AnticaFiamma

Yeah Clarke definitely has the Osipova factor that will surely help. I feel Bracewell might have more momentum at the moment: they made him play Romeo in the movie, then danced the role wonderfully on stage last October (better than RC imho) and they're making him play Siegfried a lot in the imminent run of Swan Lake. Obviously not to principal, but surely Leo Dixon must be getting a promotion too, he's been rising to prominence this season.

I wonder if they'll do like they did for Woolf Works and bring The Dante Project back for a few weeks? In that case Bonelli could lead the primary cast and give his farewell playing Dante, like Edward Watson. It's a great role

I wonder if this is a mere formality or an indication of some change of plans? Bonelli had a wonderful season, stepping in and dancing leadings roles like Albrecht and Romeo more than any other male principal dancer this year. Plus he led the secondary cast of The Dante's Project. Ending such a brilliant season and career dancing Beliaev in the middle of a triptych feels slightly anticlimatic, as opposed to, for instance, having his last show as Siegfried in Swan Lake. I guess we'll see!

Clarke and Bracewell will very likely be promoted to replace him and Watson

Unexpected indeed! I assumed he would have stayed for one more year to celebrate his 20th anniversary with the company, and it's sad to see Ed Watson and Federico retire during the same season. Personally I'm really sad, he's one of my favourite dancers ever and can't wait to see his last Romeo tomorrow. Also I need to start hunting for return tickets for his Swan Lake! But best wishes to him, he'll be a marvellous artistic director

A very strong debut from Clark! Sure, there is room for improvement in the acting department, but his dancing is first rate and the partnership with Osipova is impeccable. With his sheer size and strenght he provides her with the solid foundation she needs to perform her magic - and magic it is! Osipova's Juliet really is one of the great performances of our time. Despite having seen Romeo and Juliet three times in the past 27 hours, I simply could not believe that she was dancing a choreography and the steps didn't come from her - from Juliet's - own heart. Her Juliet experiences a earthquake-like sexual awakening, and she brings the audience with her in a journey through the depths of love and desperation. There are also strong performances coming from the supporting cast. Luca brings his signature speed and cheek to Mercutio, Teo dances his second fine Benvolio of the day and Hirano adds gravitas with his devilish handsome and tragically lonely Tybalt. An unforgettable night at the theatre.

Yes Clarke and Osipova are to die for

Another great performance this afternoon, with excellent chemistry between Naghdi and Ball. I much preferred her partnership with Matt to the one with Muntagirov, and what a Juliet she is: every movement of her hand is a story, and her bourees speak volumes. Truly wonderful technique and acting: the final scene in particular is a real gem and the fact that she dies before reaching Romeo's hand is really a tragedy within the tragedy. And both are excellent in their PDD, both at the end of Act 1 and at the beginning of Act 3. There are very strong supporting performances from Benjamin Ella in a memorable debut (?) as Mercutio, Teo Dubreuil as Benvolio and David Donnelly as a warm and sympathetic Paris. I had somehow assumed that Gary Avis had retired from the role of Tybalt and I'm really happy I was wrong: he makes a full meal of a small part and his characterisation is a highlight of the whole show. While on the whole I preferred Sambé & O'Sullivan in the title roles, this afternoon performance was sharper than the one I watched last night, and the orchestra in particular played much better.

I was stuck in Italy for the first few weeks of January so I hadn't seen Romeo and Juliet since last October, and I couldn't wait to revisit it. It's been a great night, although to be perfectly frank I thought the whole production (minus the leads) took a little while to find its footing. I'll go as far as to say that it didn't start soaring until the balcony pas de deux at the end of the first act. Before then I thought there were many imprecisions both in the cast and the orchestra, and on the whole it wasn't as sharp as it was last Autumn. After the balcony PDD it was a whole different matter, and act 2 and 3 were perfectly executed by everyone on stage. Marcelino and Anna Rose have AMAZING chemistry and are entirely believable as lovers burning with passion for each other. As good as Sambé is (and he's really good), O'Sullivan is the true revelation and her Act 3 Juliet was particularly superb. After having been harsh and strong during the confrontation with her parents, in the final scene she becomes once again the child we briefly glimpse at in act 1. When she wakes up in the dark dungeon surrounded by corpses we are reminded once more of how young she is, but she becomes a woman once again when she realizes it's Romeo. As she stabs herself, she keeps her eyes on Romeo the whole time, and I found it incredibly moving. The rest of the cast is also very good. James Hay is a fine Mercutio and, while it was not in sync with Romeo and Benvolio in the scene before the ball, he totally redeemed himself in act 2. Leo Dixon is an astonishingly pretty and charming Benvolio, while Nicol Edmonds is a very snobbish Paris. Joonhyuk Jun is wonderful as the lead mandolin player and he needs to be promoted asap: I can't wait for his Mercutio!

Still on sale!

They announced the cast for the first two shows – Gary Avis is returning as Tybalt!

Hullo, I'm selling SCS D23 for the evening performance of Friday January 28th, with Sambé and O'Sullivan. 10£, DM me if interested! Max

Not to mention that she was most certainly not acting according to her master's command when she helped Juliet getting married, it is in her best interest to keep it a secret.

Yeah he was brilliant! And he led the pas de six beautifully on the closing night of Giselle

Any thought on Bonelli?

Thanks for the beautiful pics! I was supposed to see them later this week but I cannot travel to London since I'm isolating :/ hopefully I'll catch them in February.

Did Ryoichi Hirano play the Arabian dancer today? That sounds unusual!

I was at the matinee yesterday for my last ROH visit of the year, and what a delight it was. Leo Dixon is really growing in the role and he's very charming on stage, especially when paired with Meaghan Grace Hinkis's beautiful Clara. But there were lovely performances everywhere, and I'm particularly glad to have caught Stanislaw Wegrzyn in the Chinese Dance and Marco Masciari in the Russian Dance, since I've never seen them doing it. Lauren Cuthbertson and William Bracewell walk away with the show, as they should, with their superb dancing and partnership. He needs to be promoted asap, the RB doesn't have many better dancers.

No, he did a dozen

I was about to say the same, when I went it was full of children but they were all as good as gold

What a glorious closing night! Really strong performance from everyone on stage and in the pit, I have never heard the score played better during the run. Last week someone complained about David Donnelly's Hilarion, and I don't know if he improved a lot or I have very low standards, but I thought he was exquisite. Perhaps not as spectacular as Luca, but surely not inferior to Lukas Bjørneboe Brændsrød or Tomas Mock. The pas de six was very strong too and there was lovely chemistry between Mariko Sasaki and Joonhyuk Jun; the latter in particular was truly outstanding and I'd love to see him dance the scene of Hilarion's death. I can't really add anything to what has been said about Laura Morera, it was an exquisite performance and she would have deserved the truly lovely celebration at the end of the show even just for what she did on stage tonight. And I definitely second @maryrosesatonapin, Bonelli is no mere porteur. He's an exceptional partner, able to change his style and performance according to the needs of the ballerina, while also preserving a strong individuality. His technique and stamina are not inferior (and, often, are better) than the ones of Albrechts who are fifteen years younger than he is. Apart from the 30 entrechats (perfectly executed, with his arms very still), he doesn't show off and his loving and grieving Albrecht is coherent and wonderfully characterised. I think no other Albrecht during this run manages to convey desperation as he does in the final moments of the second act: his performance is the one that only an extraordinary dancer can deliver. The beautiful celebration was joyous but bittersweet, as there is a sense that maybe both Morera and Bonelli might not return to these roles again. If this is the case and this was indeed their last performance as Giselle and Albrecht they should be immensely proud of themselves, because what they did tonight cannot be topped easily.

I brought a blowgun just in case

While I was watching Sarah Lamb's final steps on stage all I could think of were Salieri's words in the scene in Amadeus in which he watches Le Nozze di Figaro: "I heard the music of true forgiveness filling the theatre, conferring on all who sat there perfect absolution". It is an extraordinary performance, and I adore her Giselle: she's the most ethereal, the most compassionate, the most forgiving. Pity shone in every movement, and the moment in which she raised her arms one final time after the Wilis were gone to instil strength in Albrecht was so sweet and touching that it moved me to tears. And I loved the moment in which she started stepping back into her grave and the look of surprise she gave to her feet as if they were moving against her will. Her acting alone would make her an unforgettable Giselle, but her technique is so pristine and her dancing so perfect that her portrayal of the role is a true masterpiece. I watched their first show together last week, and I'm glad to say Lamb and Sambé have great chemistry. They're still not always in sync, and it's somewhat noticeable in the jumps and hops in act 1 and the middle of act 2, but their unique acting and dancing skills combined can make one overlook such things, which will naturally improve with time. Sambé is such a lovely Albrecht, very gentle with both Giselle, the townfolks and even Wilfred: it's very sweet how he immediately repents after having scolded him off in the opening scene! His second act is just terrific and heartbreaking, he brought a great depth of despair to a truly touching ending. He had a couple of funny mishaps, one with the sword at the beginning and one at the very end, when he threw himself so forcefully at Giselle's tomb that the whole thing seemed to tremble. But honestly, it was a great performance and I'm looking forward to seeing him again in this role. Gina Storm-Jensen improved a lot since last week and her Myrtha is truly terrifying. Her Myrtha is the coldest and cruellest of all the great potrayals we saw during this run, her icy queen has almost a reptilian edge in the brisk way she moves her head. There is this terrific moment after the morning bell rings in which she outstretches her arm, as if trying to get a hold of Albrecht even if she knows her power has ended. She's very reluctant at letting him go, and their love does not inspire pity in her, but horror and disgust. While her dancing felt slightly underpowered last week, she was absolutely on top form tonight: comparing her to Magri or Nunez would be very unfair considering all their experience with the role, but I'm sure than in no time her Myrtha will rank among the very best. Romany Pajdak and Isabel Lubach were both very fine as Moyna and Zulme, and Luca Acri is an endearing and spectacularly fast Hilarion, as always. Always great to see Kristen McNally as Berthe and the pas de six was quite strong too as led by Melissa Hamilton and Nicol Edmonds. I'm going back tomorrow for the last show and I have to say I'll really miss having Giselle playing at the Royal Opera House, it brings the best out of the RB.

I was there too tonight and thought it was lovely. I don't know what was the issue last week, but Corrales was a lovely partner tonight. They weren't always in sync in act 1 – the same issue with Lamb & Sambé, he jumps so high that he always lands a bit later – but it's a budding partnership that looks like will be very rewarding. I saw Corrales playing Albrecht in 2017 with ENO, it was my very first ballet and it was lovely to see him again dancing it. His Albrecht is very aristocratic and used to get things his way, he bossed around the country lads as if they were his servants. There was great chemistry between him and Takada, and there is a strong sexual tension between their Albrecht and Giselle: they always seem one second away from kissing. I see what people mean when they say that Takada's technique is not perfect, but she's such a terrific actress and can convey so much doing so little. Her radiant face when she heard the morning bells is unforgettable. Mayara Magri is really wonderful as Myrtha, I think I saw her doing it half a dozen times and she keeps getting better and better. Kristen McNally is my favourite Berthe, I just love the mime scene and her grief at the end of act 1. The Wilis are always pitch-perfect and the pas de six was very good too. I really enjoyed Calvin Richardson's dancing, I can't wait to see his Romeo. The orchestra was in very fine form as well and the strings, in particular, were excellent. I love the violin solo in act 2. But yeah the whole experience was somewhat marred by the "bravo" guy, who kept shouting every ten minutes. He performed more than some people on stage, I'm surprised he didn't get his bow at the curtain call.

What a loss, but what a legacy