Jump to content

The Royal Ballet: La Fille mal gardée, September 2016


Recommended Posts

Really? Where were you sitting? I particularly noticed a lot of empty seats in the orchestra stalls and stalls circle on one of the nights with Marianela Nunez/Bennet Gartside. I also thought their ticket prices were pretty steep, but I suppose they had to pay for the ship animations somehow.

Grand Tier one time, Stalls Circle the other.  I think it is a fabulous ballet and I looked for tickets to go a third time but couldn't get any.  Weird.  And yes, I did go for the Watson Cuthbertson cast which may have had something to do with it.  It's a pity the RB publicity machine didn't get behind it more effectively because it actually is a great ballet for newbies.  It has everything - wonderful dancing, a dramatic plot, a fun-filled light-hearted 2nd Act and some fab character roles.

Edited by penelopesimpson
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 279
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

For those who do not live in London there will be the added cost of a 2% increase in rail fares come January, as well the hike in ballet prices so the cinema relays are fast becoming my answer to the problem of cost. I've been fortunate to have seen most big ballets live so it's nice to see them up close on screen. For new to me ballets again the cinema is a saviour, because I can see something new and if I find I like it I can then go to the expense of a live show knowing I like something.

I think Fille was on too recently and has been revived perhaps to facilitate Roberta's farewell (for which I have a ticket). Anastasia is new to a lot of people so maybe this is why it's selling better.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know how ticket sales were for Fille last time, but I hope in due course sales for this run will pick up. But ballet is currently promoted very much as an extreme art, both physically and emotionally; and that chimes in with the current cultural climate for extreme self-exposure (both physical and emotional). Drama and tragedy are also currently favoured much more than gentle humour or happy endings. So Fille is quite counter-cultural at the moment, and less easy to promote in the terms used for other ballets.

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know how ticket sales were for Fille last time, but I hope in due course sales for this run will pick up. But ballet is currently promoted very much as an extreme art, both physically and emotionally; and that chimes in with the current cultural climate for extreme self-exposure (both physical and emotional). Drama and tragedy are also currently favoured much more than gentle humour or happy endings. So Fille is quite counter-cultural at the moment, and less easy to promote in the terms used for other ballets.

I think I agree. I think audience expectations and reactions to ballets by Ashton and MacMillan are quite different. When I watch Ashton, I get enormous pleasure from watching musicality, intricate steps executed beautifully, and a ballet like Fille is warm, funny and delightful. With MacMillan I expect intensity, drama - reviewers here often describe heart-wrenching performances that leave them feeling drained. Maybe the difference in ticket sales (at this stage) is representative of the kind of theatrical experience that audiences want.

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

, but it is ridiculously expensive and I'm certainly not going to see it every season when there are so many other wonderful things I could see.

 

 

I am not sure where most people choose to sit but the Stalls are a definite no no for me because I don't watching ballet from that vantage point.  Is £24 in the amphitheatre ( row B centre) and £36 in the balcony (A right) considered ridiculously expensive? Do most people prefer sitting in Orchestra stalls or closer?  I really enjoy Fille and I missed it during the last run and  I can't  let that happen again so I am seeing  it twice this run although I'm still struggling to find work at the moment.   I have the same seats in the Amphitheatre for Anastasia as I do for my 2nd viewing of Fille  and the price is £4 less... As I have never had the pleasure of seeing Anastasia and I love Fille, I didn't consider the extra cost a big stretch. 

Edited by Jam Dancer
  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I should think the fact that it hasn't been performed for, what, a decade or more? might have a lot to do with it.

Exactly that. I've never seen it before and dd would have been far too young last time. Also, we've both seen Fille every time it's been part of the rep for about the last 11 years. I have to have the most comfy seats possible with decent legroom, so even with the Access discount I really couldn't stretch to 3 pricey ballets in one booking period. Hence Anastasia with Cuthbertson (my favourite dancer) and Nutcracker with Nuñez (daughter's favourite). Good compromise.

 

Believe me, had it been financially possible, we'd have booked for Fille too. A glorious joyful hug in ballet form. :)

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am not sure where most people choose to sit but the Stalls are a definite no no for me because I don't watching ballet from that vantage point. Is £24 in the amphitheatre ( row B centre) and £36 in the balcony (A right) considered ridiculously expensive? Do most people prefer sitting in Orchestra stalls or closer? I really enjoy Fille and I missed it during the last run and I can't let that happen again so I am seeing it twice this run although I'm still struggling to find work at the moment. I have the same seats in the Amphitheatre for Anastasia as I do for my 2nd viewing of Fille and the price is £4 less... As I have never had the pleasure of seeing Anastasia and I love Fille, I didn't consider the extra cost a big stretch.

 

My partner is pretty tall and finds the amphi uncomfortable and too far away to see anything. He's a reluctant ballet-goer so if I'm going to drag him to London I want him to be comfortable at the very least. And I'm really short so if I'm not in the front row then my view is always blocked - believe me I've tried all over the auditorium. (I find row B in the amphi pretty bad when row A leans forward.) When I was a student I was happy to stand, lean or watch through binos but I feel like I've put in my time now and would like to sit a bit more comfortably with an unrestricted view. :-) The best seats in the stalls and grand tier are still available for the cast Morera Muntagirov cast I missed last time and most want to see but I'm not going to pay £100 per seat. I would consider the £61 seats still available in the balcony but as I said, we saw Fille so recently (from the grand tier no less), I'd rather take him to see something new. I guess ballet has become more of a treat now than a necessity which has influenced my seat and price choices. Edited by Sunrise
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is £24 in the amphitheatre ( row B centre) and £36 in the balcony (A right) considered ridiculously expensive?

 

I'm sure nobody would consider those prices ridiculously expensive, Jam Dancer.  Unfortunately, the prices for those seats for Fille and Anastasia are about double that, and higher still for other, more popular ballets.

 

The best seats in the stalls and grand tier are still available for the cast Morera Muntagirov cast I missed last time and most want to see but I'm not going to pay £100 per seat. I would consider the £61 seats still available in the balcony but as I said, we saw Fille so recently (from the grand tier no less), I'd rather take him to see something new.

 

:whispers: are the Row C balcony tall seats still available for those performances?  They were at the weekend.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm sure nobody would consider those prices ridiculously expensive, Jam Dancer.  Unfortunately, the prices for those seats for Fille and Anastasia are about double that, and higher still for other, more popular ballets.

 

 

 

:whispers: are the Row C balcony tall seats still available for those performances?  They were at the weekend.

Thanks, they are still available but I think I'll just enjoy the good reviews here. :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Still looking worryingly unsold, particularly when compared to Anastasia.  Are there just too many performances of a ballet that was performed relatively recently?  

 

Perhaps, also, audiences are becoming more discriminating.  I have a ticket for the new production of Norma which is pretty nearly sold out, yet Manon Lescaut which received shocking reviews last time around, is very unsold.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That Manon Lescaut is almost unwatchable, you'd have to pay me to sit through it a second time.

 

Fille has been performed a lot lately, they should have revived Sylvia instead.

I didn't see it - was it terrible?  Considered booking this time but took one look at the reviews, and...

 

Are you going to Norma?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't see it - was it terrible?  Considered booking this time but took one look at the reviews, and...

 

Are you going to Norma?

 

As usual the problem was the production, they don't seem to understand how ridiculous operas that are very much set in a particular era can look when transposed to modern times.  Yes, off to Norma and next month going off to Paris to see Bartoli sing it again.  Looking forward to seeing Cosi too, I'm a big fan of Semyon Bychkov, but have never heard him conduct Mozart.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As usual the problem was the production, they don't seem to understand how ridiculous operas that are very much set in a particular era can look when transposed to modern times.  Yes, off to Norma and next month going off to Paris to see Bartoli sing it again.  Looking forward to seeing Cosi too, I'm a big fan of Semyon Bychkov, but have never heard him conduct Mozart.

I'm going tomorrow and its the first time for this opera for me.  Really looking forward to it.  I used to work at The Barbican and adored Bartoli there - lucky you.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Still no nights sold out. Amazing. Even the Osipova performances. Although my feeling about Fille is that I feel I am getting the same thing every time. Why is that? I can see multiple performances night after night of Giselle, and never get that feeling.

 

Interesting comment cavycapers. I think Filles do differ, but I know what you mean. Maybe tragedy is easier to make distinctive than happiness/comedy. Made me think of Tolstoy/War and Peace, i.e. that all happy families are happy in the same way but all unhappy families are unhappy in different ways (bad paraphrase, but you get the gist).

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting comment cavycapers. I think Filles do differ, but I know what you mean. Maybe tragedy is easier to make distinctive than happiness/comedy. Made me think of Tolstoy/War and Peace, i.e. that all happy families are happy in the same way but all unhappy families are unhappy in different ways (bad paraphrase, but you get the gist).

 

I think you'll find that quote is actually from Anna Karenina.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ticket sales often seem to pick up after a run has begun. The last outing for this ballet feels very recent to me and perhaps others feel the same. Ditto The Dream, which seems to be on every year (I know it's not) perhaps because BRB are also performing it this year (and did they perform it last year as well?) and so you are aware of it being around even if it's not being performed at your local theatre.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There was a discount code on Metro, 40 pounds for orchestra stall seats and 20 pounds for Amphiteatre seats on certain performances including first night.  Enter royalballetoffer on website or say it on phone.

Do you have a link by any chance, please?

Edited by ferrylights
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...