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Sim

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  1. Sim
    Yes it is to his credit.....by giving the dancers that very freedom and trust to come up with something appropriate. He was actually very focused on giving the corps things to do. When I interviewed Belinda Hatley a few years ago she said she was astonished when she was young and in the corps of R&J and during a rehearsal he came up to her and asked what her back story was, and who she was. She said she had no back story, she was just in the corps. KM said "well, every human has a back story, so what's yours on this stage? Let's come up with something." That was a real eye-opener to me.
  2. Sim
    Yes, I also think it's pretty spectacular....and so do the ladies of the night: I had so much fun watching them through my bins, observing all of their jealousies of Manon and how they conveyed this to the audience. I do hope the audiences have been noticing all the background scenarios and vignettes! In one of the performances last week there was a bit in Act 2 where the ladies and gentlemen re-appear in the salon, having done what they are there to do. Olivia Cowley had this whole bit at the table where she crossed her hands in front of her, as if to show that she had been handcuffed, and started to cry, and was then comforted by her friends. It looked as if she had been through a pretty hard time in that bedroom. I haven't seen anyone else do this. This is one of the things I love about MacMillan's narrative ballets; the freedom to create your own story, no matter how 'insignificant' a character you might be portraying. KM ensured that none of his characters were insignificant, and it makes for very interesting ballet-watching....not to mention one of the many reasons why I like to see his ballets multiple times each run. I've been watching them for years, and every single time I discover something new. This is a credit to him, and to the Royal Ballet.
  3. Sim
    Francesca Hayward was amazing. My only view of this cast in this run, but it was well worth the wait! Federico Bonelli looked tired to me, and lacked the ardour, passion and desperation of Vladimir Shklyarov and Alexander Campbell, but his dancing was nice and there was a connection with Hayward. I would love to see her dance it with Campbell next time around. Speaking of Campbell, he was a wonderful and even believable Lescaut, and together with Claire Calvert's earthy, tactile Mistress they were the perfect match. I think that Francesca Hayward will be one of THE Manons of this generation. Come to think of it, of ANY generation. A truly emotional and unforgettable portrayal of this most complex of characters. A joy to behold.
  4. Sim
    I love how the Bolshoi's version has the princesses as the leads in the national dances. It makes so much sense!
  5. Sim
    Is that one being live-streamed as well?
  6. Sim
    I don't think I could bear it, Ninamargaret, so will content myself with how well he did on the Insight with his dancing and partnering last night!!
  7. Sim
    Tickets now spoken for.
  8. Sim
    Yes, I have also seen it used in other productions. I am thrilled that Liam has choreographed a lovely pdd to it, which cleverly reflects some of the steps in the Act 2 pdd, but now with a sad tinge (a bit like the Act 3 bedroom pdd in R&J using similar steps and music to the balcony scene, but slowed down and made melancholy and sad). In R&J this technique makes me weep, and by the looks of things it will here, too.
  9. Sim
    Yes....it was the other two pics we had to be worried about!! It would indeed make it easier, but we have to be very careful with these things.
  10. Sim
    Hi Rob....we are just checking out the copyright issues. We may need to leave this hidden and just suggest to everyone that in order to see the designs they watch the link to last night's Insight which will be on the ROH YouTube channel for about a month.
  11. Sim
    Have just watched it and am very impressed. I think I may finally be ready to forgive Liam for Frankenstein.
  12. Sim
    They do indeed! So lavish! And the costumes confirm that the setting looks to be in the composer's era.
  13. Sim
    I have these two tickets spare for tomorrow evening's final performance of the Obsidian/M&A/Elite triple bill tomorrow night. Great seats, slightly to the side but you really don't miss much at all....and there is no-one behind you so you can lean forward if you have to without disturbing anyone...but you probably won't have to. I would rather sell as a pair if possible. They are paper tickets so I will be there to do the exchange. Please PM me if interested and let me know here that you have done so. Thanks, Sim
  14. Sim
    Thank you, SPD! What a relief.....
  15. Sim
    I hope they will keep it on their website as I am unable to watch live tonight.
  16. Sim
    This might be due to Kate's mailbox being full.....it's happened to me a couple of times!
  17. Sim
    So sad. Some people are just scum. I really hope it's found, but sadly I'm sure the contents are long gone.
  18. Sim
    Thanks....I thought it was a bit early for him to be leaving! So he could have danced Siegfried, as it happens....
  19. Sim
    When I interviewed the creator of Lescaut, David Wall, back in 2005, this is what he had to say about the character and the 'drunk' pdd: MacMillan created the complex character of Lescaut on Wall in1974 in the ballet Manon. How easy was it for him to portray a character who begins as a pimping libertine, becomes a comic drunk, and ends up the caring brother who decides the right thing to do is help his sister follow her heart and loses his life as a result? "Well, he was depraved, to say the least. We diverted a bit from the book, but not much. The drunk scene was created straight in the first instance. Then it was Dame Ninette who suggested doing something comic since there wasn't much comedy in the ballet" he laughs. "Do you know, it took a lot longer to re-choreograph it inebriated than it did as a straight piece!" He loved dancing Lescaut: "he is very manipulative." I mention the discussion that has been taking place on Ballet.co regarding the very beginning of the ballet, and asked him to clarify it for readers, who had been wondering why the ballet begins with Lescaut sitting on his own, centre stage, with his cape wrapped around him. "We tried many openings to this ballet. One of Kenneth's ideas was to have a parachute silk with slits in it flutter down, then have a character appear, then the silk would move, then another character would appear… but we just couldn't make it work. We tried several other things, but then Kenneth finally had the idea of Lescaut just sitting there in an almost drugged state; it could have all been a dream of his. But it was really just to emphasise that he is central to the piece. It is a very difficult opening for a dancer because you can't even move your eyeballs, which is very hard when beggars are moving all around you, and the lights come up!" It would be interesting to know who he thinks is or has been a particularly good Lescaut since he set such a high standard. "Well, I haven't seen that many performances at the Royal….I don't go to the ballet much! Certainly Stephen Jefferies was a wonderful Lescaut. It's a very difficult role because you really have to be a dance actor to bring it off. I've seen a few slight performances over the years. Although everything is said in the choreography, this has to be danced very strong to counter the slight weakness of Des Grieux's character."
  20. Sim
    Ah, is he going already? That would explain it then!
  21. Sim
    And he wasn't originally cast to dance Albrecht, either....and what wonderful performances he gave in that role, too! So no Albrecht, no Des Grieux AND no Siegfried would have been even worse!! 😱
  22. Sim
    But it ain't Siegfried.....!
  23. Sim
    A friend of mine was, and said he was asleep on his feet, although he'd really enjoyed their first show!
  24. Sim
    Hi Dee Dee I have sent you a message.
  25. Sim
    Not forgetting Albrecht, as well!!
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