Missfrankiecat

The boxes have been on for a couple of days - unsurprisingly, they don't seem to be shifting as its a lot of money unless you are a foursome, two of whom don't mind seeing practically nothing of the stage! But I have seen singles and doubles at £140 (stalls), and several at £99 or under dotted round the auditorium today, including one balcony standing! All moving very swiftly. I managed front amphitheatre eventually, which is about right for me on my own just to see Campbell's farewell.

Quite a few popping up today, especially after 4pm - they don't seem to be able to get rid of the boxes but others at various price points have appeared briefly so definitely worth checking in. I finally upgraded my very poor amphitheatre seat snapped up earlier this week so persistence pays off!

Anyone dying to see a final Manon tomorrow night and/or shed a tear for the departing Alex Campbell, there have been quite a few tickets at all prices popping up today, especially after 4pm. Worth periodic popping on the website if you are looking. I managed to upgrade my amphitheatre seat in the last half hour.

There was great disappointment in the section where we were seated that Luca did not make a curtain call - his Benno was very well received.

I absolutely understand that you weren't questioning their performance and I agree it would be nice to see other performances in a run reviewed [and I am aware, from a freelance dance writer acquaintance, that, at least on occasion, potential reviewers are offered a choice of dates/comps to other than 1st night]. But I was simply disagreeing with any suggestion, perhaps misunderstood, that others should get 'first night' dibs on the basis that these two have been reviewed before in the roles.

Any suggestion that first night casting was misplaced surely laid to rest by the reviews so far in, since no Artistic Director in his right mind would want to forgo first night notices like these. The Times and The Stage both giving 5 star ratings and superlative reviews of Nunez and Muntagirov (and everyone else). I particularly like that both pay fulsome tribute to Liam Scarlett's choreography and vision. I would link but I suspect we are meant to go to the Dance Links thread for the day.

Yes that was unfortunate - I was in extreme right SC so my view was slightly obscured but I thought she was having a cosy chat with Gary Avis pending curtain calls!!

I think, other than Nutcracker, SL is the most suitable classical ballet intro for children, especially if already into some form of dancing. Wonderful music, traditional costumes and lots of visual interest apart from the 'pure' dancing. Hope he has a wonderful time.

I'm the same. Fully intended to return tickets for 6.4 (booked because I was unsure I would be able to make last night's mid-week performance) but now thinking that if there is a chance of last night's magic being repeated, I don't want to miss it. There are so many excellent dancers in the company atm, it seems, on one level, ridiculous to watch one pairing more than once but last night reminded how exceptional these two are.

Just stupendous work from Nunez and Muntagirov tonight, jaw-dropping technique and musicality - they are in a different class to the rest. I agree with Lindsay about Act 2 but some exquisite partnering from Vadim too. And they both danced Act three with total relish. Their dance chemistry is something special.

I really like them both - Joe has the more obvious charisma, hard not to watch but Calvin is a great actor with real range. Both really good technicians. How lucky to have both waiting in the wings for stardom!

I don't think the reason is anything to do with the late Queen loving attending Covent Garden - I suspect the King has been a far more regular and enthusiastic supporter of opera and ballet over the years.

Just grabbed a seat for Friday's performance - back of amphitheatre but beggars can't be choosers etc. Still worth haunting the website for returns.

Wonderful. All three are favourites of mine, along, of course, with Swan Lake dream team Nela and Vadream plus Gary Avis as Rothbert. What an opening night is in prospect tomorrow!

I can't provide documents - who other than an employee whistle-blower could? But I certainly spoke to a BRB dancer seated beside me (2nd Row Stalls Circle) for Woolf Works last year who was open that he and others had been comp'ed tickets that day if they could make it. He plainly knew others who were seated in the balcony. I should add, I have no issue with dancers and students getting free tix if not sold - frankly I think them more deserving than supporters who can afford regular paid attendance getting discounts - but it is pretty naive not to believe it is happening for the non-classical shows.

I long to see a full version of Ashton's Dream - a gap in my viewing repertoire. Francesca Hayward and Will Bracewell danced a pdd from it at the Ballet Icons gala last year and were enchanting - I thought they stole the show.

Also, I feel for a lot of people (me included) it would be a bit of a reach to watch two performances of the same ballet consecutively - although I don't think I would have booked to do so! However much I would wish to see the different dancers, there is a limit to how long I can sit still and, even more, how much concentration I can give to such emotional entertainment. Rather like an art gallery visit - there are always more Grand Masters to see, but an hour or two at a time is enough if I am actually appreciating what I am seeing. I know others on here watched both performances with pleasure but it's probably an acquired level of concentration and not for many.

@Rob S especially beautiful photos of this afternoon - the one where Lamb and Hirano are embracing is so touching. I saw Marienela Nunez featured a similar shot from the Monday performance on her Insta congratulating them both and saying she knew how much they valued dancing with each other.

@Dawnstar what a lovely gesture to send those flowers to Donnelly to mark his debut. I really enjoyed your review of Monday night. I have seen Lamb in previous runs and loved her multi-layered interpretation of the role.

I see there are a couple of [pricey] stalls tickets and two standing on the website (at 11.30am) for tonight if anyone fancies seeing the Fumi/Vadim cast.

I wonder if this is the case for me - certainly in this run of Manon - because I could not help comparing Fumi's fairly standard interpretation of Manon [total innocence and pure love defiled by machinations of men] with Osipova's much more complex and nuanced creation [which I felt tried to examine Manon's own agency in her downfall and her conflicting desires far more than any of the other interpretations I have seen - though Sarah Lamb in previous years has also conveyed this to an extent]. Had I not seen Osipova (and she's not my usual first choice) I would probably be raving about Fumi too. I thought she was technically excellent from beginning to end and I liked her chemistry with Vadim - the gorgeous Act 1 bedroom pdd was one of the most playful and charming I have ever seen. However, I really missed the complexity of the dynamics of Manon's sibling relationship compared to the Osipova/Campbell outing and, ultimately, despite all the roughing up of her appearance and some solid artistry, Fumi remained a bit too ethereal for my tastes in this role. Gorgeous dancer though. Joseph Sissens made a very good debut but it was slightly one note villainy at this stage of his journey with the role. For me, Vadim soared. I agree with Richard LH that there were a couple of tiny, almost nervous, wobbles on arabesque in his first solo - I was so convinced by his acting that I was even prepared to consider they might be deliberate because I read his opening not as confident wooing but as diffidence slowly losing his self consciousness as the sincerity of his love overcame his shyness. From there this performance soared. I know from hearing him being interviewed that he considers that he struggles with the demands of MacMillan lifts but the cleanness of his lines however torturous the manoeuvre is breath-taking. I found his acting on point throughout; I was particularly moved by the sense of his humiliation and degradation at being pulled into cheating at cards and it struck me that in many ways it is Des Grieux not Manon who is purity defiled in this story. How I wish we could have seen his interpretation alongside Osipova and Campbell to really shift the axis of the story telling.

Thanks - I was struggling to get the predictive spelling to accept an apostrophe and missed the spell correct.

Yes - very excited to see what Fumi makes of this role. Very excited to see Joe Sisson's debut as Lescault. Most of all looking forward to seeing Vadim's peerless lines again. So much to look forward to.

A few observations from last night. All the new works held my attention until the end - which isn't always the case with non-narrative dance. I thought the evening was very well thought out and presented in terms of the stylistic spread, music etc and the projected intros were really helpful in drawing me in to each project by high-lighting the creator's thoughts and aims. It seems like opinion is most divided on here re Never Known and For What it's Worth. Given it was the most contemporary piece and with conceptual music (neither of which I generally favour] I was surprised I preferred Never Known. Others have compared it to Pite but it reminded me somewhat of Ashram Khan's work. While I wouldn't rush to listen to the music again, I did find cohesion and interest with the movement and I thought this piece was really well performed. I was probably slightly influenced by the obvious delight of the performers at the positive audience reception and the glee of Joshua Junker's reaction - it must be special to perform your colleague's vision and kudos to the RB for making this possible for a talented company member. Liam Boswell and (I think) Francisco Serrano impressed with their solo. I felt far more ambivalent about For What it's Worth. I'm conscious it is presumptuous for a white woman to question a black man's success in incorporating S African street dance into more classical mode but I have to say the piece felt to me like a bland Euro-centric imitation of African dance rhythms. It was perfectly entertaining to watch as movement to music (kudos to the drummer by the way) but I also felt of all the pieces that it made the least demands on the skills of the very skilled dancers used. Apart from some pointe work and the noticeable turn-out of the women (jarring since there could be nothing less African than balletic turn-out), technique wise, there was nothing going on that couldn't have been performed by Burn the Floor or similar. Twinkle is an almost unbearably twee title and some of the steps were a bit twee too but saved by charm and humour. Glorious piano, pretty costumes and bravura performances. I always notice Viola Pantuso's gorgeous arms and neck (though she was off balance at one point) and can't wait to see her do some Ashton. Fumi's incandescent smile made her perfect star casting.

Agree with all you say here. And, while I maintain 38 is young to retire from top flight performance career, 38 is very young to land a fairly prestigious strategic role, so Alex is now well positioned for rapid career advancement in those areas. Timing is all.