RB - Romeo and Juliet, Autumn 2015

[alison]

I'd assumed this twitter.com/balletcoforum, but can't see any references.

[Nina G.]

Can't imagine there will be any bad reviews, just have to say that although I am a fan of Matthew Ball and Yasmine Naghdi anyway, even I didn't imagine such an emotional, assured performance, Yasmine in particular is perfect as Juliet.  Their actual technique is so good too, am beginning to understand why Romeo is considered an exhausting role, and Yasmine has such a soft unforced style, I'm already thinking of them in so many roles. I liked the mandolin dance with James Hay too, it was played down and didn't seem so manic.

 

Feeling more favourable towards R and J now, and really looking forward to Francesa Hayward and Matthew Golding.

 

Yasmine Naghdi and Matthew Ball revived the "old warhorse" and they have given it a new lease of life. 

 

I think many (including myself) were getting tired of seeing R&J over and over again. However lovely Lauren Cutbertson is as Juliet and Frederico Bonelli as Romeo, Naghdi/Ball brought something very fresh and new to MacMillan's R&J.

 

I applaud Mr. Kevin O'Hare for having cast Naghdi/Ball on the 50th Anniversary of Kenneth MacMillan's R&J. 

 

I still have to see Hayward's debut, no doubt she'll be lovely, but I am not so sure that the Golding/Hayward partnership will create the same immense emotions as the Naghdi/Ball partnership did. 

[alison]

I think many (including myself) were getting tired of seeing R&J over and over again. However lovely Lauren Cutbertson is as Juliet and Frederico Bonelli as Romeo, Naghdi/Ball brought something very fresh and new to MacMillan's R&J.

[LinMM]

Although I agree RuthE that we will all hopefully get the opportunity to see these two young dancers in the future I also believe that something extra special happens sometimes just at particular performances and this could well be one of those by the sound of it.

 

The obvious magic that happened at this performance may never be entirely recaptured so cherish the memories the lucky ones who were there......it may be a long time before it happens again!!

I know how the poster above felt when she said she didn't want to see any other ballet immediately ......just let it all sink in ....usually a true sign that it was indeed a very special performance ......and I wish I could have been there!

[penelopesimpson]

Although I agree RuthE that we will all hopefully get the opportunity to see these two young dancers in the future I also believe that something extra special happens sometimes just at particular performances and this could well be one of those by the sound of it.

 

The obvious magic that happened at this performance may never be entirely recaptured so cherish the memories the lucky ones who were there......it may be a long time before it happens again!!

I know how the poster above felt when she said she didn't want to see any other ballet immediately ......just let it all sink in ....usually a true sign that it was indeed a very special performance ......and I wish I could have been there!

Beautifully put.  I have experienced it just 3 times:

 

Altynai Asymuritova and Farouk Ruzimatof in Bayadere

Cojocaru and Kobborg in Manon

 

and, most outstanding of all:

 

Edward Watson first night of Mayerling in 2013.  One of the greatest nights of my life.  Unbelievable.  Anybody else there?

Edited October 7, 2015 by penelopesimpson

[aileen]

Lin, I agree with you. There has to be a particular alchemy at work for a performance to be really special. All the ingredients have to come together: leads, supporting cast, orchestra and perhaps even the audience (sometimes the audience is strangely cool and this deadens the mood in the auditorium). A performance does not have to be flawless but one weak link can seriously undermine what is otherwise a very good performance. For me, it's important that there is chemistry between all the cast members; a star dancer or a star couple alone does not do it for me. Again for me personally, there needs to be a lot of energy (that does not imply a fast or OTT performance). Too many performances are let down by a sort of restraint which saps the performance of some of its vibrancy. There are certainly dancers who seem to energise the other dancers when they are on stage, and this can visibly lift a performance, but sometimes they can be a bit too self-consciously 'starry' which slightly spoils the performance for me. Perhaps I'm not easily pleased, but there are few performances which I find utterly absorbing and would put into the category of 'mesmerising'.

[alison]

Edward Watson first night of Mayerling in 2013.  One of the greatest nights of my life.  Unbelievable.  Anybody else there?

 

Yes.  Definitely.  As, of course, were a load of hardened critics   (But then we've had this conversation before).  Mind you, his final performance in his first run in 2007 was pretty special, too.  I was standing in the stalls circle for that one, and the acoustics usually tend to dull the sound of the audience reaction somewhat.  Not on that occasion - it was quite deafening, IIRC.

 

Cojocaru and Kobborg in what turned out to be their last Manon for the RB: I'm slightly iffy about this one, since I was watching it on the big screen in Trafalgar Square, where the close-ups may have influenced things, but they had me and my friend in tears, and there were an awful lot of sniffs (including masculine ones) from those around us, too.

 

I think we need to start a new thread for this, or we'll take this one well off course.

[Nina G.]

I feel this is one of the many reasons why last Saturday's Matinee was SUCH a special one, and such a huge success: no showy display of bravura technic, no self-possessed or flashy Principal, just beautifully executed clean steps. The whole cast blended in so beautifully, the youth of Ball and Naghdi displayed innocence, honesty and purity. I think it was the RB at its best, it was all about telling the story of "R&J" as we forgot they were dancing. Oh the tenderness of their embrace at the end of Act1! 

[RuthE]

Edward Watson first night of Mayerling in 2013.  One of the greatest nights of my life.  Unbelievable.  Anybody else there?

 

Yes! It was my first Mayerling, too...

[alison]

There is a large feature on Francesca Hayward and her debut as Juliet in tonight's Evening Standard.  Given the fact that a recent article about Ed Watson doesn't seem to have made it online, this one may not have done, either.

 

Edit: I was wrong: http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/theatre/francesca-haywards-spectacular-leap-from-young-fan-to-star-of-romeo-and-juliet-a3084611.html

[John Mallinson]

See tomorrow's links …

[LinMM]

Many years ago I saw a rather special performance of Marguerite and Armand with Fonteyn and Nureyev.

 

I thought then I will never see this bettered and couldn't see the ballet for a very long time after wards .....which the Royal seemed to take out of their repertoire anyway for ages as it happened.

 

I have now seen it since and enjoyed it but not on the level of this particular performance but in the end it didn't matter that much as one knows these special performances don't come around that often so one can still enjoy the ballet for what it is.

This is however another ballet like R and J where the rapport between the two leads and being able to immerse the viewer totally in the story is the main thing ......not stunning technique etc.

 

I shall still very much look forward to seeing Naghdi and Ball dance together for the first time (for me)

[capybara]

There is a large feature on Francesca Hayward and her debut as Juliet in tonight's Evening Standard.  Given the fact that a recent article about Ed Watson doesn't seem to have made it online, this one may not have done, either.

 

Edit: I was wrong: http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/theatre/francesca-haywards-spectacular-leap-from-young-fan-to-star-of-romeo-and-juliet-a3084611.html

 

I expect that the Evening Standard was steered towards this by the RB Press Office. It is lovely for Frankie, of course, and she certainly merits this kind of coverage. However, I can't help feeling that, in the wake of last Saturday's amazing performance by Yasmine, it would have been even nicer had the article been about both of them - one who has just debuted to huge acclaim, the other whose turn is just around the corner.

[alison]

I expect that the Evening Standard was steered towards this by the RB Press Office.

 

Yes, I suspected so as well - along with the above-referenced article on Ed the other day.  The performance is sold out, so it's not as if they need to shift tickets.

[Nina G.]

I expect that the Evening Standard was steered towards this by the RB Press Office. It is lovely for Frankie, of course, and she certainly merits this kind of coverage. However, I can't help feeling that, in the wake of last Saturday's amazing performance by Yasmine, it would have been even nicer had the article been about both of them - one who has just debuted to huge acclaim, the other whose turn is just around the corner.

 

The RB Press Office has certainly been very lousy re. the Ball/Naghdi debut. They deserved better! The pair had just about one photo "thrown" into The Times last week, their impressive debut has had no press coverage whatsoever nor are there any reviews.

We were only able to read about them, and their preparations for R&J, thanks to an Italian blogging gentleman called Gramilano.  

I remember when Hayward had her debut coming up in Manon, a short interview appeared on ROH/News, which was lovely. 

Why wasn't there a similar interview made with Ball and Naghdi about their debut? Yes of course it is lovely for Hayward but we've got the message by now, and there are other dancers at the RB whom I like to read about too. 

Edited October 7, 2015 by Nina G.

[Sunrise]

The RB Press Office has certainly been very lousy re. the Ball/Naghdi debut. They deserved better! The pair had just about one photo "thrown" into The Times last week, their impressive debut has had no press coverage whatsoever nor are there any reviews.

We were only able to read about them, and their preparations for R&J, thanks to an Italian blogging gentleman called Gramilano.  

I remember when Hayward had her debut coming up in Manon, a short interview appeared on ROH/News, which was lovely. 

Why wasn't there a similar interview made with Ball and Naghdi about their debut? Yes of course it is lovely for Hayward but we've got the message by now, and there are other dancers at the RB whom I like to read about too.

 

Maybe the ROH didn't want to put any additional pressure on them? A double debut R&J for such young/junior dancers is already quite exciting and they only had one public performance. Though I do hope we hear more from them too - I'd love to know how they felt the performance had gone.

[Nina G.]

I don't think this is the case and being interviewed by the press must be easy compared to dancing a debut for 2,500 people  

Hayward and Naghdi are the same age, both are 23, so Naghdi is not that junior. Young Ball is. 

I'd love to know too how they felt their debut had gone.

[Duck]

Just discovered a review of Saturday's matinee performance here http://lesballetonautes.com/2015/10/08/premieres-et-dernieres-amours/#comments.

 

The reviewer highlights the freshness and commitment of Yasmine Naghdi's and Matthew Ball's dancing in the PDD, making the moment of first love visible, and Yasmine Naghdi's maturity in dramatic expression.

[Melody]

The RB Press Office has certainly been very lousy re. the Ball/Naghdi debut. They deserved better! The pair had just about one photo "thrown" into The Times last week, their impressive debut has had no press coverage whatsoever nor are there any reviews.

We were only able to read about them, and their preparations for R&J, thanks to an Italian blogging gentleman called Gramilano.  

I remember when Hayward had her debut coming up in Manon, a short interview appeared on ROH/News, which was lovely. 

Why wasn't there a similar interview made with Ball and Naghdi about their debut? Yes of course it is lovely for Hayward but we've got the message by now, and there are other dancers at the RB whom I like to read about too. 

I hope they don't have the mindset that they want to make one person into a star because that's what'll grab the public's attention.

 

During the FedEx Cup, when Jason Day (Australian) was doing so well and Rory McIlroy (Northern Irish) was making an impressive comeback from injury and Jordan Spieth (the new American great white hope of golf) was having a bit of trouble finding his form but doing pretty well anyway, Nick Faldo said during his commentary that he was looking forward to the day when all three of them were playing at their peak (along with some of the other younger players) because that would be incredible, and his comment was met with stony silence by the American commentators. They obviously like the situation where one person is a mega-star and they can go on about him till kingdom come, and even better when that mega-star is American. They obviously had no interest in seeing Jordan Spieth challenged by these other young players, which is a shame for people interested in the sport rather than the personalities, not least because that sort of challenge often results in everyone raising their game.

 

Hopefully the RB Press Office (or the RB itself) isn't going to fall into that trap and just try and turn Frankie Hayward into the next Margot Fonteyn at the expense of Yasmine Naghdi and any other up-and-coming young dancers. Ninette de Valois was a bit cavalier about the careers of some of the other ballerinas in the company while promoting Fonteyn so strongly, and there doesn't really seem to be a need for that sort of ruthlessness these days.

Edited October 8, 2015 by Melody

[Jam Dancer]

I don't think this is the case and being interviewed by the press must be easy compared to dancing a debut for 2,500 people  

Hayward and Naghdi are the same age, both are 23, so Naghdi is not that junior. Young Ball is. 

I'd love to know too how they felt their debut had gone.

I interpreted the previous poster's comment to mean rank rather than age... Naghdi and Ball are Soloist and First Artist (if memory serves me right) whereas Francesca is First soloist and will be dancing with a Principal as her Romeo.

[Nina G.]

I hope they don't have the mindset that they want to make one person into a star because that's what'll grab the public's attention.

 

During the FedEx Cup, when Jason Day (Australian) was doing so well and Rory McIlroy (Northern Irish) was making an impressive comeback from injury and Jordan Spieth (the new American great white hope of golf) was having a bit of trouble finding his form but doing pretty well anyway, Nick Faldo said during his commentary that he was looking forward to the day when all three of them were playing at their peak (along with some of the other younger players) because that would be incredible, and his comment was met with stony silence by the American commentators. They obviously like the situation where one person is a mega-star and they can go on about him till kingdom come, and even better when that mega-star is American. They obviously had no interest in seeing Jordan Spieth challenged by these other young players, which is a shame for people interested in the sport rather than the personalities, not least because that sort of challenge often results in everyone raising their game.

 

Hopefully the RB Press Office (or the RB itself) isn't going to fall into that trap and just try and turn Frankie Hayward into the next Margot Fonteyn at the expense of Yasmine Naghdi and any other up-and-coming young dancers. Ninette de Valois was a bit cavalier about the careers of some of the other ballerinas in the company while promoting Fonteyn so strongly, and there doesn't really seem to be a need for that sort of ruthlessness these days.

 

The RB Press office is certainly giving this impression as there have been steady press releases over the past two years already describing Miss Hayward as the next great British ballerina, and according to the recent Evening Standard article "The dancer, 23, is tipped to become Britain’s next great ballerina — as well as the company’s first mixed-race female principal dancer". Is it really necessary to play the mixed-race card? A dancer is a dancer be they white, black or of  mixed race. There is no need to single out a particular dancer in a company for that company to proof they are not white elitist is there? The RB has several non-white dancers and plenty of dancers of mixed race so that proofs enough.

 

​Naghdi certainly seems to have a great fan base as witnessed from the standing ovation she and Ball received, not to mention a ton of flowers.  

I cannot recall the last time I was there to witness a dancer receiving such a reception by a Covent Garden audience. 

Let's hope we do not have to return to those days where superb dancers were sidelined by Fonteyn because she was Ninette de Valois favourite. How awful it must have been for Lynn Seymour to see that the role of Juliet, created on her, was given to Fonteyn on opening night!

(Just taking a glance at what else is in store this Season for Naghdi: Monotones I...Let's just hope Naghdi will stick it out dancing the Flower Waltz, Snowflakes and the likes).

[alison]

Is it really necessary to play the mixed-race card? A dancer is a dancer be they white, black or of  mixed race. There is no need to single out a particular dancer in a company for that company to proof they are not white elitist is there? The RB has several non-white dancers and plenty of dancers of mixed race so that proofs enough.

 

I've been wondering that, too.  I'd been hoping we were beyond that, but perhaps all this Misty Copeland kerfuffle is actually making other companies feel as though they're obliged to emphasise that they're not all-white, either?

[zxDaveM]

Rose Fairy, yes - but don't think she'll be a Snowflake any more (Ms Nagdhi that is)

[Nina G.]

I've been wondering that, too.  I'd been hoping we were beyond that, but perhaps all this Misty Copeland kerfuffle is actually making other companies feel as though they're obliged to emphasise that they're not all-white, either?

 

I'd thought that most companies by now would feel sufficiently confident that the message "Ballet is for all, rich and poor, and no matter what race" is already firmly out there. I am under the impression ABT felt pressurised to make Copeland a Principal in order to get a particular target audience in to watch ballet. Stella Abrera's promotion to principal was completely overshadowed by Copeland's (Copeland had to wait eight years to be promoted from Soloist to Principal, it took Abrera fourteen years - who in my eyes is far more talented than Copeland).

 

The more companies are trying to get that certain message out there the more they keep making an issue of it, further enforcing the issue in people's mind. 

[Sunrise]

I'd thought that most companies by now would feel sufficiently confident that the message "Ballet is for all, rich and poor, and no matter what race" is already firmly out there. I am under the impression ABT felt pressurised to make Copeland a Principal in order to get a particular target audience in to watch ballet. Stella Abrera's promotion to principal was completely overshadowed by Copeland's (Copeland had to wait eight years to be promoted from Soloist to Principal, it took Abrera fourteen years - who in my eyes is far more talented than Copeland).

 

The more companies are trying to get that certain message out there the more they keep making an issue of it, further enforcing the issue in people's mind.

 

I disagree, I don't think we can take it for granted that the general public will know that ballet is supposed to be for all - it still looks very white, and even if that's changing I think that's still the perception. I do think it is important that young dancers are encouraged to see that dancers from all backgrounds can make it at the top level. Edited October 9, 2015 by Sunrise

[FLOSS]

I think that the fact that Nagdhi was cast in Symphonic Variations and is in Monotones is ample evidence of  the confidence that management have in her abilities.Symphonic is certainly not the sort of ballet that just anyone gets to dance on their way up the ranks. It is far from easy because not only do the dancers have to be on stage for the duration of the ballet they have to be able to dance as a cohesive group as well as soloists.In the past it has been the preserve of the select few rather than the multitude.While Nagdhi and Clarke came through with flying colours Hamilton struggled  with the speed.As for Monotones it is a great work and both parts are very difficult to bring off successfully.As both sections are very exposed even the slightest error of timing stands out a mile.O'Hare has explained that he will be giving casting details later than was the case in the past in order to take account of performances during the season. Let's see what he does in practice when he casts  ballets for the rest of the season and when gaps appear in the schedule through injury or illness I hope that he is going to be brave enough to look to his own dancers even when it comes to replacing someone like Osipova rather than phoning a foreign company for a replacement. But we shall see what happens as the season progresses. As for Nagdhi appearing as a Snowflake that sort of thing was happening to Hayward last year and still does.The Soloists are probably the hardest worked section of the company as they can be called upon to dance both corps work and and the occasional Principal role.It's part of the joy of the position.

 

I wonder how the fans would feel if,for example, neither Lamb or McRae were to appear as Perdita and Florizel this season? If he is going to develop his company O'Hare is going to have to make that sort of decision or we will find that in a few years time out will come the chequebook and a whole lot of dancers developed by other companies will become the company's Principals. As O'Hare has said that the difficulty in recruiting from the school is the number of talented dancers that it produces it is to be hoped that in future years he will feel obliged to promote from within the ranks of the company simply because of the quality of the dancers and their performances.Meanwhile we can enjoy some outstanding young talent. Of course one of the biggest challenges O'Hare will face is how he deals with the expectations of the Principals that they will dance certain roles and the need to develop his young dancers some of whom were born to dance those very roles.Simply scheduling additional performances does not solve the problem.

Edited October 10, 2015 by FLOSS

[capybara]

 

I wonder how the fans would feel if,for example, neither Lamb or McRae were to appear as Perdita and Florizel this season? 

 

 

In my own little casting heaven, I have Naghdi and Ball down for Perdita and Florizel (as well as Muntagirov and Stix Brunell - again)  . However, this may be affected by the choices being made by Liam Scarlett, particularly  for Victor, Elizabeth and 'monster' in his new Frankenstein.

 

But we shall know soon, won't we?

[alison]

Symphonic is certainly not the sort of ballet that just anyone gets to dance on their way up the ranks. It is far from easy because not only do the dancers have to be on stage for the duration of the ballet they have to be able to dance as a cohesive group as well as soloists.In the past it has been the preserve of the select few rather than the multitude.

 

Normally, I'd agree with you, Floss, given how much it has been cast from a variety of ranks, lower ones included, in recent years.  But I'm also remembering the reservations expressed about the rather "hit-and-miss" casting of last year's performances.

[Nina G.]

If only they had stuck to their 1st cast for all the performances of "Symphonic Variations". If I remember correctly Golding was initially down to dance as 1st cast with Marianella Nunez, Yasmine Naghdi, Yuhui Choe, Valentino Zucchetti and James Hay but Vadim Muntagirov (2nd cast) had to step in replacing Golding on Opening Night. Naghdi also had to fill in dancing with the 2nd cast (Muntagirov and Hamilton), and in one performance she was joined by Magri, Acri and Dyer and in another one by Stock, Zucchetti and Hay. Must have been a nightmare for the dancers.

[alison]

Anyone got anything to say about, say, last night's Romeo & Juliet?  We seem to have got rather off-track

[FLOSS]

I made the comments about Nagdhi's involvement in Symphonic as evidence of the management's faith in her potential in large part because she was part of the first night cast of Symphonic which gave by far the best performance of the run.But on other nights there was far too much chopping and changing to allow the ballet to reveal itself.

 

Of course it would be fascinating to know the ins and outs of all the changes that occurred and it left me wondering whether at least one of the changes was attributable to the rights owner putting her foot down.The problem with Symphonic is that the choreographer expected his dancers to be able to dance at speed. Antoinette Sibley tells a story of two very eminent dancers, well loved by many on this forum,who approached her saying that the rehearsal pianist was playing too quickly as they didn't have time to point their feet.I believe her response was that the rehearsal was being conducted at the speed at which they would be required to dance in performance and at that stage of the ballet the dancers wouldn't  be able to feel their feet.I have to say that on the basis of his performance  as Oberon I could not imagine Golding dancing at the required speed. The other problem is that you can't simply treat the cast as three couples each couple capable of dancing with any other group of four dancers. Any cast change  has some impact on the overall effect of the ballet.The entire cast has to dance as soloists and as a corps and unless everyone hears the music in exactly the same way there will inevitably be some slight mistiming  which might escape notice in another ballet but which call attention to themselves in this particular work.That's one of the reasons it is so difficult for the dancers..

 

As far as the preconception that ballet is only for an elite is concerned that is not going to change all the while people believe that it is not for them and that view is reinforced by almost every story about the Royal Opera House  telling  the reader how much the top priced seats in the stalls cost and there is nothing about ballet on readily accessible terrestrial TV channels. I'm not that sure that ballet tickets are that expensive when you think about the number of people involved in getting a performance on to the stage but you're not going to be in a position to make that sort of assessment unless you actually go to a performance or two.Their price certainly compares very favourably with the cost of tickets at the National Theatre and in the West End and of course with Premier League football. But of course football is socially acceptable as it is an elite sport rather than an artistic enterprise. It would appear that at present all the arts are fair game because they are elitist if only because  they are said to appeal predominantly the middle classes.I wonder what went wrong? Perhaps the problem is that arts companies like the Royal Ballet no longer tell their own story, which it did in the pioneering days but let other people do so often to the company's detriment. 

Edited October 10, 2015 by FLOSS

[MAB]

Not much about R&J today, is there?

[Jillykins]

I was at last nights performance and enjoyed it enormously. I have seen more Romeo and Juliets in my seventy plus years of going to the ballet and now go to see different interpretations of the roles not so much the ballet. However last night I was lost in admiration not only of dancers but of Macmillans phenomenal skill. His use of music, choreography for vast numbers of corps and amazing pas de deux. It is his skill that makes me usually forget the choreographer! Lauren Cuthbertson was amazing, she has built so much since her first performance with Ed Watson. How I wish he had been with her yesterday. However Bonelli made a handsome Romeo but for me he was not a young boy. I missed the crispness of footwork although the passion built so that the tomb scene was deeply moving. Lauren was so boneless in that final pas de deux you wondered how BonellI could lift her! She was truly a girl moving from adolescence to young womanhood, beautiful arms and bourres that seemed to be out of contact with the floor.

 

Bennet made a believable Tybalt his acting skills gave depth to the performance. I felt his shock when he realised he had stabbed Mercutio. I loved Gary Avis performance as Capulet, he seemed like a father frustrated beyond patience and there was some love for his daughter. There were many special moments added by a gesture, facial expression or angle of the head. WelL done to the cast, you gave me another special evening.

 

Alison, I thought I had become even more forgetful about my memories but Romeo does perform entre chat, once on his own when wedding procession comes in and a few moments later with Mercutio and BevolIo. I only became aware of them when McCrae did them do perfectly in the live filming. Unimportant but relieved to find I had not imagined them!

 

I love this forum, it is so good to share our passion with like minded others. Thank you all for your comments, reviews and opinions. I do hope Lauren stays welL and uninjured. Lovely to have such a great home grown talent.q