Mary Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Sorry I should have said-Paris was Valeri Hristov who danced in his usal elegant style- but, my point about the threat towards Juliet in that scene was a general one: I am not saying it was his interpretation-I think this is in the choreography,though stresed more or less perhaps by different dancers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Just wanted to celebrate Lamb/Muntagirov who were awesome last night The whole cast seemed to gel around them with energy and focus and the orchestra now seems to have got its act together. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I couldn't agree more about the Mandolin dance which which is now crass and crude and no longer seems to have anything to do with the rest of the ballet choreographically. I believe that Lady M. tinkers with things perhaps she asked for it to be changed,but even if it wasn't done at her request she carries responsibility for the modification of the choreography as she has allowed it to remain.I am pretty sure that the mandolin dance in its current form crept in after MacMillan's death. Anyone like to comment on Lady M's description of ballet before Kenneth made Romeo and Juliet? i don't blame her for believing that her Kenneth was an innovative choreographer, which he was,but her description of ballet pre Kenneth is completely ridiculous. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Is the Mandolin Dance Romeo's virtuoso solo (lots of twisting leaps) in the ball scene, which is accompanied by a group of women dancing? I wasn't keen on it; it looked a bit awkward and out of place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPD444 Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I must say I really enjoyed Sarah's interpretation of Juliet with Vadim last night. I thought her "silent scream" was very effective and her whole manner throughout the performance was pretty spot on. Vadim must be great to dance with, he looked totally secure all night and when dancing himself acted the role perfectly. Thiago as Tybalt was very menacing as were the support cast particularily the harlots who had a whale of a time. danced very well. I am also a little puzzled as to why the Mandolin dance is their, did not seem to have any purpose to it and was not part of the story. The band was pretty good last night too. All in all, great to be back and looking forward to the rest of the season. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Is the Mandolin Dance Romeo's virtuoso solo (lots of twisting leaps) in the ball scene, which is accompanied by a group of women dancing? I wasn't keen on it; it looked a bit awkward and out of place. No, the Mandolin dance is in act 2 in the square, performed by the musicians accompanying the wedding procession (gents in pink or green tights and white faces). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAB Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 No, the Mandolin dance is in act 2 in the square, performed by the musicians accompanying the wedding procession (gents in pink or green tights and white faces). They never had white faces either, what was once one of the highlights of the second act is now a travesty. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 The reason the Mandolin Dance is there is, as BBB says, to celebrate the wedding taking place in the square. The joy of this dance helps to contrast against Romeo's hopeless imaginings that this could be him and Juliet one day. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mshovelt Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Last night was my first ballet following the Summer drought (it is so good to be back), and I completely agree with the positive comments made so far. Lamb and Muntagirov were outstanding. This was the third time that I'd seen Macmillan's R&J (previous were Osipova/Acosta in the 2013 RB run and Seo/Gomes at ABT earlier this year), and, for me, it was the most immersive. Overall, I definitely enjoyed it more than the other two, which is surprising seeing as I am a total Osipova fanboy. I think that a lot of that has to do with the fact that the first time I saw R&J I didn't really know and love the Prokofiev score as I do now. I'm still very much a novice in all this, but I think that the more you know a ballet, then the more you kind of mentally prepare yourself for the big moments - when Romeo and Juliet first meet; or, when Juliet sees Romeo's body in the crypt - you know they're coming and you amp up the emotion. One thing I remember from the Osipova/Acosta performance, was being amazed by the PDD in the crypt with Osipova being thrown around like a rag doll, almost recklessly. For last night, Lamb and Muntagirov's performance of that PDD seemed a little "safer" - maybe it's just my imagination or the loss of the impact you get when you see it for the first time. A couple of personal highlights from last night: when, on being introduced to Paris for the first time, Juliet rises up on en pointe in defiance as if to say: "not a chance!" - I love that; so simple but effective. And, Juliet's scream, on her realisation that Romeo was gone forever, was genuinely chilling and sent a shiver right through me. So, a really great evening and I still have Hayward/Golding to come - I cannot wait!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 To those who have seen both of the Lamb/Muntagirov performances how do they compare? And have the regulars now returned to the pit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPD444 Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Is Francesca's debut performance on the 23rd or has she danced it earlier in the run?. Having a senior moment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina G. Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 23rd October is Hayward's debut but she has already danced R&J at a Family Matinee in September. It seems that all three dancers who'll have their debut in R&J will have had "warm-up" performances before their official debut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 23rd October is Hayward's debut but she has already danced R&J at a Family Matinee in September. It seems that all three dancers who'll have their debut in R&J will have had "warm-up" performances before their official debut Muntagirov didn't - unless someone is going to tell me that there was another closed performance most of us knew nothing about! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 To those who have seen both of the Lamb/Muntagirov performances how do they compare? And have the regulars now returned to the pit? Please see my post (#233 above). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annamk Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I've seen a few casts in this run (but not the first cast) and in every performance there has been plenty to enjoy (and also some things to criticise) but principally what has been lacking for me is that no couple has yet found a powerful chemistry of the kind that makes for a really memorable performance. I was reflecting yesterday that last summer Shklyarov & Vishneva injected the creaky Mariinsky production of Romeo & Juliet with more magnetism and passion than I've felt at Covent Garden this autumn. In this context I find these comments that Matthew Ball makes about Johan Kobborg and Sergei Polunin interesting http://www.gramilano.com/2015/10/matthew-ball-the-royal-ballets-prince-in-waiting/2/ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 that no couple has yet found a powerful chemistry of the kind that makes for a really memorable performance. Yasmine Nagdhi and Matthew Ball could well do just that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I'm disappointed if Cuthbertson and Bonelli didn't - they had amazing chemistry in 2012. Has something changed this season? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I don't think it unfortunate at all as Fonteyn's interpretation of the role was much admired whereas Seymour's wasn't universally liked. After it's release it was shown in cinemas across the country, had it had a different cast it would have played two nights in a London art house to a negligible audience and been forgotten. If you put aside your reservations about MF, it is worth looking at the production as a whole and how the supporting roles were conceived. The mandolin dance for example looked superb back then without the ludicrous back flips we see today and the whole group danced with a musicality you rarely see now. For me the mandolin dance has now become one of the most wince inducing parts of the ballet. MAB, I did say that personally I enjoyed Fonteyn's performance, and I could understand the commercial reasons for the RB's superstars being used in the cinema film. The same thing happens today with the live broadcasts. Whether that individual is the best performer of the role is a subject for hot debate on this forum. I am sure Fonteyn was admired in the role. Was there ever a time when anybody criticised her in anything? However, it is a matter of public record that MacMillan had to alter some of the original choreography for her, and Nureyev just altered bits to display his own strengths (and presumably to hide any weaknesses). Having read about Seymour, she seems to have been a much more dramatic, abandoned sort of dancer. I imagine the contrast between her performance and Fonteyn's might have shocked some of the critics. I think it is a tragedy that there is no record of Seymour's Juliet, even if it was just classroom performances of the major pas de deux. MacMillan himself considered her his muse, after all, and she had huge input in the creation of the role. It should have been preserved for future generations. Incidentally, i know nothing at all about Christopher Gable. Is there any film of Gable's Romeo? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I'm disappointed if Cuthbertson and Bonelli didn't - they had amazing chemistry in 2012. Has something changed this season? From the little snippet we saw on WBD (assume it had just been filmed) it looks to me as though there was plenty of chemistry going on in the balcony scene! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Newcombe Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 There was plenty of chemistry in the actual performance 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josephine Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I've never found any film of Christopher Gable dancing Romeo. This clip shows Lynn Seymour with David Wall: https://youtu.be/04QyU6lpWMI To the Moderators: I hope it is OK to post a YouTube link. Please delete if not. Thank you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPD444 Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Muntagirov didn't - unless someone is going to tell me that there was another closed performance most of us knew nothing about! Aren't the three referred to in Nina's post Francesca, Matthew and Yasmine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Aren't the three referred to in Nina's post Francesca, Matthew and Yasmine? Probably, yes, but I felt I wanted to mention that Muntagirov did not have a warm-up show. Indeed I don't recall him having a general rehearsal or special matinee since his debut performance in Sleeping Beauty in Feb/March 2014. Very happy for the others that they did have a 'trial run', however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina G. Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Graham Spicer certainly got them talking... and lovely photos too of the young pair. http://www.gramilano.com/2015/10/the-royal-ballets-new-star-crossed-lovers-yasmine-naghdi-and-matthew-ball/ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina G. Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Handsome Matthew Ball looks very cheeky in the first photo... I wonder what he was telling his Juliet... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletfanp Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Slightly belated review of Lamb and Muntagirov on Thursday - had a long tiring day yesterday and didn't feel up to writing anything when I got home. I didn't see their previous performance so am unable to compare the two, but comments overheard from people who had seen both suggested that this performance was better. I loved it. Muntagirov seemed relaxed and confident, and I thought Sarah Lamb danced better than in her cinema relay performance. To me, they really gelled as a partnership in the same way as they did in Manon, and both gave a heartrending performance. Vadim was a delightful Romeo - again, the charm shines through - and of course his dancing was just beautiful; flawless, effortless and exuberant. I always feel, when watching him dance, that he has almost forgotten the audience, and is dancing from sheer love of dancing - and for me, that is part of what makes him a beautiful dancer rather than just a very very good one. His leaps always amaze me; there were points where he almost appeared to hang in the air like a paper plane before landing. Sarah Lamb was an equally charming Juliet, both child-like and passionate. Again, I love her dancing and she has beautiful lines to match Vadim's. She appeared completely vulnerable, yet feisty enough to defy her parents. Some said of their previous performance that the tomb scene wasn't dramatic enough; if that was the case they had evidently turned it up a notch because I found it both chilling and incredibly tragic and emotional. The audience was completely quiet during it, I noticed, no forgetting, coughing etc. - they appeared transfixed before bursting into huge and well-deserved applause. Some other thoughts. I very much enjoyed Soares's truculent Tybalt. Thuggish and menacing! I liked Zucchetti's Mercutio but I don't think it quite matched Campbell's portrayal. However, I though James Hay made a lovely and very convincing Benvolio. I really love the moment in the ball scene when the Dance of the Knights is drawing to a close - the contrast between the movement of the dancers in the middle, and the stillness of Romeo and Juliet at opposite sides of the stage, just staring enraptured at each other. I find it effective and moving. The Act 2 sword Romeo / Tybalt sword fight - my goodness, they really went for it with a vengeance! I was worried someone was really going to get hurt! Someone said in an earlier post, I seem to remember, that when Romeo kills Paris in the tomb, it seems a bit wanton and as though Romeo has turned into a homicidal maniac. However it was clear when Muntagirov and Edmonds acted the scene that it was in self defence when Paris lunges at him. There was a moment of horror where Romeo realises "Oh, no, I've killed yet another person!", before his attention is dragged back to Juliet. They acted it very well. I loved the moment when Romeo is with Friar Laurence waiting for Juliet to arrive, and Vadim nervously tugged at his doublet and smoothed it down, to make sure he was tidy for his intended! A small thing, but very endearing and probably exactly what would actually happen in that situation. Sorry for rambling on a bit.... 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletfanp Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Please forgive the typos; evidently I'm still too tired to type accurately! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 I will comment later but on Thursday it wasn't James Hay who danced Benvolio but Sander Blommaert.....there was a little cast slip change next to the main cast list with this info on. Will report a bit later as just giving this thread a quick look over!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Stunning, just stunning, debuts from Naghdi and Ball this afternoon . Anyone who thinks the passion has gone from this ballet need only see these two wonderful dancers interpret these two wonderful roles. I can't remember the last time I felt so emotional at the end of a ballet. Kevin O'Hare, please foster this partnership...it will be one of the greats if you let it. More thoughts tomorrow. 21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Today's Juliet was Yasmine Nagdhi. A star was revealed! I don't ever recall a crush at the stage door (and half of Floral Street) like it, so I'm guessing I'm not alone. Everyone I spoke to during, and after were just utterly bowled over, by hers and her Romeo's (Matthew Ball) performances. Stunning stuff indeed. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 B R A V O M A T T H E W and Y A S M I N E You gave us a performance that we shall never forget and you were given a reception in the auditorium, at the Stage Door and out in Floral Street that we hope you will never forget. THANK YOU SO MUCH! 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Newcombe Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 The applause and cheering at the end of Act 1 warranted a Russian style curtain call. Absolutely stunning. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 I didn't reaslise that Ball was only a First Artist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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