewels Blu Ray and the running time is a little over 90 minutes so the 120 minutes must include the interval.