Mandy Kent

1 hour ago, Fonty said:

I booked tickets long before the casting came out.  I see I have James Lovell as the Prince.  I was astonished to see how young he is. 

 

Anybody else seen him yet?  

Yes, Fonty, I saw him with Will Bozier last Sunday matinee. He does look very young. In fact in the past when they had one dancer as the Young Prince and one as the grown up Prince he would no doubt have been cast as the Young Prince! Anyway he was very good. Not so balletic as Liam Mower ( a very fine Prince indeed)  but a very expressive dance actor. 

I can understand the confusion in interpreting the 'meaning' of Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake. I sometimes think its best 'not' to overthink it.

As Matthew says himself in the book 'Matthew Bourne and His Adventures in Dance'  (Matthew Bourne/ Alastair Macaulay) the work is 'open to interpretation'.

It does seem to be a bit of a ' Marmite' piece, you either love it or hate it.  

Matthew Ball is back for tonight’s show ! Yay !!

Mind you I’ve just watched Andrew, a young man with Downs Syndrome, who was an incredible dancer ! 

Alison, thank you very much for bringing this to my notice. 

Will Bozier replaces Matthew Ball tonight 

Last night's performance by the corps de ballet in the white acts was sublime and breathtaking. So synchronized, with quiet feet and lovely soft arms, just gorgeous.

I wish I could say the same of the Prince ( Hernandez) but I was sadly disappointed with his acting skills, although his performance in Act 3 was terrific.

I did enjoy Odette/Odile , danced by Jurgita Dronina , and she carried off the Act 3 fouettes with aplomb. I loved Rothbart ( James Streeter), what a terrifying and manic character!

Streeter really appeared to relish this part. All in all a lovely performance but in need of a more noble Prince.....

Some of the changes include:

the animation / video of the Swan during the overture and also after the Swank club when the Swan Vesta swan comes to ‘life’.

new costumes ( much glitzier) in the Swank Club

A change in the reaction between the Stranger and the Private secretary at the end of Act 3 

Im sure there are many more ! 

I’ve seen Will Bozier and Liam Mower twice now, they are superb together. They both truly inhabit their characters.

I had the unexpected pleasure of sitting next to Sir Matthew last night. Quite by chance I assure you all .He and his assistant Pia Driver take meticulous notes, always aware of small tweaks they have noticed, always wanting to improve and nurture the performance. Such care and attention to detail is one reason I go back again and again to see this Swan Lake. It gets under your skin and grows in your heart! Although it is sold out online there are often returns so worth calling the box office to check. 

PS worth looking on Twitter ( new adventures) to see casting update... however as Sim said ..Matt Ball is hoping to perform the Swan  later this month , if recovered.

I heard that he is injured. Lets wish him a very speedy recovery xx

On 02/12/2018 at 16:49, Beryl H said:

The article says Matthew Bourne wanted to replace the Fergie girl with a Meghan, but didn't have time!

 

Ah that WOULD have been fantastic

Sarah Lamb is a superb Larisch. 

22 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

Oh how sad for Edward Watson.  

Very sad for Edward and we must all wish him a speedy recovery. And very very sad for his many fans who were so looking forward to seeing him in Mayerling.  😢

Hi Sim, is K42 still available please?

Matthew Hart as the Prince in Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, showed exquisite pathos and vulnerability and made my cry

Alina in Giselle....sobbed through the end of act 1, didn't we all ?

Ah shame !! 

Dear Balletyas 

is your ticket still available please ?

Mandy 

My favourites include many of the above, especially Edward Watson. But also very very fond memories of Jonathan Ollivier. And in the more contemporary field, Jason Piper and Aaron Sillis.

I hated Multiverse and considered it an assault on my senses. If I could have left I would have but I was hemmed in and didn't want to disturb my neighbours.

So I put my fingers in my ears to try and drown out the noise. I would rather have watched it in silence, or preferably not at all. Never again....

Thanks Bluebird . Let's meet at the very far end of the terrace?

Badge wearers and non-wearers alike,I will be at the ROH on Tues 31st for the Triple Bill and am happy to suggest we meet up on the outside terrace of the Amphi Bar, turn left to the very end table where many balletco-ers have been 'secretly' meeting for years      , and come and say hello !

And maybe.... lets get a Xmas Get-Together on the road ??  Savoir Faire still the most amazing venue in Holborn 

Going on Tues 31st...really anticipating an excellent show after the brief reviews I've read.

We always just used to meet up in a regular spot in the amphi bar or the terrace balcony outside...much easier to have a designated spot than going around peering at people's lapels, chests or suchlike!

Of course that is just for ROH, but its easy enough to suggest a similar spot at Sadlers Wells or any other theatre in whichever town, city or country.

Maybe a badge AND a designated spot..now we are onto something

Drew McConie's Jeckyll and Hyde received a rapturous standing ovation on Thursday night 26 th May, to my delight as I thought it well deserved. Having read the Telegraph critic's 2* review I had lower expectations than I'd formerly hoped for, however I now wonder if he and I saw the same show !

From the outset the performance grabbed me, and it's a heady mix of quirky fun and melodrama , with superb dancers headed by Dan Collins in the lead as Dr Jeckyll . For the full casting and description see the Old Vic website www.oldvictheatre.com

McConie's choreographic style is full of energy and verve , at times witty and delicate , but then POW the heavy rock thunders in and the mood and choreography changes to represent the dark depths of Hyde's psychopathic depravity.

The rotating set conjures up multiple locations ; a gym, a florist shop, a lab etc and this was incredibly effective as was the lighting and original live music. A word of warning that strobe lighting is used particularly in act 2. It's used sparingly and well , mainly during the scenes where Hyde takes over Jeckyll's mind .

For contemporary dance fans and those who love a darn good yarn , go see asap as there is only a v short run. But a show of this quality will hopefully tour ? Well done Drew !

Alison , I'll look for a Jigsaw brochure but if I've no luck can I see yours sometime? I'll be at winters tale next Tuesday 31st xx