The RB Autumn Season

[alison]

The discussion about who might replace Rupert Pennefather is now spread between two threads: the one about Rupert leaving and this one (although R & J is actually in what is described as the Autumn Season!).

 

Is there any way, I wonder, of consolidating the comments about casting in the one correct location, please?

 

I thought I had!  I'll have another go.  In the meantime, it would help if people could try and keep the right discussions in the right place

[alison]

Right, it's done, although quite frankly it's been a real headache to do.  We don't appear to have an autumn casting thread (or if we do, I couldn't find it), so this one seems the most appropriate.

[Sim]

Thank you Alison!

[Balletfanp]

Whilst I would love to see Campbell in the live broadcast (saw him in Song of the Earth recently and he was a real standout for me), I can't see RB management entrusting a live broadcast to a non-Principal and a newcomer to the role (I think? Correct me if I'm wrong!) plus an unknown name to many casual balletgoers.

 

My money is on it being Bonelli (a choice I would be happy with - he is an excellent dancer and good all-rounder) - or maybe they might pull in Watson (equally happy)? Possibly Sarah Lamb may have a say in this.

[Jamesrhblack]

Whilst I would love to see Campbell in the live broadcast (saw him in Song of the Earth recently and he was a real standout for me), I can't see RB management entrusting a live broadcast to a non-Principal and a newcomer to the role (I think? Correct me if I'm wrong!) plus an unknown name to many casual balletgoers.

 

My money is on it being Bonelli (a choice I would be happy with - he is an excellent dancer and good all-rounder) - or maybe they might pull in Watson (equally happy)? Possibly Sarah Lamb may have a say in this.

Scenarios?

 

It's just not going to happen that Campbell (who I like very much) would be asked to do the broadcast and I don't think he'd work well physically with Lamb anyway, who will surely have a say in what happens.

 

1) So, Golding (who management seem to like and trust whatever the thoughts of some on this Forum) promoted to first cast and does broadcast. Watson drafted in to dance with Hayward after Manon success last season. Complicating factor - Watson taken out of R & J this season whether at his or management's instigation.

 

2) Golding promoted to first cast, and continues to dance with Hayward. There seems to be a decent gap between performances to allow fresh rehearsals and he is experienced and a strong partner.

 

3) Golding promoted to first cast and another debutant brought in to dance with Hawyard (Campbell?). Complicating factor, management not over keen, understandably, on too much switching of advertised casts especially as O'Hare now delaying much longer in announcing them to ensure a realistic chance of seeing cast booked. Also, it seems that they want to enhance Hayward's status and boost her security by casting her opposite principals (Watson, Muntagirov, Golding)...

 

4) Most likely, Bonelli does the broadcast as an experienced dancer who works well with Lamb. Other casting unchanged....

[Guest]

Scenarios?

 

3) Golding promoted to first cast and another debutant brought in to dance with Hawyard (Campbell?). Complicating factor, management not over keen, understandably, on too much switching of advertised casts especially as O'Hare now delaying much longer in announcing them to ensure a realistic chance of seeing cast booked. Also, it seems that they want to enhance Hayward's status and boost her security by casting her opposite principals (Watson, Muntagirov, Golding)...

 

 

So, do you (or management for that matter) seriously believe that many people have booked the Hayward/Golding cast in order to see Golding?

 

Everyone on here, my personal friends and people encountered in the context of ballet performances have booked for Frankie with an air of resignation (at best) about her Romeo. There would be dancing in the streets if O'Hare announced a change to Campbell or Watson for her.

[aileen]

I feel that some of the comments on Golding are bordering on rude now. I think that we've got the point.

 

For me, Bonelli is the logical replacement for Pennefather; he is a principal; he can partner Lamb and he has danced Romeo several times before (his good looks are also an asset on screen).

[Guest]

I feel that some of the comments on Golding are bordering on rude now. I think that we've got the point.

 

 

I take your point, Aileen, and returned to try to remove my post #105. But I was too late.

 

I think I got a bit carried away by the prospect of alternative casting. Well - we'd all like to be Kevin O'Hare where casting is concerned, wouldn't we? Except that I don't envy him his current headache re R&J.

[John Mallinson]

I take your point, Aileen, and returned to try to remove my post #105. But I was too late.

 

I think I got a bit carried away by the prospect of alternative casting. Well - we'd all like to be Kevin O'Hare where casting is concerned, wouldn't we? Except that I don't envy him his current headache re R&J.

 

Post in haste, repent at leisure.

[FLOSS]

As the Artistic Director seems to be very keen to show Golding off, with a De Grieux in Moscow and a repeat performance of Oberon in New York, which I hope showed considerably more understanding of the required style and a greater facility with the steps than his Covent Garden debut revealed.I would not be at all surprised to discover that he will replace Pennefather as Romeo. If that happens I just hope that management feels the need to find another partner for Hayward. I don't think that many people would mind who the replacement for Golding was; not being Golding would be high enough recommendation for many.I think that it is unlikely to be Muntagirov because he is making his debut in the role in this run and he does have commitments as guest artist so he might not be available for rehearsals or performances. In a recent interview he cited not being able to guest and the limited repeated repertory as two of the main reasons for leaving ENB and joining the Royal Ballet.

 

I think that for many regular ballet goers Kevin O'Hare's reasons for signing Golding remain a mystery I think that the idea that people buy tickets for performances in which he is dancing with an air of resignation because they want to see other members of the cast is a pretty accurate one.

Edited August 16, 2015 by FLOSS

[bangorballetboy]

So, do you (or management for that matter) seriously believe that many people have booked the Hayward/Golding cast in order to see Golding?

 

Everyone on here, my personal friends and people encountered in the context of ballet performances have booked for Frankie with an air of resignation (at best) about her Romeo. There would be dancing in the streets if O'Hare announced a change to Campbell or Watson for her.

What makes you think you speak for me, let alone others on this board? You certainly don't speak for me on this occasion. I suggest you stop, re-read and think before pressing "Post".

[Guest]

I have tried to apologise for my post. Please don't beat me any more when I'm down.

[zxDaveM]

I just hope that management feels the need to find another partner for Hayward. I don't think that many people would mind who the replacement for Golding was; not being Golding would be high enough recommendation for many.

 

What an awful thing to say. I'm rooting for Matthew now!

[barton22]

I think that for many regular ballet goers Kevin O'Hare's reasons for signing Golding remain a mystery I think that the idea that people buy tickets for performances in which he is dancing with an air of resignation because they want to see other members of the cast is a pretty accurate one.

I am not a Golding fan at all (and unless he is partnering a particularly compelling woman like Hayward I do, as you suggest, avoid those performances in which he features), but I assume KO'H felt that he had to do something about maintaining sufficient numbers of men in the company capable of dancing principal roles given the age/retirement profile of his male principals and the likely lead time on his most talented junior men being ready to assume full principal status without being unduly rushed or pressured.  It is really hard to see where you source new dancers at true principal level.  If you look at the great companies (which i would say are the Bolshoi, Mariinsky and perhaps Paris), it is really hard to see why any of their principals would consider a move to the Royal, so you have to look at the next tier or two of companies and try to find someone who is both competent (and I'd concede that Golding generally meets that criterion, leaving the truly ropey London Oberon aside) and capable of being dislodged.  I suspect this is how the acquisition of Kish went.  At least the company struck gold with Muntagirov.  

 

Now he is losing Pennefather and Acosta I do hope he will not feel the need to replace them in a rush and leave some principal level casting slots open for the up and coming company men and will just hold those principal rank slots/salaries open for them to move up into in good time.  If he brings in more principal men he isn't going to be able to make room in the casting schedule to give Matthew Ball and others opportunities to tackle major roles and develop as home grown leading men (and we could do with another British principal man now we are down to just one, and he will turn 40 in this coming season).  

[Beryl H]

Sarah Lamb dances well with McRae, Muntagirov and Bonelli, but they have their own performances around the same time, to risk injury the best answer might be a guest. Isn't it depressing that the cast changes have started at the very start of the season?

[alison]

1) So, Golding (who management seem to like and trust whatever the thoughts of some on this Forum) promoted to first cast and does broadcast. Watson drafted in to dance with Hayward after Manon success last season. Complicating factor - Watson taken out of R & J this season whether at his or management's instigation.

 

2) Golding promoted to first cast, and continues to dance with Hayward. There seems to be a decent gap between performances to allow fresh rehearsals and he is experienced and a strong partner.

 

Option 1 would suit me nicely - depending on circumstances.   2) I'm not so sure about: i) this will be Golding's debut as Romeo, won't it?  And don't they have an "invisible" performance somewhere which might interfere with a change in rehearsals?  The Bonelli option does have the disadvantage that he's done a live relay of Romeo before.

 

So, do you (or management for that matter) seriously believe that many people have booked the Hayward/Golding cast in order to see Golding?

 

Like it or not, I'm sure some people will have done.  Just because most of us on here are keen balletgoers and are aware of Hayward's talent, there are some people who won't even have heard of her, whereas they may have seen Golding in a previous lead or broadcast, and think they would like to see him again.

 

I feel that some of the comments on Golding are bordering on rude now. I think that we've got the point.

 

^ This. 

 

I would like to point out, once again, that the AUP requires highly critical postings to be made in the real name of the poster, not ... ah ... incognito.  Some of the postings above certainly qualify.

 

I would not be at all surprised to discover that he will replace Pennefather as Romeo. If that happens I just hope that management feels the need to find another partner for Hayward.

 

It seems to me that would be a fairer option.

 

If he brings in more principal men he isn't going to be able to make room in the casting schedule to give Matthew Ball and others opportunities to tackle major roles and develop as home grown leading men  

 

History shows that the company has suffered because of this before - whether affecting home-grown dancers or not.  Not that I necessarily regret the "importing" of any particular dancers, but it has certainly slowed the development, or pace thereof, of other dancers in the past.

[aileen]

There are of course a number of male soloists but one doesn't get the impression that they are being groomed for principal positions, despite some recent promotions. I don't know what management looks for in a principal. Certainly, some of those soloists are as good as or better than some of the principals technically.

[SPD444]

Is there also an issue surrounding ticket prices as well. If you have paid £100+ for one would you be happy not having "star" names dancing the leads. Is that something management have to consider?

[Nina G.]

Some comments about Matthew Golding are indeed rude. He is a Principal after all, and technically outstanding.

 

As regular ballergoers we all have our favourites but I can still appreciate outstanding dancing even if the dancer is not one of my favourites.

 

Matthew Golding was wonderful in "Onegin" and Francesca Hayward gets the enormous benefit of making her debut as Juliet with an established and experienced Principal. Yasmine Naghdi on the other hand has to dance her debut as Juliet with First Artist Matthew Ball, an inexperienced partner whose technic (however wonderful he is!) is not at Principal level.  

I don't see any reason why Hayward should not dance with Golding.

[alison]

Some comments about Matthew Golding are indeed rude. He is a Principal after all, and technically outstanding.

[FLOSS]

This certainly looks like the season when we discover how committed Kevin O'Hare is to developing the company's leading dancers from within the ranks of the company.He may have been calculating on replacing Acosta this year and Watson in the next year or two but I don't suppose that he was expecting Pennefather to leave.Let us hope that he manages to resist the temptation to take out the cheque book and decides to make do with the dancers in the company. An immediate solution to the loss of a Romeo would be to cast Hristov as Romeo. It is in his repertory and it is easier to replace a Paris than a Romeo.

 

It will be interesting to see what sort of balance management strikes between seniority and the need to develop some of the obvious talent in the lower ranks of the company when it comes to casting in the remaining two booking periods.The explanation that we were given for the late notification of casting was that it would enable management to take account of dancers' performances earlier on in the season suggested that there was a plan of some sort in place to develop dancers.It is to be hoped that the plan is not blown off course by this recent development.

[LinMM]

I agree Nina G .....poor Golding he's not that bad!! He does have a very good clean technique......has anyone ever seen him in Romeo yet? Perhaps his acting skills have improved since joining the Royal anyway.

We all do have our favourite dancers and possible casting combinations.

I feel sure the powers that be would not have cast Hayward and Golding together if they thought was going to be a disaster and we are not privy to how both dancers may feel about this. They may be very happy being cast together in fact!

I hope he surprises everybody who doubts him anyway!

[Jamesrhblack]

This certainly looks like the season when we discover how committed Kevin O'Hare is to developing the company's leading dancers from within the ranks of the company.He may have been calculating on replacing Acosta this year and Watson in the next year or two but I don't suppose that he was expecting Pennefather to leave.Let us hope that he manages to resist the temptation to take out the cheque book and decides to make do with the dancers in the company. An immediate solution to the loss of a Romeo would be to cast Hristov as Romeo. It is in his repertory and it is easier to replace a Paris than a Romeo.It will be interesting to see what sort of balance management strikes between seniority and the need to develop some of the obvious talent in the lower ranks of the company when it comes to casting in the remaining two booking periods.The explanation that we were given for the late notification of casting was that it would enable management to take account of dancers' performances earlier on in the season suggested that there was a plan of some sort in place to develop dancers.It is to be hoped that the plan is not blown off course by this recent development.

I can see the logic of the Hristov suggestion. I thought he was great in Winter's Tale and am surprised, to some extent, that he hasn't progressed further if not in ranking then in terms of more regular principal performances. However, he'd surely not be given the furst night and broadcast so if that is to go to an existing and established Romeo it seems almost inevitable that one Romeo will dance with two Juliets. I really can't see management wanting to take one Romeo out and reassign his performances. Although I think Bonelli the most likely replacement, it has been pointed out elsewhere that he has broadcast this role before and that Lamb also dances well with McRae who has additionally what it is simplistic but perhaps true to describe as name presence and clout. I could see why he might take over although his first performance with Salenko are very close too.

Edited August 16, 2015 by Jamesrhblack

[capybara]

I believe that I've read somewhere that McRae is guesting away from the RB during September. Has anyone else seen this?

 

Of course he, too, has had a number of 'cinema appearances'.

[FLOSS]

Please note the following is not a suggestion about who might dance the first night performance and nor was my suggestion that Hristov might be cast as Romeo. In both cases these are suggestions about how the Romeo gap might be filled. Here is a possible solution to the sudden Romeo shortage. Ball is given more than one performance as Romeo. I know that there are problems with this in terms of rehearsal time and so on but it might suggest itself to someone.Mason seemed to have grasped the wisdom of getting away from the single sink or swim debut with no planned opportunity for consolidation. So I was a trifle surprised that Naghdi and Ball were only given a single performance in this run.

 

In the past the only opportunity for a second performance used to come from someone else's injury when a dancer who had made their debut was likely to be flung on with little opportunity to prepare for the performance.Given the way debut performances were programmed last year I had thought that the one off performance might have become a thing of the past.

 

The second suggestion relates to the performances of Giselle next year. It is unlikely but not impossible. Xander Parish is invited to guest as Albrecht.I understand that his performances in this role have been well received.

Edited August 16, 2015 by FLOSS

[barton22]

Please note the following is not a suggestion about who might dance the first night performance and nor was my suggestion that Hristov might be cast as Romeo. In both cases these are suggestions about how the Romeo gap might be filled. Here is a possible solution to the sudden Romeo shortage. Ball is given more than one performance as Romeo. I know that there are problems with this in terms of rehearsal time and so on but it might suggest itself to someone.Mason seemed to have grasped the wisdom of getting away from the single sink or swim debut with no planned opportunity for consolidation. So I was a trifle surprised that Naghdi and Ball were only given a single performance in this run.

 

In the past the only opportunity for a second performance used to come from someone else's injury when a dancer who had made their debut was likely to be flung on with little opportunity to prepare for the performance.Given the way debut performances were programmed last year I had thought that the one off performance might have become a thing of the past.

 

The second suggestion relates to the performances of Giselle next year. It is unlikely but not impossible. Xander Parish is invited to guest as Albrecht.I understand that his performances in this role have been well received.

I agree that to give the Ball/Naghdi pairing another performance would be an excellent idea.  I think they have a schools matinee ahead of their October 3rd general public performance, so they do at least have a full performance ahead of their public debut.

[aileen]

There's no need to bring in guests from outside. There are plenty of perfectly competent soloists, and it wouldn't kill the principals to do an extra Romeo or two (and they'd probably be very happy to do it).

[billboyd]

There are some really nasty balletomanes around.

[SusanR]

What on earth has poor Matthew done to attract such criticism? He is good looking, a good technician & a reliable partner. I cannot believe some of the comments on this thread.I just hope he doesn't read them!

Susan

[Wulff]

It hasn't taken long for the unfortunate Matthew Golding to have replaced Rupert as the dancer that many balletomanes love to hate. Although his first performances with the company in Sleeping Beauty were somewhat tentative I have liked his subsequent performances a lot. In particular I thought he did very well as des Grieux and, of course, Basilio.

 

Regarding  a replacement for Rupert I would like to see Xander Parish invited to guest for his performances. He is, after all, no stranger to the company, is English, and has true danseur noble qualities as well as an impressive record of performances in most of the principal male roles in the ballet repertoire.

[zxDaveM]

 

Regarding  a replacement for Rupert I would like to see Xander Parish invited to guest for his performances. He is, after all, no stranger to the company, is English, and has true danseur noble qualities as well as an impressive record of performances in most of the principal male roles in the ballet repertoire.

 

Would you want a danseur noble as a street scrapping, womanising, reckless, love-lorn yobbo-aristocrat?

Just wondering   ;-)

[barton22]

 

Regarding  a replacement for Rupert I would like to see Xander Parish invited to guest for his performances. He is, after all, no stranger to the company, is English, and has true danseur noble qualities as well as an impressive record of performances in most of the principal male roles in the ballet repertoire.

I agree with aileen that there is no need to bring in men from outside the company to dance Rupert's few scheduled performances this coming season.  Especially dancers who are not yet at principal rank in their own companies.  I think that, among other things, that could be terrible for morale in the Royal.

 

The first couple of Romeos are a problem as they are soon and there is not much time to prepare someone who doesn't know the role in the Royal's production.  They are also opening night of the season and a cinema relay and it would send an unfortunate message to broadcast one of the company's key works with an outsider in the lead male role and thereby imply that the company lacks depth in its male ranks.  I think it has to be one of the other male principals and it has to be the same man for both opening night and the relay so he has had a stage performance to work out any kinks before the broadcast performance.

 

For the other ballets in which Pennefather was cast, there is ample time to prepare one or more non-principal men from the Royal to take those shows.  They have already given several Nutcracker princes to non-principals and could give those same men some more or give another non-principal man a chance.  (Nut prince also seems an odd role to have a guest in as it is such a short role - it seemed so odd that they used Cory Stearns in this role last time he was here.)  I was anticipating that Ball might get a Nutcracker prince or two before the casting came out and it is a role he would do well in.  Zucchetti only seems to have one performance and another wouldn't do any harm and would allow him to get to grips with the role a bit better than the one make or break show.  Hirano, Campbell, and Hristov would probably appreciate the chance to dance another performance.  Pennefather's single Albrecht could be another good opportunity for a non-principal (and there is loads of time to prepare for it) or could surely easily picked up by another of the existing principal men.  I suppose some this will depend on how willing Lamb is to dance with less experienced men.

Edited August 17, 2015 by barton22

[alison]

It hasn't taken long for the unfortunate Matthew Golding to have replaced Rupert as the dancer that many balletomanes love to hate. 

 

I think that is almost as unfair on Pennefather (and quite a lot of balletomanes, for that matter) as some of the earlier posts have been on Golding.  I'd have said that "love to hate" was way too strong for the way RB-goers of my acquaintance feel about him.

 

And with regard to these "single" performances: how many of them are genuinely that, I wonder, or is it just that they are cast in other performances which we either don't know about or can't see the casting for?