annamk

He just posted on twitter that he's looking forward to making his debut as Benno this evening

Drifting off topic a bit but although Naghdi/Ball have made some great debuts and dance well together, I don't feel the chemistry the way many on this forum do and of all the partners I've seen Ball with so far I actually loved him most with Lauren Cuthbertson in Marguerite and Armand. I could see them looking great in Romeo and Juliet. I'm looking forward to seeing Ball with Osipova in Swan Lake.

If anyone has a spare please message me.

It’s a very interesting read thanks for posting the link & I hope you don’t stop permanently !

I wondered about the "I swear" because I didn't notice it at either the rehearsal or last night. It's slightly awkward if it's not there because Rothbart refers to it so specifically in Act 3 but I guess I'm straying into nit-picking territory

I also share all the extremely positive comments & like Sim I was a Scarlett doubter but he & Macfarlane have made a marvellous production. I look forward to seeing other casts but the memory of that Muntagirov variation will linger long. There were many xcellent performances but my particular standouts were Takada, Magri's big swan and Kaneko (in the same role at the rehearsal). The national dances in Act 3 were so refreshing since over the years these have become something to get through while waiting for the main event. The only less than enthusiastic response I had was to Act 4 where I share Bruce's reservation. it may just be that it gets a while to get used to different choreography - I think I'm correct in saying that this act is the most changed musically and choreographically ? Is anyone very familiar with the score who can tell me what was dropped and what added - this new version is more true to the original Tchaikovsky?

Returned to the BO.

It’s an e ticket. Message me if interested.

Disappointed that yet again an unexpected opportunity hasn’t gone to James Hay especially since, as you say Sim, he and Akane Takada danced that fabulous Beauty together.

I hope Reece Clarke is feeling very pleased with himself for an excellent debut yesterday. With his beautiful looks and gorgeous line he's always going to be a pleasure to watch but the pleasure was much enhanced by his fine execution of those fiendish solos. Particularly notable was his control in the adagio sections and his light landings, they've been the downfall of much more experienced dancers. The partnering came off brilliantly - the pair looked well rehearsed and the mishaps mentioned by others were insignificant (I've seen worse from established partnerships). What I found especially impressive was that the partnering was risky in the way that Macmillan needs to be, it's part of what makes me sit on the edge of my seat with my heart in my throat. Good for Lauren Cuthbertson who didn’t appear to hold back to accommodate her junior partner - she was as quick as she always is so he had to be absolutely on his game to grab her, and good for him he didn’t miss a trick. Lauren Cuthbertson just gets better and better, she's at the top of her game, I loved her interpretation and I loved her dancing. Gary Avis as Monsieur GM was outstanding, is it me or has he toned it down ever so slightly ? Although I enjoyed Ryo Hirano's Lescaut the other day, yesterday I found him uncomfortably close to turning the Lescaut drunk scene into a pantomime piece.

I'm going but now have 2 spares D7 & 8. They are e tickets & free to good home. message me if interested.

Live viewing here and I agree with you. First time I've seen Muntagirov's DG and maybe I was expecting too much of his opening solo but I was disappointed, likewise with the Act 1 pdds. I was underwhelmed by Lamb's brothel solo, she lacked Osipova's sensuality. However, from then on Lamb/Muntagirov pulled out all the stops and it was worthy performance. It seemed to me that whereas Osipova chose to portray Manon as a girl who ultimately cared more about the money than DG, Lamb chose the alternative, both work with such thoughtful dance actresses. The end didn't move me to tears but I can't remember when Manon last did that. There are compensations in not spending most of the ballet eyes glued to the main man, there is the opportunity to appreciate all the terrific little cameos going on around the fringes : James Hay's beggar chief, Stix-B and Kaneko's courtesans arguing over Ball. Hirano impressed me, I don't usually warm to him but I enjoyed his powerful Lescaut. Some people might have found it a bit OTT but I thought it worked.

I only went for M & A last night and am very glad that I did. What an electrifying partnership (more of them together please), what a fabulous performance, full of passion but nothing overdone. Matthew Ball danced and partnered beautifully but much more than that, he poured his heart and soul into a principal worthy performance. Lauren was the perfect Marguerite, cool and curious in the opening scene then swiftly abandoning herself to Ball's ardent and romantic Armand; the scenes between Marguerite and Armand's father (superbly portrayed by Gary Avis) were heartbreaking.

I thought Richardson/Ball were terrific in Obsidian (Sissens/Ella at the rehearsal were equally powerful) but I agree with Sim that Bracewell lacked the leader's presence - I think he has yet to fully develop the McGregor style. I also thought that in the rehearsal cast Hay and Sambe had far more impact than their first cast equivalents - can't be sure who was who because the order is different on the rehearsal cast sheet. M & A was a disappointment. Yes Nunez & Muntagirov danced beautifully (although in his case not without a few little wobbles) but no raw emotion reached me from the stage. Nunez seemed far too overwrought, perhaps her choice of portrayal, perhaps with the effort of trying to extract a Nureyev from Muntagirov. I'm sure Muntagirov poured his heart and soul into the performance but for me he's simply not a natural passionate presence. I felt that he could learn something from Bonelli/Shklyarov about transmitting to the back of the auditorium a hugely intense emotional fervour simply in the way they run on stage, even just stand still; and then there's the outpouring of grief as the curtain falls.

It's a physical ticket but I will be there myself. Message me if interested. Anna

And then he was superb in Two Pigeons and quite outstanding as Prince Florimund. I really hoped he would have got a shot at Albrecht or Des Grieux

28th has gone. 13th back to the box office. 19th still available.

I'm selling 13/4 D10 19/4 D52 28/4 D43,44 All e tickets £9 each Message me and post here to say you've done so. Anna

I hadn’t clocked McRae Mayerling was being filmed. So disappointed it’s not Morera/Bonelli after their extraordinary performances last season.

For me, last night was terrific. Not perfect, but I didn't go expecting it to be so given that it was Shklyarov's debut, I think not only in Manon but in any MacMillan. The opening Des Grieux solo, so exposing, was decently enough delivered (I've seen many more experienced dancers RB dancers wobble horribly through all the arabesques) but with some uncharacteristically heavier landings. Shklyarov has one of the most beautiful lines in ballet and those Des Grieux solos in both Acts 1 & 2 gave him the opportunity show off them off which he did to great effect. The first pdd was slightly hesitant but I thought the bedroom pdd (end of Act 1) was much better executed and any nerves seemed to have been cleared out. The final pdd didn't feel as though all the choreography came off entirely as it should - a couple of places appeared slightly fudged but it didn't matter to me. Shklyarov is always committed to the character on stage & yesterday I found him so intense I barely looked at anyone else, apart from Osipova. I loved Osipova everything she did was quite brilliant and her act 2 brothel solo was outstanding. They seemed to have great chemistry, without which it's impossible to make any sense of the story's trajectory. Naghdi was for me an unexpectedly excellent Mistress, great characterisation and I don't remember seeing those solos danced more convincingly but Sambe's Lescaut was not a patch on Hay (albeit at the rehearsal). The audience response was enormously warm and the two of them looked very happy & relaxed at the calls.

They have been returned to the BO.

E-tickets happy to sell individually. Message me & post here. Thank you. Anna

Tx all spoken for.

I can no longer use these E-tickets, I am happy to sell individually. Message me if interested. Anna

Hear hear hear !!!!! Too many new works by the same three for years and years and unfortunately another new work from the mediocre Marriott in the new season ! I'd love to see more variety in commissioning generally including more from female choreographers. What happened to Brandstrup's Invitus Invitam ? It was a gem for the main stage a few years ago which has been buried since and he hasn't been invited back. Ratmansky's 24 Preludes for the RB may not have been his most successful piece but much of what he's done for ABT and NYCB has been brilliant but I don't suppose we'll see anything by him again. Forsythe's Blake Works for Paris was terrific as was Pite's The Seasons Canon. It seems to me that not only would a wider range of choreographers give the audience more variety in dance style but different choreographers come into the company afresh and maybe focus on different dancers which surely is a benefit for the company too.