postie

If you haven't had a stroll along that eastern end of The Stand recently - the Somerset House > St Mary's > High Court end -  it really is taking shape now as a significant pedestrianised area. Should be pretty stunning by summer, and peaceful. Reasonable amount of seating already in place.

The Greggs is rather handy, as well ..

2 hours ago, annamk said:

I thought this was a forum to discuss ballet ? 

Thank you for picking my post and not others, including the one just before about taxpayer funded bonuses of £4 million.

You could almost think there is a deliberate strategy to evoke the 1970s - militant union leaders, walk outs, blackouts, unions in cahoots, et al. The only problem with that is Margaret Thatcher brought in a slew of 'union busting' laws through the 1980s so the 1970s couldn't happen again - every union today has to comply with Thatchers rules.

So the unions play by the rules and the Government refuses to allow talks - the nurses union even said we don't want the pay review recommendation of 19%, we will call the strike off if you will just talk to us.

Could it possibly have anything to do with a 20-point deficit in the polls and under 2-years 'til the next General Election.

December?

It's strange to me; how many hundreds of people are there on trains too and from London - how many trains - and the idea is there will be no sudden illness, no poor behaviour, all the toilets will be working without anyone smoking in them, no one is going to have access requirements in any of the carriages on any of the trains. The list goes on.

And, of course, the absurd mantra - some giant rubber hammer to hit over the head of unions - is to have driverless trains.

3 hours ago, DanJL said:

Isn't it the case that trains usually stop running early on Christmas eve and don't start again until the 27th? There are no other strikes on Christmas week itself so it seems that they have deliberately kept that travel period clear. If they were on strike from 6am on the 24th that would be a different matter! 

Indeed. As per previous strike actions, it avoids as much public inconvenience as possible while exercising a legal right i.e. the Remembrance period, major sporting events, etc.

I was virtually sitting in the pit, but on 12 Sept 2019, I sat in Stalls Circle row B for £28. Magic Flute.

I'd need to be milking one of those 'equity release' magic money trees now.

18 hours ago, Ausmeg said:

Hello! I am travelling from Australia and have managed to secure 3x standing tickets to the Nutcracker this year. I just want to ask if anyone can offer any information if there are any places to sit between acts etc? I am bringing my 10 year old and so want her to be able to have a little rest in between. We have never been to ROH before. 
Thankyou so much!

Just sit in the vacated seats immediately in front of the standing places - people aren't generally back until 5-minutes before the next act starts, and the intervals are 20-minutes. No one minds.

There is also quite a sprinkling of female emotional violence, which can leave longer and deeper wounds, whether the victim is a child or a partner.

To briefly add, the Stravinsky-sized, 60-piece orchestra for Ek's Rite of Spring was quite the delight. Big investment, as well.

Another day, another Rupert story (possibly behind the Telegraph paywall) >>

Quote

 a faulty business model based on occupation of the white elephant that is the totally impractical London Coliseum

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/what-to-see/arts-council-funding-english-national-opera-should-move-not/

Did he make this point previously or has he been reading astutely-made views on this thread ..

Yasmine! No idea, early. Changed now.

There must be a marvellous esprit de corps at the moment, which I imagine Mayerling inspires and helps everyone to reach their heights.

Vadim looked so strong and assured last night. The easy grace of Fumi never more apparent, and Yasmine supremely confident and passionate as she threw herself at Rudolph, literally.

Before the first break, I particularly enjoy the pas de deux between husband and wife, there is so much in that layered communication - kudos to Isabella for her wonderful contribution, and to everyone. It was special. Again!

Well, au contraire, I'm gradually seeing more value in this and I hope ENO do as well, in time:

• Coli capacity may be seen as an albatross at 2,350 Victorian-era seats (peak ALW-sized); every production has to purport to be a blockbuster. The ROH's creation and use of the Linbury suggests the ENO is in a straight jacket. The future (and present) is not fixed-size 1902 musical halls but flexible spaces like, for example, Sadler's Wells / SW East, at 1,500 and 550. Purpose-built and not with some back alley to store your scenery in, and toilets for changing
• The West End will eat up the Coli as a rental space, ENO can make a very decent return (or the Royal Albert Hall to manage, as per a purported Whitehall leak)
• Model to follow is ENB -  a base camp (somewhere) from which they pollinate the world with goodness
• With flexible spacing comes the potential for more productions (fewer eggs in the one, ungodly large basket)
• No reason to think London will be served less well
• Possibility/probability of contributions for relocation (cities offering building land, benefits)
• Lower overheads, as well as regular income from the Coli
• More effective outreach into areas not served

I'm just suggesting a case can be made ..

The first comment, or the revised comment. The latter being less offensive. To revise your conversation, seems a complicated way to converse in public.

There are various ways to interact on the Internet. One way of behaving is to imagine - before you respond - you are talking to the person face-to-face in a group.

Edit: The post above was altered after I replied.

Given his age (mid-late 70s?), I tend to think it could be almost anything. Perhaps brain degeneration, a reaction to medication, an episodic thing, who knows. I did wonder how he was out alone but, of course, plenty of people his age are.

Hope he got home okay because he sounds pretty confused.

Just a reminder there is strike action today, so no tube. The cycle racks across the road may also be busy so I'm aiming for 2pm

https://tfl.gov.uk/tube-dlr-overground/status/#

33 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

I could make it to this SWE location  if it’s a matinee (possibly an evening performance that starts and ends early). We could do with an alternative to the Peacock, which while  decent enough for college and school performances, really looks too dull and makeshift for professional performances. Let’s just say there are school halls that look more professional! 550-seating capacity seems a bit small though. Would it even be worth good ensembles/performers presenting shows there if their box office takings will be limited?  

I'm not by any stretch an expert. I would say the Peacock - ime - doesn't often sell out and if a production is popular perhaps SWE can extend the run or find some way to maximise the interest.

All productions are obviously budgeted  and, while public interest is likely always an educated guess, the added value at Stratford is pretty significant community engagement of the socio-economic groups ACE is looking for.

2 hours ago, LinMM said:

How far is it into the park though? 

Although haven’t been since Covid I used to go to the Olympic Pool there…but mostly in the day time and mostly in the summer…so lighter.. months. 

It's next to the pool!

Edit:  On the same side of the bridge as you are, that big row of new building extending along the river. The first is Sadler's Wells, then the BBC concert hall, a bit after that the V&A extension ...

The pool is to the right in this topmost image (Westfields shopping megaplace is in the background) >>

https://www.queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/east-bank

1 hour ago, Lizbie1 said:

I'm very aware of the problems the Coli presents but it has one major thing in its favour: location. There is not much that would draw me, a non-Londoner, to Sadler's Wells East, as getting there and back becomes too much of a headache.

No idea where everyone is, but Stratford is 16-minutes direct from Kings Cross.

Between the station and the sign-posted venue is an humungous Westfields *shopping experience*,

For anyone who went to the Olympics, it's the same journey.

I think the idea is to level out east as well as level up north.

Lest we forget, another venue is opening a new site in less than a year: Sadler's Well's East (550 seats). I can't speak to the backstage facilities at the Peacock theatre (1000 capacity) but assume the new venue will have all the backstage trimmings/accoutrements.

There will also be another Sadler's Wells sized venue to the west (1,500 seats) at Olympia in the almost near future although the assumption there, so far, is it will be more West End-y in programming. I cycled past the enormous site at Olympia a couple of weeks ago and it's all-action.

I know I'm making the same point in a different way, but it is hard to imagine a theatre more inappropriate for, particularly ballet but opera also, than the Coli - it is a traditional music hall from 120 years ago.

Some might even argue the Coli - in terms of capacity and upkeep - is as much a burden as a delight for ENO: 2,350 is a lot of seats and the Gods there really is some distance from the action.

https://www.sadlerswells.com/about-us/our-theatres/sadlers-wells-east/

https://www.londontheatre1.com/theatre-news/trafalgar-entertainments-new-london-theatre-at-olympia/

18 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

I'd like the Coli to host the regional opera and ballet companies for, say, a week each each season (by which I mean Autumn and Spring). ENB's December/January occupation would coexist very happily with that.

I did the backstage tour at the Coli before Covid. I didn't know there is pretty well zero space either at the sides or back of the stage - go past the back of the stage area and you are pretty much straight in Bedfordbury (the street behind).

Couldn't be a greater contrast with the ROH which basically has an aircraft hanger's worth of backstage space.

When they are rehearsing a new production, the staging/scenery is kept in removal lorries which are parked outside at the back (next to the Lemon Tree pub). After each performance, they swap the current with the rehearsal, and then swap it all back again before the next performance.

I suppose they are used to it though from the outside it looks like a daily miracle. Have no idea how ENB cope with all their performers!

Central London is crying out for theatrical space and this is 2,350 seats. It will, at least, provide a source of funding for ENO going forward. What a beautiful building.

41 minutes ago, Sim said:

Thanks Postie. An incredibly kind person saw my rant above and has sorted me out with a ticket.  
 

Surely if a ticket is languishing in a basket they shouldn’t be showing it as available, even if it hasn’t been paid for yet. 😡

It's basically the steps of a legal contract - offer, acceptance, invitation to treat, consideration, contract (IIRC).

30-minutes is pretty average, in my experience. I've seem other venues use 45 and another 15-minutes. It seems to be built-in with every software package, with for 'basket time' being a variable decided by the software buyer.

1 hour ago, Sim said:

Lucky you, @Dawnstar  I clicked on one, and when I went to put it in the basket a red bar popped up saying 'there is a problem with processing your ticket'.  It didn't tell me what the problem was, so I went out and back in again, by which time it was gone.  I am so annoyed by this.  I will resist the temptation to rant about the ROH's lousy website....

It can happen, especially with Rush. Fwiw, I assume it means someone has it in their basket (and they have 30-minutes to complete).

I was also lucky today but it is pretty much is luck. Hope you can pick up a return during next week.