The Royal Ballet: The Winter's Tale, London, Spring 2018

[Sim]

I'm not being facetious, BillyBob, just trying to give you information about someone you clearly admire.  I won't bother next time.

[BristolBillyBob]

13 minutes ago, Sim said:

I'm not being facetious, BillyBob, just trying to give you information about someone you clearly admire.  I won't bother next time.

 

Sorry for being grumpy. Just felt a little embattled on top of already feeling foolish. I've not followed ballet for as long as others here, and always feel a bit vulnerable posting my thoughts in a forum with people who have a much deeper knowledge than mine. Multiple errors in a single review just made me feel a bit down and defensive. Anyway, all good, sorry again, no hard feelings. 

Edited February 16, 2018 by BristolBillyBob

[Sim]

Never feel foolish, BillyBob.  I have been watching ballet for longer than you have been alive (I think!), and I still learn all the time, and am amazed at how much I don't know.  We all live and learn and, most importantly, learn to love ballet more and more....most of us for the best part of our lives!  A big part of why I love this forum is how much I learn from others, many of whom are more knowledgeable than I will ever be.    

 

And by the way, your review of WT was wonderful:  clear, cogent and heartfelt, with great observations.  So you have absolutely no reason to feel vulnerable posting up....and here's to many more!

[Timmie]

Now, did you two do that deliberately to show how we can argue and yet still be friends ? (I've just been reading the 'snowflake' thread).

[Sim]

Ha ha yes.....BillyBob and I love each other really! 

[bridiem]

11 minutes ago, Sim said:

And by the way, your review of WT was wonderful:  clear, cogent and heartfelt, with great observations.  So you have absolutely no reason to feel vulnerable posting up....and here's to many more!

 

Hear hear! I loved your review, BBB - it was interesting, amusing, perceptive and a pleasure to read. And it helped me to decide to book for WT when I wasn't sure if I would (I can't use the ticket I did buy, and was tempted to give it a miss). So thank you.

[BristolBillyBob]

5 minutes ago, Sim said:

Ha ha yes.....BillyBob and I love each other really! 

This is true! 

[BristolBillyBob]

4 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 

Hear hear! I loved your review, BBB - it was interesting, amusing, perceptive and a pleasure to read. And it helped me to decide to book for WT when I wasn't sure if I would (I can't use the ticket I did buy, and was tempted to give it a miss). So thank you.

 

That's very kind, thank you.  

[Richard LH]

WT sounds to be going down  very well, by all accounts, and it has some great cast line-ups. It was diificult to choose which cast  to go for ( Kaneko, Bonelli, Takada, Campbell and Heap sounds fantastic)  but I'm looking forward very much to to seeing  Calvert, Hirano, Hayward, Hay and Morera tonight !

[RuthE]

I know about Hirano replacing Watson and Muntagirov replacing McRae, but is there a reason I've forgotten about why Laura Morera is in two different casts when all the other announced principals are in just the one?  (Was there ever, maybe, a suggestion that Yanowsky might be guesting?)

 

Besides Morera, Mendizabal (both of whom have done the role before) and Heap, I'd have thought Paulina might be a good role for Christina Arestis or perhaps Kristen McNally - unless there's some actual rule that when a woman becomes a Principal Character Artist she automatically gives up pointe.

[alison]

I gather Arestis is indisposed.

[RuthE]

Ahhhh, that makes sense. Am I right in thinking she did it last run, possibly as a late replacement?

[bangorballetboy]

Hi Ruth, did you not spot McNally amongst the Wilis in Giselle?

[bridiem]

1 minute ago, bangorballetboy said:

Hi Ruth, did you not spot McNally amongst the Wilis in Giselle?

 

Well I didn't. Good to hear!

[alison]

Nor did I, but then I've largely given up trying to do a roll call on the corps: I miss too much of the important stuff otherwise

[RHowarth]

9 minutes ago, RuthE said:

Ahhhh, that makes sense. Am I right in thinking she did it last run, possibly as a late replacement?

Yes she definitely did it in the last run, in the Calvert cast.

 

Edited to add: I mean  Arestis, rereading your post, you might mean McNally!

Edited February 16, 2018 by RHowarth

[RuthE]

Thanks! I did mean Arestis though.

[Sim]

36 minutes ago, Richard LH said:

WT sounds to be going down  very well, by all accounts, and it has some great cast line-ups. It was diificult to choose which cast  to go for ( Kaneko, Bonelli, Takada, Campbell and Heap sounds fantastic)  but I'm looking forward very much to to seeing  Calvert, Hirano, Hayward, Hay and Morera tonight !

You are in for a real treat, Richard.  A superb cast!

[alison]

You've seen them already, Sim?

 

Yes, I was tossing up between last night and tonight. 

[alison]

11 hours ago, alison said:

Yes, I was disappointed to miss her.  Hoping it's nothing serious - she's due to conduct on the 24th as well.

 

Only the evening performance, I'm afraid.  I have the matinee booked.  Anyway, that's assuming that the cause of her indisposition won't still be applying then.

[FLOSS]

We are now entering a very interesting stage in the life of this ballet as some of the very experienced dancers on whom the ballet was created are replaced by new, younger dancers. Where a ballet is created on a dancer by an experienced choreographer it fits them like a glove and, while it may challenge them and push them a bit, it will display their strengths. While their interpretation will deepen and develop the more they perform the role its salient points will register from day one. Where a dancer takes over a role the process is different. An experienced dancer performing a role that was not designed with them in mind may occasionally give a revelatory performance of it but the most usual experience for the audience is to feel that what they have seen is work in progress rather than a fully rounded account of the role.

 

When we see new casts in a nineteenth century classic dancing Giselle or Albrecht for the first time we know that we are seeing their first encounter with the role, that it is unlikely to be a fully formed account of it and that it will develop and grow with each performance they give. They may have to compete with recent performers of the role who have left an indelible impression on the audience's collective memory, but they do not have to struggle and compete with the the audience's memory of performances by the roles' originators. When I first saw Mendizabel's account of the role of Paulina I was disappointed by it. She reproduced the choreography but it seemed to be empty; the shell of the character or a sketch of it rather than a portrait Paulina herself.She has had time to digest the role and last night she gave a fully rounded account of her Paulina.

 

Now while both Paulina and Polixenes are secondary roles they are as important to the drama which Wheeldon created  as the roles of Hermione and Leontes are. They were cast with senior dancers when the ballet was new and I assume that as Wheeldon has been involved in this revival he has had some say about who should take on these roles. I think that the decision to cast some of the company's most promising young dancers as Polixenes is a bold step. It challenges all of the men cast in the role and it will develop their acting skills and their stagecraft. I accept that neither Ball nor Bracewell are going to be Bonelli or even Hristov as they don't have their years of stage experience but I found both of the new Polixenes effective in the role. I did not feel with either of them that there was a hole in the drama where Polixenes should have been and I think that we can be sure that they will develop their interpretation of the role. I was a little surprised that Bracewell seemed to manage partnering  his Leontes with greater ease than Ball did but I also noticed that there was a little bit of a fumble when Hirano was partnering Cuthbertson. This suggests to me that perhaps it was Hirano's late substitution for Watson which was the reason why the first night did not go quite as smoothly as might have been anticipated.As far as missing Florizel's swagger is concerned that aspect of McRae's account of the role has always struck me as a false note.I know that the role was created on him but princes don't need to swagger so for me the substitution did not disappoint.

 

Edited February 16, 2018 by FLOSS

[penelopesimpson]

Great post, Floss.  Thank-you for wonderfully thought-out reasoning.  

 

We'll have to disagree about the swagger!  Just found Macrae more joyful although Vadim had the tenderness of youth.  Fab night last night.

[Sim]

51 minutes ago, alison said:

You've seen them already, Sim?

 

Yes, I was tossing up between last night and tonight. 

Not this run.  In any case, I don't need to see them to know they will be wonderful.

[capybara]

Another example of how differently we see things. I think that Florizel needs to show us that he comes from royal stock and McRae feels very 'country boy' to me.

[penelopesimpson]

19 minutes ago, capybara said:

Another example of how differently we see things. I think that Florizel needs to show us that he comes from royal stock and McRae feels very 'country boy' to me.

I would agree with that.  Perhaps I just like a bit of swagger!

[alison]

Yet Muntagirov (and Stix-Brunell) fit so beautifully in among the rest of them

[Sim]

They certainly did.  They were the highlight of the night for me.  I have said it before and I will say it again....I would love love love to see them dance together a lot more.  

[Balletfanp]

Well - I wrote a review late last night after the performance, went to post it, in my tiredness pressed the wrong button and lost the lot! 😐 Couldn’t face starting all over again at that point, so here goes a second time and hopefully I’ll manage not to mess up this time!

 

I enjoyed last night’s performance very much, although to my mind Act 1 goes on just a tad too long (but I did spot the bear this time!). I really go to see Act 2 which I find exuberant and uplifting, and Act 3, which, if done well, is very moving.

 

A host of very strong performances. There is not much one can say about Nunez as she is always so good, but Soares surprised me - I’m not his greatest fan generally but he was an effective and moving Leontes. I also enjoyed Bracewell, he made an excellent Polixenes with a strong presence.

 

I have seen Mendizabal’s Paulina before but to my mind last night she was better than before in the role, strong and dignified.

 

Stix-Brunell was a glorious Perdita, radiant and sparkling  - and beautifully danced. I love her and Muntagirov together - and of course he was superb as always. He is always such a joyful dancer, and that suits the Florizel role and the celebratory theme of the Act perfectly. Plus it is nice to see him in a less classical role with untypical choreography and finding that his beautiful classical lines and grace are still very much in evidence.

 

I am seeing it at the cinema too and looking forward to it. It will be interesting to see what different aspects the live stream will offer.

[RobR]

What a good review - and well worth the re-write!

 

I really like all three acts but entirely agree that Act 2 is 'exhuberant and uplifting' and that there are a 'host of very  strong performances'.

Edited February 16, 2018 by RobR

[Sim]

Any views on tonight's performance please?  I am sadly not able to see this cast so I am depending on you for your impressions!

[Richard LH]

7 hours ago, Sim said:

Any views on tonight's performance please?  I am sadly not able to see this cast so I am depending on you for your impressions!

Well ! Calvert, Hirano, Hayward, Hay, Morera and Clarke completely lived up to my hopes and expectations. 

 

I thought Hirano acted superbly -  more self-contained than Watson's interpretation, but just as powerful in its own way. He was ably matched by Calvert and they had some heart-rending moments together.  Morera is a lovely dancer and gave an intelligent and  moving performance. Also young Sasha Dobrynin-Lait (great name !) acted wonderfully as the ill-fated young Prince Mamillius. 

 

The whole staging of this ballet is  brilliant, all the drop down sheets,  overlaid  video, and movable statutes  etc. working so smoothly and effectively. Plus the tree !

 

I was just  blown away by Act 2, with the fantastic and colourful dancing by the corps, with Stix-Brunell and Ella very watchable  (who knew shepherding could be so exciting)!

 

For me, though, Hayward and Hay stole the show - dancing so seemingly effortlessly,  and  sensually at times, as the young lovers. Francesca Hayward, in particular, was just magical. Goodness know how she turns in outstanding lead performances in two completely different productions in the space  of one week.  I am no expert, but I really think we now have someone very special here.

 

Edited February 17, 2018 by Richard LH
forgot the tree !

[alison]

I really liked H + H when I saw them last time, so I'm looking forward to catching them again properly.  In fact, they might be the only case where the Act II cast sways my choice of performances.

[Beryl H]

Enjoyed last night's Winter's Tale more than I did last time round, although it's not my favourite ballet, possibly due to the music, but it seemed tighter last night and had a marvellous cast, Ryoichi Hirano's less overtly expressive Leontes worked for me, and Claire Calvert was serene as Hermione. The second Act was a real joy, Francesca Hayward and James Hay, and Beatriz Stix-Brunell and Benjamin Ella were thrilling couples, and good to see Reece Clarke as Polixenes but he did seem a bit young for the role. Sitting high up made me appreciate the scenery and the special effects more, which probably is the reason the ballet is so popular.

 

Looking forward to Fumi Kaneko and Federico Bonelli, and I think I'll book for the cinema now, the chance to see Ryoichi Hirano again and Vadim Muntagirov is enticing!