Sim

Perfectly fine to link to a bona fide article, although the Telegraph is behind a paywall.

Ditto.

And Oberon.

OK, starter for 10. I really enjoyed last night's performance, as much as for the relief of seeing CC back onstage as anything else. It is a good ballet for him to make his return as technically it is not demanding for the man. Understandably, I felt that he was a bit tentative and was holding back. He was certainly not the powerhouse I have come to know and love, but I could see it lurking beneath the surface and I am sure it will be back. His dark and broody looks complemented the internal misery of Siegfried being forced into marriage and having to assume the role of king. Speaking of dark and broody....as per the above, wow, what a debut from Lukas as Von Rothbart. He was menacing but enticing, evil but sexy, elegant but scuzzy. He walked the walk, indeed almost glided across the floor. Wonderful use of his eyes and his tall presence onstage. I found it a struggle to take my binoculars away from him. As I said above, I would have happily tripped over to the dark side last night... I liked Mayara's swan. I think she is naturally more of an Odile than an Odette, but having said that I found that although her dancing was wonderful in both roles she wasn't evil or duplicitous enough as Odile. She was a smiling seductress which I totally get, but I like my Odiles to show much more malice aforethought. However, that's just my own opinion. The fouettes were marvellous and she got a good cheer, well deserved. Her Odette was deeply felt and her expressive face left no doubt as to how she was feeling. Although Cesar and Mayara danced well together, I didn't feel a deep chemistry there. Maybe in their next performance they will relax a bit more and that will come. Joon-Hyuk Jun was a wonderful Benno. It was this role last time out that made me notice him, and this time he was even better. His jumps are so high, his landings so soft, his turns pinpoint perfect...but this time, added to all that, he really made something of the character. Big bravo, Benno! The corps delivered beauty throughout: gorgeous arms and expressive heads, perfect synchronisation and a very moving performance from them. The night before International Women's' Day they really imparted the notion of a gang of girls protecting each other. Lovely. I also found much of the music played too slowly for my liking, but maybe it's the dancers' liking so there we are. Disappointingly, there were no weird shadows in the sky to look at in the final moments! I do love the designs of all the acts, and the lighting is the correct shade of moonlight and moody in the lake scenes. Having danced the lead role the night before, it was great to see Nela in the audience supporting her colleagues. So a very good start to my upcoming visits to the lake. Welcome back, Cesar.

Ooooo Lukas as Von Rothbart. Tonight I could imagine myself going over to the dark side! 😅

He seems to be becoming quite the character dancer.

Interesting to read such varied opinions already! I have to wait until Saturday matinee to see for myself.

I was also wondering that. Instead of two SLs in a row, why not have SL last night, Manon tonight to celebrate the 50th, and the second SL tomorrow night? Very weird.

I agree wholeheartedly regarding how much this improvement started with Ms Stock and her vision for the school. An absolute tragedy that we lost her so young. But she has left a wonderful legacy....for now, at least. Credit also to Kevin for concentrating on dancers from the school.

Returned to BO.

Oh dear....now I'm going to be looking out for this through my binocs tonight! Maybe they will have sorted it out by then, but I kind of hope not! 😂

They are lovely shows but the reason I didn't suggest it is that it is for younger children. If your boy is 9 and already into dance of some form, I think the grownup version would be fine. My first ballet was Nutcracker when I was 4, then Swan Lake when I was also about 9. Loved both and thus began my lifelong passion! Please let us know how you get on. If you can get a seat in the front of the Grand Tier, Balcony or Amphitheatre that would be great as you don't have to worry about being blocked by any heads in front of you. Good luck!

How lovely! I think Swan Lake would be a great ballet to start with. Beautiful music, costumes, sets and of course, dancing! Nutcracker would have also been good but you have missed it. I think that SL would be more suitable for a first ballet than Giselle is. If he likes SL, you can then try him with ENB's Giselle next season (coming back to the Coli).

Me too!

Bumping this up as I will return it to the box office tomorrow if no takers.

I'm so sorry to hear this, Lin. I do hope you feel better soon. x

I agree. Calvin and Joe are both future principals, but not quite yet. A few more big roles, another year of experience.

I thought that Calvin made a truly wonderful debut last night. I will be honest here and say that I wasn't expecting it to be so good simply because he hasn't had much chance to dance many of the lead roles yet. I was a bit concerned about the partnering due to lack of experience, but I needn't have worried. Yes, I could see a bit of shaking at first, but as the night went on his confidence grew and by the end...wow! I loved his interpretation of DG: a young pup who is dragged down into the mire of a corrupt and corrupting world, and doesn't know how to pull himself out. He truly believed that his love for Manon would be enough. He made more clear to me than any of the other DGs did how disgusted and resentful he was to have to cheat at cards, but was resigned to the fact that this seemed the only way to rescue Manon. His gut-wrenching sadness in the Act 2 bracelet pdd showed so clearly his feeling of hopelessness when he realised that love would not in the end be enough for this Manon; she made clear that she was never to be tamed, and that she would always resent giving up her precious jewels for this life with him. But it was too late and they were stuck in their situation. In Act 3, as they descend from the ship, he seemed as drained and ill as Manon. I really liked this; why wouldn’t he be? We forget that DG has also been on a ship for weeks, accompanying a ‘criminal’ and therefore probably not treated too well! Aside from that, his lover is very ill, they have arrived in a strange place, with no money…it is perfectly plausible that he would also be sick. His partnering in that final pdd was very impressive, the double-twists being executed with panache, and his catching her as she went floorwards more risky than some of the more experienced couples. His silent cries as he cradled his dead love spoke volumes to me and pierced my heart. It was almost as if he wished he had died too. During the curtain calls he was crying….and he was not the only one. Melissa Hamilton gave a scintillating performance in the lead role. Here was a minx who knew exactly what she was doing, and what she wanted. From the very beginning we knew who and what she was. She was bedazzled by the coat and the necklace and knew that there was a lot more where that came from. I love so many touches that she gave the character. She was the only Manon (that I have noticed) who, in the bedroom scene with GM and Lescaut, stares at the money pouch GM hands to Lescaut, and realises that she has literally been sold. Her heart then goes cold, and this girl walks over to the bed but only vaguely touches it, before touching her necklace to remind herself what riches lie ahead. So not many regrets for her. She made the bracelet a leitmotif throughout; always checking her wrist, even towards the end. I loved the way, just after GM puts the bracelet on her wrist in Act 2, she teasingly shows him the other one and says ‘look, this one is bare’. When DG manages to have a word with her in the party scene before they are alone, the first thing she does is show him her bracelet. This Manon is strong and independent to the end. She isn’t as weak and sick as some of the other Manons. She stands up straight to approach the gaoler, and gives him a good fight. After she is raped, I noticed her hands claw and scratch the floor, and with her it was as much anger as pain. In the final pdd she is still fighting, realising too late that she has lost everything. The dancing from both leads was wonderful, and I am only sorry that after all that work they only got one show. But they made that show something very special. A shout-out, a very loud one, for James Hay’s Lescaut. Those eyes! I found it very hard to take my own off him. He has so much presence and he took us on his journey in such a way that he played with the emotions; he elicited everything from me: amusement, anger, empathy and pity. It’s so good to have him back. Artistically, last night Calvin went from boy to man. Huge congratulations to him, and to Melissa, for such an unforgettable night.

Yes….the late Queen was not a culture vulture and much preferred the horses than Covent Garden!

I loved it, especially that breathtaking and heartbreaking final pdd. It felt as if he was dying with her.

She did say that...but said friend did NOT miss Fumi and Vadim, and was NOT wowed by Alex and Frankie as said friend had to miss the latter because they were ill. Geddit??!! 😂

I have this ticket for sale. Seat S68, on the aisle. £34. If no takers by Thursday morning it will be returned to the box office. Please DM me if interested. Thanks.

She didn’t miss Vadim and Fumi, and wasn’t wowed by Alex and Frankie because she wasn’t there! 😂

I think you mean Alex and Frankie...!!

Definitely.