postie

I'm quite visual and have a sense of being pushed further back, stressing online for standing, moving further up in the auditorium, while others exit altogether. So who is moving into those vacated, expensive seats? We are experiencing major socio-economic shifts in this post-pandemic era. I'd love to see the ROH dataset because there does seem a confidence in the pricing and it can surely only be based on analysis. Some thoughts: Escapism into ballet/opera from increasingly fraught daily life Earlier retirement/equity release As above but from overseas: regulars becoming more regular, and newcomers Surge in Bucket list-types as so many delayed trip to London are finally taken (often hoovering up last-minute availability at high prices) I also wonder if there is - for the ROH - a financially positive relationship between price increases and growing Friends membership ... perhap leading to a modification of the business model.

Somewhat tangential, Tomara gave a moving acceptance speech at the Sky Arts Awards this year (the outstanding achievement prize), which was broadcast last night. She spoke of her years in England and particularly at the ENB. She felt there was a unique and precious cultural eco-system here and that she wouldn't have developed without that. It reminded me of a radio broadcast when she described seeing Francis Bacon's response to Velázquez's Pope Innocent for the first time, and how that changed everything for her. It might pop up again on Sky Arts. The Dante Project won its category and McGregor accepted/spoke as did Opera North's Rigoletto which was also quite moving. End of digression

ROH making an early bid for my Winter fuel allowance. It's very depressing for the low paid - formerly known as key workers.

Worst case, you'll still have Friday 11th and 18th November when, presumably, all three performances will be on Rush.

Perhaps summer hols affected the queue ... Anyway, painless process, apart from 'pay now' button. For any opera crossover-types, if you haven't yet been, suggest you make your way to the Linbury for Lucretia as it's very popular.

Not sure anyone has mentioned this; the Friends' Rehearsals, they do go on at times that can be difficult for people working conventional week day hours - like 11.30am (often) and 5.00pm. Also, occasionally, normal-ish times.

I went a couple of weeks ago and was generally whelmed. It might be more interesting for tourists and people who haven't already experienced the building. We did sit in the main auditorium during an orchestra session and, from behind glass, saw a little of Akane Takada and Rhonchi Hirano practising movement in one of the six top floor studios. Another interesting moment was seeing, from a distant vantage point, the scale of the area for backstage sets. Otherwise, it was mostly public areas, admin corridors and a little by-the-numbers; it's understandable, the building is a unique combination of admin and elite performance workspaces.

I've been a low-ish income Friend for about 8-months. It's been worth trying. Like you, I joined for the advantage in tickets but, actually, it has changed my relationship with the OH. I like the season guides (over 70 pages) and the quarterly magazine, the Linbury and the Clore, the extra Friends' email info. I also feel more comfortable with the intricacies of booking and performance seasons - the rhythms of the OH year. Perhaps a bit soon to say but my feeling is people are chattier around Friends events. Also, with more booking opportunities, comes an opportunity to strategise - again, unexpected. I could almost do a TED talk about that

Tomorrow isn't a strike day, and they've had not a little notice to get organised. Disappointing. West End theatre seems to not be suffering 'knock on effects' in quite the same way. Nor do schools, the NHS, postal workers and .. Sadler’s Wells: https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/?start=2022-06-22&end=2022-06-22

Also saw it on Saturday and thought the Scottish deserved better than half a House. It was beautiful and at times thrilling. Loved the soundscape, the setting, the tensions, moods .. just excellent. My only concern is the usual one about abbreviating or cutting supporting arcs - the original text is a sophisticated, carefully woven piece of writing for an ensemble cast. I'd guess this was 1 hour 40 of performance. At some point the original art is .. not. But this certainly delivered its story with aplomb. Glad I saw this. Incidently, the spoken word version returns to the National in a couple of months, with her off The Crown and him off Game of Thrones. Some might think Miller's smarting response to 1950s US McCarthyism also has resonance in the modern world. On the question of attendance, it does feel quite a time atm in London with so much to see, and also at a time of economic uncertainty. I think it might be right that SW doesn't have a huge ballet following, thought it does have quite the Matthew Bourne following, and he's been trying to fill 4.5K of seats at the Albert Hall - and at decent prices. I don't know really, there just seems almost a dizzying number of events and booking periods atm.

In the event of tube strike issues, perhaps consider the new Elizabeth Line into Farringdon (and also Thameslink, which goes North/South) - a modest walk or bus journey from there. Looking forward to this on Saturday. p.s. it's a regular train, not another tube line.

I went back for a second helping last night and reminded myself to ‘Never judge a new work by its Dress’. This was crisper, more vivid than the rehearsal – I have pondered why that was because I’m aware the largest variable might well be me (mood, understanding of the work, in my case literally day of the week), though it was a different cast and there have been changes. I certainly felt more comfortable with the dynamics of the matriarchy, the ‘births, marriages and deaths’ of family life, as well as men coming and going .. The complicated woven arcs were easier to assimilate, the generational timeline fine, the design an ambitious success at times, though the magic realism still felt a little – either – elusive or awkward. Also, the score sat so much better, which I think suggests a much more relaxed moi. There are no great bangers but the musicality and structures across the piece are so impressive. Full house seemed very engaged. Partial and not insignificant standing ovation. After, I did wander off along Floral Street with a sense of mild exhilaration, which was a shame as I had planned to wander to Holborn tube with mild exhilaration. I took it to be the sign of a very decent evening.

This reflects my thoughts. I don't mind losing the plot a little as long as the movement and/or music is captivating. Some scenes were strong, some subtle, a few beautiful, but a few more crescendo moments would have been nice. I'd mention magic realism seems to be largely represented by a roaming spirit. This he/she contribution reminded me a little of Bez from the Happy Mondays*, whose contribution was also ... etherial. I wondered if magic is either overplayed in the promo literature or underrepresented in the piece, and whether Bez was otherwise engaged. I don't know how you convey the importance of food, the love of preparation, or its significance in relation to Tita and I'm unsure the choices made here were entirely successful * partly joking

Hello, I'm new, though have enjoyed reading for forum for quite a while. I agree with the first poster. The choice - at least for me - was to go in blind and spend 2 1/2 hours trying to work out who/what/why; perhaps particularly who is related to whom, fathom the evolving emotional entanglements, while also trying to enjoy the score and movement, or to have the basic arrangements settled in your mind. I'm a little slow, so spent the 5-minutes before kick off writing down the cast in family order and drawing lines and triangles. I'm so glad I did. I'm not sure there were obvious 'sexual references'; there were inferences, a little rolling around, a smidgen of writhing but, for me, too obtuse for young children. Btw, there was a young girl in the second row of the Stall, possibly 6 or 7, who in act 3 gleefully danced along. So nice to see.