Sim

I have a last-minute spare ticket for tonight's performance (Fumi/Vadim), £14. Please PM me if you'd like it. Thanks, Sim

As I said above, I really did enjoy last night. It has taken me a few years to warm to Winter's frost, but I do like it. No, it doesn't engage me emotionally. Another choreographer (MacMillan, Ashton, Cranko) might well have succeeded in making me weep at the end; like an afternoon movie its final mix of redemption and tragedy should set the tears rolling down my cheeks, but it doesn't, despite the best efforts of the dancers. That aside, I know that I will therefore just sit back and enjoy the spectacle. Cesar Corrales was on cracking form and, let's face it, no-one does jealousy like a Latin man! His was profound and frightening, and he brought a new depth to the role. Lauren C was also on great form. Frankie Hayward and Marci Sambe were like young lambs gambolling in a sunny field: happy, carefree and full of boundless energy and the joys of spring. Gorgeous dancing from both of them. Calvin Richardson made a likeable, dislikeable, then likeable again Polixenes and worked well with Cesar and Lauren. As others have mentioned, Melissa Hamilton once again showed her acting chops just via her dancing and her facial expressions. She is a deeply moving Paulina and a worthy successor to those who came before. I really do think that it is time for her to be promoted. And yes, Marco Masciari was wonderful as Brother Clown. He is quickly developing into a very special dancer and I look forward to seeing more. He was a good partner for Meaghan GH, as was she for him. They fed off each other very convincingly. Others have said that Act 2 has too much 'peasants frolicking' but I really enjoyed it last night. The colour burst in the middle of two much more gloomy acts is very welcome, and although the music is indeed forgettable I do like the pseudo-medieval group music. The solo flute is particularly atmospheric. A shout-out too for the corps who danced with energy and joy. My two little niggles are: 1) after all these years they still haven't been able to organise a bear that bears any resemblance to a bear. I took a friend along and in the interval she said 'what bear?' which is just what I said on my first viewing. "Exit, pursued by a bear" is probably the most famous stage direction in the theatrical canon, and yet you have to be eagle-eyed and know where to look in order to see it. 2) I wish they could find better material for the costumes in Act 2....sweat patches abound and whereas of course it shows what efforts the dancers are making it is unflattering. Having got that off my chest, I am looking forward to the other casts I am seeing and congratulate everyone on a very successful opening night. The great and the good were all there as well and I am sure they enjoyed it as much as the rest of the audience did.

I agree. A wonderful, dramatic and joyous night. Great to have Cesar back on full fettle!

If anyone fancies saying hello tonight, I will be in the Floral Hall near the small stairs that go down to the old part of the House. Dark hair, black trousers, loud dark pink top! There are usually a few of us around the table, but don't let that stop you!! Either way, enjoy the show.

I agree. I saw this cast on Tuesday and was bowled over. Nadine was marvellous, and the production itself much less bloody and gory than I remembered. I quite like the split stage scenario. It worked very well for my friend who had never heard of Lucia before Tuesday, so being able to see what was going on in the background whilst arias were being sung really helped her understanding of the plot.

So far this doesn't seem to be selling that well (and at those prices I am not surprised). I assume that the offers will start at some point soon.

I am really looking forward to seeing Lauren tonight in the role she created...and having Cesar back onstage again after his SL shows.

What a lovely tribute to an extraordinary lady, @li tai po Thank you.

With the lovely Laurretta’s permission, here is the Instagram tribute posted by Fiona above:

As per the post above, unfortunately we cannot for the moment allow much talk about LVS here. We are therefore locking this thread for now. Please have any further discussions about this school privately as this is a public forum. Many thanks.

Oh? That's the only one I can remember having been disastrous with the advance casting. What did I miss, or, more likely, forget?!!

I remember this season. What a difference 20 years makes.

I took a friend to the ROH to see Lucia last night. She isn't a regular ballet or opera goer, but enjoys both on the odd occasion that she comes along. I was telling her about the name change and she was very disappointed. She said 'but how about the history and tradition? I mean, even I know that the Royal Ballet is based at the Royal Opera House.!' Many of the other big houses in Europe are called opera houses as historically opera was performed first. I wonder whether they will all feel the need to change their names, or whether their public is more culturally aware than ours? On the other hand, it wouldn't surprise me at all if someone from ACE had no idea that the RB is based at the ROH!

So they are covering themselves by saying 'where possible'. Why is this changing all of a sudden when for decades they have managed to announce casting prior to any booking being open? Of course we all know that casting isn't rigid, but in a high proportion of shows the casting is as announced (unless there is a virus going around, then there can be a lot of changes). We are very aware of the fact that as casting is announced so far in advance, there is the possibility of it changing. So why now are they changing how and when it's announced? Aside from the audience, the dancers also like knowing their schedule in advance so that those who get invited to guest abroad can book themselves out. I live in London, but if they do intend to leave casting announcements until late, it will make things more difficult for those outside of London who have to plan travel and accommodation well in advance. As I said at the start, I hope they are just covering themselves by saying 'where possible' because of the Ashton triple debacle (in case they can't announce in advance for whatever reason), and continue to announce well in advance as they always have done.

I remember applause for Act 3 of Liam Scarlett's SL when the curtain rose on the opening night. Ditto The Winter's Tale...I remember applause for that amazing tree in Act 2 on opening night.

Yes, you are right. I was indeed just thinking of the male lead in Manon, who you don't really notice until the stage clears and he bumps into Manon. And Juliet sometimes gets applause, sometimes not...depends on the audience!

I think it depends on the ballet. In the UK, principals are almost always applauded when they arrive onstage in the classics (Giselle, Beauty, Swan Lake) because the entrances are made to encourage that. Principals aren't applauded when they appear in, say, R&J, Mayerling, Manon, Onegin....this is because their arrival onstage is subtle, not with a flourish as in the classical ballets. Of course, not everyone arriving onstage in the lead role is a principal, so in the UK the applause is not because of their rank, but because they are taking on the lead role.

I do hope so....but if it is a mistake it's pretty poor!

This was in the small print in the Friends email: Pricing will be supplied separately, and ballet casting before booking closes. I hope this doesn't mean that casting won't be known prior to when booking opens as it always has been?! I have always been hugely grateful to the RB for the advance casting. I have even planned holidays around who I wanted to see dance. I would have felt a lot better had it said 'before booking opens.'!

This is such sad news. Even when it is expected, it doesn't diminish the sadness of loss. I have known Linda for a few years, mainly through this forum, and then meeting at the ROH or wherever ENB might have been. We have always messaged each other on a regular basis, and she often sent me messages of support when things on the forum were nasty or difficult. We shared a love of the same dancers, and had the same outlook about many things, both balletic and otherwise. In the past couple of weeks we were in close contact, and on the 21st she told me she had gone into the hospice for what she hoped would be a 'short term stay.' Sadly, that wasn't to be the case (although, knowing Linda, she might have known that her time was coming and she wanted it to be a short goodbye). On the 23rd, I sent her a message asking how she was doing, but sadly that was the day she left us. In one of her last messages to me she said that the one thing she regretted was not being able to see Onegin next season. She said she would have loved to see some new casts, and especially Vadim in the title role. I told her a few months ago that on May 4th, thanks to someone's generosity, I will be sitting in the front row of the stalls to watch Vadim and Fumi debut as a pair in Swan Lake. She said she would also be sitting there if she could. Sadly, she can't, so I am sure I will feel her presence there in row A, where she sat for so many years as an avid attendee of her beloved artform. I am also sure that Vadim will be thinking of her, and miss seeing her sitting there in the front row, supporting him as always. As with others, I was astounded by how she kept defying the doctors with her illness. Mind over matter was something that Linda truly embodied. She got to as many ballets as she could, even when she was feeling lousy, and I was so happy to see her smiling face in the audience at the Insight on April 16th. A week before she left us, she was still able to get to the ROH and derive so much pleasure from being there. She often used to open her messages with "I'm still here", and when I used to tell her how inspirational she was, she wouldn't hear of it. I for one will miss her messages, her support and her sense of humour. I will always deeply appreciate the support, insightful contributions and encouragement she always gave to this forum, from the very beginning. I will always appreciate, and never forget, the support and encouragement she always gave to my daughter with her ballet blog and then her podcast with Brandon Lawrence. Let's face it, I will always miss her, full stop. She leaves a huge void in the lives of all who knew and loved her, and in the wider ballet community as a whole. Her steadfast support of companies and individuals has been widely and deeply appreciated, and has achieved much. I would love to think that she is with Michael again, and I know that she will always be in the hearts of all those she loved, helped and encouraged. My condolences go to all her friends and family. RIP dear Linda, you will be deeply missed.

Irmgard has posted a lovely tribute and started a thread elsewhere , so I will lock this and merge your post with that one.

Barbara?

Yes, this. But as I said above somewhere, I am trying to see the positives in that I will be saving a lot of money so will hopefully be able to afford to go to Zurich and Amsterdam, long held dreams of mine. I have been to both cities, but have never seen their ballet companies. Having thought about it long and hard, next season will consist of one or two Cinderellas, and a few viewings each of Onegin, R&J and the Balanchine triple. Very sad....out of a whole season there are only three and a half (meaning just one or maybe two Cinderellas) productions that I want to see. Oh well, I hope for the future of the company that if this is the direction they are going in, that they sell tickets. I just won't be buying many anymore if this is how the seasons are going to look. But that's just me.

For those who are going to miss the RB Nut this Christmas, don't forget that ENB are going to present a new version. I can only hope it's a vast improvement on the current one (just my own opinion, of course).

The statement is: this will be a bland and boring season, with a few exceptions.