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

[ninamargaret]

I can't agree with your comment about Polixenes being a bit of a non role. I think the intention, in both the play and the ballet,is to show the difference between Leontes rather formal court and the more,exotic court of Polixenes. He has his own court with him, brings his musicians, and altogether lightens the stuffier court of Leontes. To my mind, Bonelli gets it just right. I have no issue with Matthew Ball's dancing, but the interpretation was, to me rather flat. 

I have every agreement with you about the statue! I remember a magazine, American I think, called Mad.. it had a picture of a goofy looking boy on the front of it, and the statue always reminds me of it. 

[RuthE]

14 hours ago, BMC said:

The final act is incredibly moving but I'm afraid I had a moment that belongs in the giggling at the ballet thread - is it just me or does the statue of the boy, when seen close up, look like the much derided bust of Cristiano Ronaldo?!

 

I don't know, but it's rather a shame that there can't be a couple of alternative Mamillius statues which can somehow be made to bear at least a passing resemblance to the child who's playing him at any given performance.  The boy who played the role in the matinee I saw with this cast was an excellent Hirano mini-me, at least from a distance, but looked absolutely nothing like the taller, blonder statue!

Edited March 5, 2018 by RuthE

[ninamargaret]

I suppose, to be strictly correct, the statue is supposed to be marble and therefore white. But the object shown in the ballet resembles Shakespeare's ' cream faced loon '- surely Leontes would have got a better sculptor for the job!

[Sim]

On 3/1/2018 at 20:24, Sharon said:

Balletfanp - I agree! Last night's relay really did seem different, or should I say it affected me more, it seemed darker, brighter, and yes sadder.

I watched it at Fact Liverpool and the Matthew Ball Fan Club were out to support Matt. When he came on screen & during the interview they all just cheered. Some of you here would hate it - but I have to say I loved it. It was wonderful to see people who may not know lots about ballet or go to see it that often, but had come out on a night like that to see a home dancer. It made me feel warm - & proud inside.

I think you'll find that the cheering Matthew Ball fan club were his parents and a crowd of their friends.  They actually know loads about ballet....but were just bursting with pride over their son/brother/friend !! 

[Sharon]

Yes I'm sure some of his family were there that night, they have been before. A couple of those who cheered though said it was their first time watching ballet, if they meant on the screen or ever I don't know. But anyway it was a lovely night in our cinema 😉

[zxDaveM]

Really enjoyed the performance last night. Thought Thiago Soares was terrific - best I've seen him for ages. And it always a pleasure watching Beatriz Stix-Brunell dancing Wheeldon choreography, it does seem so well suited to her.

[alison]

It does, doesn't it?  Watching the live relay the other day, I was thinking how much more she articulates his steps than Sarah Lamb does.

[JennyTaylor]

I indulged myself with the Marianela / Thiago performance last night (2nd time) and loved it. Perhaps this couple can do no wrong in my eyes:  they always seem perfectly matched in dance, particular in dramatic ballets, and last night was no exception.

I find myself drawn to the music more and more.  Not all of it, but there are certain themes which really move me, particularly in Act 3. I found myself looking for any sort of CD or streaming of the music last night, but failed to find the pieces I really love.  Is there really nothing available on line or to buy? BalletCoers help please!!

Today, I played the ROH DVD of the ballet, just to hear the Act 3 music in particular, but of course was drawn to the dancing of the original 1st cast. I really struggle with Ed Watson's interpretation - not the dancing, but the acting. Zenaida is unsurpassed as Paulina though we have seen some really good performances this time round.

 

Mayara Magri shone again last night.  Her footwork is so sharp and quick. 

 

Just all so lovely and beautiful curtain calls too. I love to watch all the little interactions in the curtain calls. I know some is rehearsed - but not all.    

 

[pianolady]

I saw the Encore screening on Sunday and I do totally agree about the music. I find it so mesmerising, especially the first and third acts and the ending sends chills down my spine.

[alison]

BTW, the casting on the digital programme is wrong: Thomas Whitehead was playing the Steward, not Kevin Emerton.

[Margaret]

Thank you for that, I thought it was Thomas Whitehead, but assumed I had made a mistake.  

 

[Mary]

Hayward and Hay were delightful tonight but Hayward was just- magical- I think was the word someone used: when she glided onstage she was like a being from another, better world. So light, so graceful, so finely balanced, so right at every moment. Quite beautiful.

 

 

[JohnS]

I quite agree Mary - Francesca Hayward was exquisite last night and given yesterday's 2018/19 announcement I'm hoping a highlight next year will be her Mary Vetsera debut.

 

I very much enjoyed last night's performance.  I'm impressed by Ryoichi Hirano's Leontes, Claire Calvert's Hermione and Itziar Mendizabel's Paulina.  All three seemed really well suited to their roles.  Act 3 was exceptional, with the wonderfully moving reconciliation scene for the three of them and Francesca Hayward.

 

There's a real elegance to James Hay, particularly in his solo work.  I did wonder if his partnering could have been stronger - some of the joins seemed a little too obvious when he was searching for the next move, limb to hold.  Reece Clarke I thought was better in Acts 1 and 3 - I was not as convinced in Act 2 where to me he came across as too piqued and insufficiently regal.

 

I'm sorry Marcelino Sambe was indisposed but always good to see Luca Acri and Beatriz Stix-Brunell was effervescent.  Great to have Gary Avis's Father Shepherd.

 

I shall look forward very much to the final performance with the principal women cast that really shone in the Insight performance.

[bridiem]

33 minutes ago, JohnS said:

I quite agree Mary - Francesca Hayward was exquisite last night and given yesterday's 2018/19 announcement I'm hoping a highlight next year will be her Mary Vetsera debut.

 

I very much enjoyed last night's performance.  I'm impressed by Ryoichi Hirano's Leontes, Claire Calvert's Hermione and Itziar Mendizabel's Paulina.  All three seemed really well suited to their roles.  Act 3 was exceptional, with the wonderfully moving reconciliation scene for the three of them and Francesca Hayward.

 

There's a real elegance to James Hay, particularly in his solo work.  I did wonder if his partnering could have been stronger - some of the joins seemed a little too obvious when he was searching for the next move, limb to hold.  Reece Clarke I thought was better in Acts 1 and 3 - I was not as convinced in Act 2 where to me he came across as too piqued and insufficiently regal.

 

I'm sorry Marcelino Sambe was indisposed but always good to see Luca Acri and Beatriz Stix-Brunell was effervescent.  Great to have Gary Avis's Father Shepherd.

 

I shall look forward very much to the final performance with the principal women cast that really shone in the Insight performance.

 

I agree with every word of this, JohnS! And I enjoyed this ballet much more than last time round (on its debut run). I think at least partly because I did my homework this time (i.e. made sure I knew the plot in advance) and really concentrated (last time, it was 10 days after my mother's death so I had no spare energy for concentration on ballet).

 

I still have some small quibbles, partly related to the plot (which may be Shakespeare's 'fault' rather than Wheeldon's! I don't know the play) and partly I think to the ballet: e.g. to me, it's not clear who Paulina is or what relationship she has with Leontes, and why she is in a position to play such a pivotal role; it's not clear that Antigonus dies, let alone that he's killed by the (not very obvious) bear; it's not clear why Polixenes should care about Florizel and Perdita getting together (i.e. the relationship between Polixenes and Florizel is not obvious - there's no indication that F is anything other than of the same social status as Perdita); in the last Act, it's not clear if Paulina has told Hermione about Perdita before she sees/recognises her (and if not why not?!); and I found the ending a bit too downbeat - surely in a ballet, Leontes, Hermione and Perdita should DANCE together to celebrate their reunion, rather than just posing and then leaving the stage?

 

However, I did find the whole work moving, beautiful visually (I LOVED the ships/storms!), and interesting choreographically (though there were still times when the steps looked as if they were deliberately clever rather than a real response to the music). The music I found a bit patchy - sometimes very atmospheric, sometimes too bland/nothing and just an accompaniment without either moving anything on or describing it.

 

I thought the performances were magnificent, all of them - absolutely agree with JohnS. (I see that only the named roles are shown in the cast list - isn't there normally also an entry for corps dancers as appropriate? e.g. Members of the Court, Villagers etc - artists of the Royal Ballet? Seems mean not even to mention them when they're on stage a lot of the time.)

Edited March 21, 2018 by bridiem

[Mary]

 

For me, Reece Clarke was an excellent Polixenes, especially in his Act 1 solo where he seemed to model Boneli quite closely- a good thing I mean- with a lovely sinuosity that was what this moment needs.

I agree about Hay being a little tentative at times but I too was very impressed by the beauty of his dancing. Claire Calvert is a different Hermione to the others-more earthy somehow, but her performance moved me greatly last night. and she and Hirano had chemistry didn't they? The music was played superbly last night, and all in all it was my favourite performance of WT apart from the original cast performances.

 

[jmhopton]

50 minutes ago, bridiem said:

I still have some small quibbles, partly related to the plot (which may be Shakespeare's 'fault' rather than Wheeldon's! I don't know the play) and partly I think to the ballet: e.g. to me, it's not clear who Paulina is or what relationship she has with Leontes, and why she is in a position to play such a pivotal role; it's not clear that Antigonus dies, let alone that he's killed by the (not very obvious) bear; it's not clear why Polixenes should care about Florizel and Perdita getting together (i.e. the relationship between Polixenes and Florizel is not obvious - there's no indication that F is anything other than of the same social status as Perdita); in the last Act, it's not clear if Paulina has told Hermione about Perdita before she sees/recognises her (and if not why not?!); and I found the ending a bit too downbeat - surely in a ballet, Leontes, Hermione and Perdita should DANCE together to celebrate their reunion, rather than just posing and then leaving the stage?

 

 Yes bridem, you beautifully sum up my reservations about the ballet. I hadn't really got round to articulating them but they are just this; the lack of clarity about relationships. And the ending is more downbeat than joyful which it should be given the amazing revelations in the last act. I think it is ok as a ballet but is never going to be a favourite. I still think there is too much angst in the first act, too much divertissement type dancing in the second and the third act is too rushed. Take 5 minutes off each of the first 2 acts and put them on the third and make relationships clearer and I think the ballet would be a lot better and easier to understand. (IMO) Having said that there have been some wonderful debuts/performances in this run which help to make up for any possible shortcomings in the ballet itself.

[Sim]

Maybe the end is downbeat because, amongst the joy of reunion, we need to remember that Hermione and Leontes lost their young son.  

[J_New]

I agree, Sim - and that's in the play. Many of the reservations above are Shakespeare's fault!

[zxDaveM]

the flapping cloth bear effect, saves some poor sap running on stage in a bear suit, trying to look menacing  :-)

If they catch it just right, it can look very effective - sometimes though, it does just look like a bedspread caught in a gale...

[Tony Newcombe]

24 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

the flapping cloth bear effect, saves some poor sap running on stage in a bear suit, trying to look menacing  :-)

If they catch it just right, it can look very effective - sometimes though, it does just look like a bedspread caught in a gale...

I was in front row of orchestra stalls last evening and believe me, at the appearance of the bear, I was ready to exit stalls left

[Richard LH]

1 hour ago, bridiem said:

it's not clear who Paulina is or what relationship she has with Leontes, and why she is in a position to play such a pivotal role; it's not clear that Antigonus dies, let alone that he's killed by the (not very obvious) bear; it's not clear why Polixenes should care about Florizel and Perdita getting together (i.e. the relationship between Polixenes and Florizel is not obvious - there's no indication that F is anything other than of the same social status as Perdita)

Did you not get the free white cast/synopsis  leaflet, bridiem? It  explains that Paulina is the head of Hermione's household; also that Polixenes doesn't want his son, Prince Florizel, cavorting with/engaged to a mere shepherdess (not being aware initially of her real identity). 

One thing I would questiion, from the leaflet synopsis,  is whether it is really likely that  Paulina would have kept Hermione alive for 16 years, with Hermione's agreement as to being kept in hiding.  Shakespeare's ending is ambivalent but the better alternative  interpretation, I think, is that (after a suitable period of Leontes' penance and supplication !) Hermione is miraculously  reborn from her statue.

Be that as it may, this was another lovely performance by the whole cast, including (as mentioned by others)  Mendizabal as a powerful stand-in for Morera, great dancing from James Hay, (who didn't even seem to break sweat) and just exquisite grace and style from Hayward.

Sorry that Sambe was absent, though, and hope this is nothing serious.  

[bridiem]

53 minutes ago, Sim said:

Maybe the end is downbeat because, amongst the joy of reunion, we need to remember that Hermione and Leontes lost their young son.  

 

Yes, that's very true - I remember thinking first time round that he was the collateral damage in all this. But I do think the ending as a whole could have been more fleshed out, and more danced.

[Richard LH]

10 minutes ago, Tony Newcombe said:

I was in front row of orchestra stalls last evening and believe me, at the appearance of the bear, I was ready to exit stalls left

I felt a bit safer further back... 

Actually the interactive use of the silk sheets, throughout, is a clever and effective device, and another big plus in the staging. 

[bridiem]

1 minute ago, Richard LH said:

Did you not get the free white cast/synopsis  leaflet, bridiem? It  explains that Paulina is the head of Hermione's household; also that Polixenes doesn't want his son, Prince Florizel, cavorting with/engaged to a mere shepherdess (not being aware initially of her real identity). 

One thing I would questiion, from the leaflet synopsis,  is whether it is really likely that  Paulina would have kept Hermione alive for 16 years, with Hermione's agreement as to being kept in hiding.  Shakespeare's ending is ambivalent but the better alternative  interpretation, I think, is that (after a suitable period of Leontes' penance and supplication !) Hermione is miraculously  reborn from her statue.

Be that as it may, this was another lovely performance by the whole cast, including (as mentioned by others)  Mendizabal as a powerful stand-in for Morera, great dancing from James Hay, (who didn't even seem to break sweat) and just exquisite grace and style from Hayward.

Sorry that Sambe was absent, though, and hope this is nothing serious.  

 

Yes, I did get the cast sheet, Richard LH - what I meant was that none of that was evident (to me) from what I saw on stage. But then it wouldn't be the first ballet where relationships are only understandable by reading the programme first.

 

And yes, I wondered that about Hermione/the statue etc. I suppose I should read the play...

[alison]

I did like that James Hay sort of pulled himself up (can't think of another way to describe it offhand) with a sort of "Dammit, I know she's lowborn and I'm a prince, but I love her and I'm going to ask her to marry me anyway" before proposing to Perdita.  I don't think I've noticed that with anyone else in the role.

 

But yes, I do find that some of the relationships aren't that clear: I'm not always even sure that Paulina and Antigonus are married

 

One thing that has bugged me a  bit with the "sculpture gallery" scene this run in the few performances I've seen (this was less obvious last night) was that the timing hasn't always seemed right with the lighting/Hermione and Polixenes behaving courteously or ravishing each other/Leontes "seeing" them.  If it's not spot-on, it can just get confusing.

[RuthE]

1 hour ago, Richard LH said:

One thing I would questiion, from the leaflet synopsis,  is whether it is really likely that  Paulina would have kept Hermione alive for 16 years, with Hermione's agreement as to being kept in hiding.  Shakespeare's ending is ambivalent but the better alternative  interpretation, I think, is that (after a suitable period of Leontes' penance and supplication !) Hermione is miraculously  reborn from her statue.

 

But we have to believe, don't we, that Paulina knows Hermione will be back.  Because unlike Shakespeare, the ballet does not have an Oracle telling Leontes that "the king shall live without an heir, if that which is lost be not found".

 

So how are we to justify that Leontes would remain unmarried after Hermione's "death", rather than seeking to remarry in search of a replacement heir?  The ballet seems to imply that he is effectively under Paulina's influence in doing so.

 

(Edited to add: this is the plot point of the ballet which I have always found most problematic, especially as when I first saw the ballet I had never read the play!)

Edited March 21, 2018 by RuthE

[Mary]

it certainly is quite complex ! For me, though, the whole 'believability factor ' is not important. The play is a romance, it is not meant  to be believeable or realistic and never can be.

Then, the ballet is an interpretation of the play and not exactly the same.

What matters in the ballet most of all is that Leontes comes to his right mind, he repents: Paulina, who represents the principle of truth in this sense, guides him towards this repentance: he mourns, he comes to understand his error- Hermione is 're-born' to him, literally, symbolically. She then, unlike him in Act 1, is able to forgive; she gives the forgiveness he witheld in the trial scene and the choreography mirrors the two scenes to make the point.. Divine forgiveness, redemption, re birth, do triumph at the end, but the cost of the human error, falliblity, wickedness represented by Leontes' jealous madness is the death of their son, not to be forgotten. This death and loss cannot be put right. The statue in the middle of the stage is a good image of this unignorable fact and so I think the ending is right - the wedding celebrations are going on off-stage, but we are not allowed to forget.

For me, all this is clear in the ballet. I agree though, that it might be good to establish Paulina right at the beginning- maybe. I would certainly do some tweaking elsewhere as well, it isn't perfect, but this strong central drama seems to me to be movingly choreographed- and wonderfully danced.

[bridiem]

26 minutes ago, Mary said:

it certainly is quite complex ! For me, though, the whole 'believability factor ' is not important. The play is a romance, it is not meant  to be believeable or realistic and never can be.

Then, the ballet is an interpretation of the play and not exactly the same.

What matters in the ballet most of all is that Leontes comes to his right mind, he repents: Paulina, who represents the principle of truth in this sense, guides him towards this repentance: he mourns, he comes to understand his error- Hermione is 're-born' to him, literally, symbolically. She then, unlike him in Act 1, is able to forgive; she gives the forgiveness he witheld in the trial scene and the choreography mirrors the two scenes to make the point.. Divine forgiveness, redemption, re birth, do triumph at the end, but the cost of the human error, falliblity, wickedness represented by Leontes' jealous madness is the death of their son, not to be forgotten. This death and loss cannot be put right. The statue in the middle of the stage is a good image of this unignorable fact and so I think the ending is right - the wedding celebrations are going on off-stage, but we are not allowed to forget.

For me, all this is clear in the ballet. I agree though, that it might be good to establish Paulina right at the beginning- maybe. I would certainly do some tweaking elsewhere as well, it isn't perfect, but this strong central drama seems to me to be movingly choreographed- and wonderfully danced.

 

Thanks Mary, that's really helpful. I did think that Paulina was almost a Lilac Fairy type figure. I didn't notice the mirroring of the choreography and I think perhaps the programme notes led me to expect a 'happier' ending. But I would now like to see it again with greater understanding! Too late for the moment unfortunately.

[alison]

I realise that Leontes' and Hermione's "semaphore" was explained in the insight evening, but what about Paulina's?  I think I'm still mystified there.

[RobR]

C'mon guys,

 

It's a ballet based on a play (as opposed to a fairytale) and, IMHO, a vehicle for lovely dancing rather than cause for motivation, meaning and psycho-analysis. 

 

Or maybe I’m wrong and we'll have to start wondering about whether Seigfried is really in love with a princess turned into a swan by an evil psychopath or if Siegfried is really in love with a swan he thinks is a princess.

 

And please don't get me started about whether or not James can actually see the Sylphide (which no one else can see) or if he just imagines he can see her  

[zxDaveM]

always tickles me slightly, how quickly Polixenes comes around to accepting his prospective daughter in law, when he realises she of royal blood and not a commoner after all. 

[bridiem]

24 minutes ago, RobR said:

C'mon guys,

 

It's a ballet based on a play (as opposed to a fairytale) and, IMHO, a vehicle for lovely dancing rather than cause for motivation, meaning and psycho-analysis. 

 

Or maybe I’m wrong and we'll have to start wondering about whether Seigfried is really in love with a princess turned into a swan by an evil psychopath or if Siegfried is really in love with a swan he thinks is a princess.

 

And please don't get me started about whether or not James can actually see the Sylphide (which no one else can see) or if he just imagines he can see her  

 

Well now you mention it...

 

Seriously, I think it's a whole lot more than a vehicle for lovely dancing. As is Swan Lake; and La Sylphide. The only full-length work I can think of that could be so described is Jewels; and even there, there are hints, and mysteries, and glances, and thoughts...

[Richard LH]

5 hours ago, bridiem said:

 

Yes, I did get the cast sheet, Richard LH - what I meant was that none of that was evident (to me) from what I saw on stage. But then it wouldn't be the first ballet where relationships are only understandable by reading the programme first.

 

And yes, I wondered that about Hermione/the statue etc. I suppose I should read the play...

Certainly there is much in WT that  is not really self-evident from the performance alone. 

For myself, I take it as read that I am not going to  understand very much of any ballet  (at least first time around) unless I have swotted up on the story first!

I do love to see the mimes, where relationships etc. are explained, but again I tend to need a bit of helpful interpretation. Some of the Insights are great for that.