English National Ballet - Manon - National Tour & London, 2018/9

[northstar]

ENB's national tour of Manon started in Manchester (Opera House) this evening. I attended opening night where Alina Cojocaru (lead principal at ENB since 2013) and Joseph Caley (lead principal since 2017) danced the leads. Both noted as debuts in the roles with ENB on the cast sheet.

 

I cannot find the words to say how good it was. To roll out the cliches - it was simply out of this world, and it was a privilege to be there. The rapturous response of the audience indicated that most people there agreed with me. I speak as someone who hasn't always loved neo-classical ballets or MacMillan (my first experience being Romeo and Juliet with Birmingham Royal Ballet a couple of years ago). It was my first Manon (I've only clips of that final scene on YouTube).

 

I am asking myself since leaving the theatre - why was it so good? Was it Cojocaru and Caley? was it MacMillan? was it Massenet? It was one of those nights where one is transported, convinced to the level beyond admiration. Every scene with Cojocaru or Caley in it had that extra authentic intensity that made me fascinated, entranced. I got the tingles alright - and the tears!

 

Naive fool that I am, I couldn't imagine Cojocaru as Manon, having lapped up her crystalline classical Petipa performances with ENB. But how seductive, how womanly, how human she was as Manon on her journey through this tragedy. How could I doubt this complete artist?  Similarly Caley's embodiment of Des Grieux matched Cojocaru's genuine portrayal, and I found myself so touched by his performance. What a partnership. The last (and only) time I saw them dance before was in that half-empty Coliseum on June matinee this year where they filled the theatre with their brilliance in Sleeping Beauty, that several forum members praised. I was completely unprepared to be so blown away by them again in this 20th century ballet.

 

It's very late now, so regrettably I must omit to mention the many other aspects of this which made tonight complete theatrical magic, and a memory to treasure. Thrilled to have discovered this masterpiece, and so grateful to ENB for bringing it to a theatre near my home. It was staged at Manchester's smaller venue the Opera House (compared to the Palace theatre) but I was in the Circle which was quite full, the balcony was not full but the cheers when the curtain came down made it sound like a full house. 

 

Look forward to hearing others' thoughts on this run.

[Jan McNulty]

I'm looking forward to seeing this in Manchester on Saturday evening (I think it's due to be the same cast).  I saw Alina Cojacaru as Manon with Johan Kobborg at ROH some years ago.  I was so swept away that I still well up thinking about it.  (SheilaC may also remember that particular matinee...)

[capybara]

What a wonderful review, Northstar. Thank you. I was there too.

 

I have seen Cojocaru dance Manon many times but, last night, she was even more amazing than it is possible to believe. Everything flows from her so naturally: the technique, the expression, the musicality, the characterisation, the storytelling, and so many unique extra touches.

 

I recommend everyone to rush to see her on tour if you can. She is a ‘once in a lifetime’ ballerina.

 

 

 

Edited October 18, 2018 by capybara

[Mary]

That is very true- saw her Manon several times at ROH- very special, especially with Kobborg- just unforgettable. You are all so lucky to be able to see this. Thanks v much for the reports.

[LinMM]

I loved your review Northstar though have never seen her in this role have always loved Cojocaru as a dancer what a star she is.

[Don Q Fan]

I saw the matinee yesterday and was very impressed.   My main reason to go was to see Francesco Gabriele Frola as Des Grieux.  He did not disappoint.  He was probably one of/the best Des Grieux I have ever seen.  He was just wonderful, he's a beautiful dancer and conveyed the emotion very well.  Alison McWhinney was Manon - dancing a role she has apparently always wanted to dance and she was a lovely Manon, but I only had eyes for Frola really having seen his Nijinsky in Paris last year!  I loved Ken Saruhashi as Lescaut and Emma Hawes as his mistress danced her role with ease.    

As always I was pleased to see James Streeter in amongst the gentlemen in white wigs, although he will be filling the role of GM in other performances.   In this performance Daniel Kraus played GM and he was pretty good, but I did really rather miss Gary Avis as the slimy skin crawl-making Monsieur GM!  I don't think anyone else can quite inhabit the role of GM like Gary Avis. The Gaoler was played by Francsico Bosch but he didn't quite hit the "mean" mark for me and his make up was a bit too strong from where I was sitting! 

I particularly like this Royal Danish Ballet production with its pared back sets and costumes as it is so much less cluttered than the glittering lame opulence of the Georgiadis ROH production. Overall though it was a lovely performance and if you can get to see Frola DO!

I must comment on the fabulous Massenet score under the baton of Orlando Jopling and in the words of chef Tom Kerridge it was "proper lush". That score was just heavenly - and apparently all the better for it being played at the Opera House rather than the Palace.  Well done the ENB Philharmonic.

Some curtain call photos:-

Orlando Jopling (conductor), Alison McWhinney (Manon), Gabriele Frola (DesGrieux), Emma Hawes (Lescaut's Mistress)

 

Emma Hawes and Ken Saruhahsi  (Mistress of and Lescaut)

 

Stina Quagebeur (Madame) Daniel Kraus (GM) and Alison McWhinney (Manon)

 

Alison McWhinney and Gabriele Frola (Manon and Des Grieux)

[Fonty]

As a general comment on this thread, how good is the publicity for ENB?  It seems shocking to me that there should be a lot of empty seats for performances by Cojocaru.  

[alison]

1 hour ago, Don Q Fan said:

I particularly like this Royal Danish Ballet production with its pared back sets and costumes as it is so much less cluttered than the glittering lame opulence of the Georgiadis ROH production.

 

Don't forget the rags which are always immediately behind the "glittering opulence", though.

[jmhopton]

Well I was at the evening performance yesterday and my experience of the production was different to Don Q fan so it's great how we can all agree to differ! From the moment the tavern scene started to unfold I was missing the Georgiadis sets and costumes. Funny how you can take something for granted until you see something completely different. So for me the performance was slightly marred because I kept thinking back to the Georgiadis production and the things I preferred from it (practically everything!) I didn't like the black/white/grey motif for the tavern scene costumes and the costumes themselves looked rather gauzy and insubstantial; compared with the rich earthy colours of the RB they looked rather cheap and tawdry. Yes I know Madame's ladies were prostitutes but they were 'high end' aimed at attracting gentlemen so presumably their clothes should ape those of genuine ladies but with a nod to their occupation; possibly more overtly glamourous than real ladies may be. I thought the costumes last night seemed more prostitute  than classy. Also Mr GM and the gaoler seemed to have their faces made up very white. I know this was the fashion of the time but to me it came over very weirdly on stage. I was constantly thinking of Marcel Marceau and half expecting them to branch out into elaborate mimes! Also, like Don Q Fan I really missed both Gary Avis and Christopher Saunders in these 2 roles. Both have very strong characters and really project these roles. I didn't really get any sense of character from either people playing these roles last night (Fabian Reimar as GM and James Streeter as the gaoler) Also I didn't like GMs pink coat which again I thought compared unfavourably with the RB rich terracotta version. The second Act costumes were I thought possibly even worse than the first. The prostitutes were dressed in candy coloured rouched up tutus and looked as if they were auditioning for the Folies Bergeres. There again this was possibly the intent but for me it didn't work. The young lady dressed as a man was in some sort of black skin tight outfit which was quite ugly especially by comparison to the Georgiadis elegance. In the final act the female convicts all had bonnets with hanging strings which looked rather like pigtails from a distance so you couldn't get the effect of them running their hands through their hair in despair. Manon was the only one without a bonnet. Also in the swamp scene there were no fronds to portray the everglades so Manon and De Grieux could have been anywhere. Perhaps to compensate for this the dry ice seemed to really take over in a big way and as Manon was on the floor I kept expecting her to start coughing!

 

Anyway, having got the negatives out of the way I thought Jurgita Droninat and Isaac Hernandez splendid in the 2 lead roles. The cast sheet said it was his debut (Is this another thing the RB have stopped doing on their cast sheets?) and I thought after a slightly hesitant start in the tavern he really came alight in the bedroom scene. there was a moment when he CHARGED across the stage to get to Manon and I thought WOW and he really went from strength to strength after that. Similarly he was very passionate in rescuing Manon from the gaoler. I just missed the silent scream at the end which I always think is very effective. I thought Jurgita a very beautiful and accomplished Manon who really portrayed her journey and agony over her choices very well. So the 2 leads were excellent but I don't know if I would go and see the production again. I was disappointed to miss Alina on the opening night and am not able to see her on Saturday as the trains are on strike. My husband offered to pay me to stay over and see her but even to see Alina as Manon, a role I don't think I've ever seen her in, I don't know if I could really enjoy that production again.

[alison]

15 minutes ago, jmhopton said:

The second Act costumes were I thought possibly even worse than the first. The prostitutes were dressed in candy coloured rouched up tutus and looked as if they were auditioning for the Folies Bergeres.

 

My biggest complaint about those costumes - and I have plenty, believe me - is that they were clearly designed without any attention to the choreography.  At the end of the dance for the corps, the harlots are supposed to hitch their skirts up to display a nicely-turned length of leg to their clients.  They can't do this in this production because the "hems" are already too high - little has been left to the imagination.

 

Quote

The cast sheet said it was his debut (Is this another thing the RB have stopped doing on their cast sheets?)

 

I don't think the RB have done that in a long time.  I know they used to do it in the booking brochures - which of course we no longer have  - but I've been annotating my ROH cast sheets with debuts for years now (and now replacements as well  ).

[capybara]

57 minutes ago, Fonty said:

As a general comment on this thread, how good is the publicity for ENB?  It seems shocking to me that there should be a lot of empty seats for performances by Cojocaru.  

 

They try very hard but the difficulty of luring regional audiences in for this kind of ballet remains.

 

I see that, following the success of Akram Khan’s Giselle, ENB is advertising this as Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon.

[Jan McNulty]

When I saw this production in Copenhagen I didn’t like the brothel costumes but thought the rest were OK.  I preferred the lack of fronds in the final scene.  I thought the same when I saw ENB do it last time around too.

 

I’m very much looking forward to Saturday evening.

[alison]

9 minutes ago, capybara said:

They try very hard but the difficulty of luring regional audiences in for this kind of ballet remains.

 

I'm surprised they didn't try piggybacking on the success of the RB's version.  I did wonder whether they could have re-Tweeted some messages (links to reviews, perhaps?) about it with an "if you couldn't get to London, we're touring our production"-type message.  But perhaps that sort of thing isn't really Twitter etiquette?

[Saodan]

Unfortunately, tickets have not sold well in Southampton and the Mayflower have now taken the decision to close the balcony.

 

I find it incredible that an internationally renowned company performing a recognised masterpiece is struggling this much to shift tickets. It cannot look good to the funding bodies.

 

Still, I’m looking forward to it.

[Tony Newcombe]

On 19/10/2018 at 12:48, capybara said:

 

They try very hard but the difficulty of luring regional audiences in for this kind of ballet remains.

 

I see that, following the success of Akram Khan’s Giselle, ENB is advertising this as Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon.

The last time the Royal Ballet toured, they performed Manon in Bristol. It was very well attended. Mind you having Mukhamedov perform both male lead roles in the run helped. The ladies of Bristol seemed very happy

[Vanartus]

Tedious question I know but does anyone know about when the London casts will be announced?

[alison]

39 minutes ago, Saodan said:

Unfortunately, tickets have not sold well in Southampton and the Mayflower have now taken the decision to close the balcony.

 

Oh, curses.  Does that mean there are no cheap tickets, or have they adjusted the prices downstairs accordingly?

[Timmie]

Lots of tickets left at Milton Keynes as well (MK Theatre is my 'local'). When I saw they were touring Manon and Swan Lake and chose to bring Manon to MK my first thought was 'why would they do that?' If they'd brought Swan Lake I am sure it would be a near sell out. Last year we had Song of the Earth and La Sylphide which was very well received at Milton Keynes but Manon seems to be a step too far.

[Saodan]

40 minutes ago, alison said:

Oh, curses.  Does that mean there are no cheap tickets, or have they adjusted the prices downstairs accordingly?

 

No price adjustments that I am aware of. Those who held balcony tickets are being 'upgraded' to higher priced seats downstairs.

There are some seats right at the back of the stalls (rows YY and ZZ) priced at £12, but I cannot vouch for these. I have no idea why they are so much cheaper than the row in front. Otherwise the cheapest now is £35.

[LinMM]

Sad to hear this Saodan.

We all know Swan Lake can be a sell out....and I love that ballet of course...but it's just not believable to me that people don't want to see Manon. It's not a happy ending etc etc but am surprised a theatre like the Mayflower in a city like Southampton can't take this ballet!! 

What a shame for the Company. 

 

 

 

 

 

[alison]

It is a huge theatre - and somehow Manon doesn't seem to penetrate into the consciousness of the general public UK-wide   Nor, perhaps, does the existence of Alina Cojocaru    

[bridiem]

I think the title is probably part of the problem. It says nothing about the ballet unless you know the book (which most people won't), and as Alison says the ballet (like most ballets apart from a few classics) hasn't penetrated into the consciousness of a wider public. Not sure what - if anything - can or should be done about it though. ENB's publicity does seek to describe it more fully under the title; but maybe by then it's too late. And even if people read the plot. it does just sound quite sordid (which it is, really) and quite strange (ditto). Perhaps a lot of people still only want escapism from ballet? Or a nice clear-cut tragedy...

[Jan McNulty]

I saw the final performance at Manchester Opera House, led by Alina Cojocaru and Joseph Caley.

 

I rather like the pared down set and don't mind the costumes except for the hideous ones the courtesans wear in the brothel.  I really like that there were no fronds in the final scene and the dry ice had filtered away in time for the final despairing duet.

 

What can I say, Alina was utterly magnificent in the role and she and Joseph Caley look really good together.  She obviously has complete trust in him as a partner and their was a real edge of danger in their pdd that was enthralling to watch.  Her reading of the role has deepened even more since I saw her some years ago at ROH - she is more knowing somehow in the brothel scene ... well on the slippery slope of the courtesan at the whim of her "owner".  Her shock at seeing Des Grief there was palpable.  Joseph Caley is very much the happy romantic at the start, descending into utter despair by the final duet in the swamps of Louisiana.  Speaking of that duet of despair and loss I must admit to being reduced to sobbing by the end ... it was so incredibly moving.

 

I loved James Streeter as Monsieur GM - he was very subtle but he absolutely owned Manon.  In the brothel scene is was gloriously hideous to see him giving her to the other clients as a play thing.

 

Jeffrey Cirio was an effective sleaze-ball as Lescaut.  I thought he brought out all the nasty pimp-i-ness of the character.  He played the brothel scene as a drunk and not for comedic effect and I thought he was all the more effective for that.

 

I think the whole cast sparked off the performance of the leads and it was a great performance!  It was a pleasure to find myself sitting next to long-time forum member Annamicro and hearing her thoughts on the performance.  Talking to her deepened my understanding of certain aspects and crystallised my thoughts on how Alina has developed her characterisation.

[annamk]

Did anyone see the matinee performance yesterday and the debut of Aitor Arrieta as Des Grieux ? 

[Guest]

Sorry to hear that ENB (and BRB) are having problems selling tickets on tour. They are both such strong companies and presenting two excellent, engaging ballets (Manon and Fille). 

 

Somewhat naively, I had thought that the appointment of Tony Hall as Director General of the BBC would see a shift in favour of more Arts coverage. I wish the Arts featured more regularly on news programmes in the same way that sport does. Any 'culture' items are generally just about pop music and Strictly Come Dancing, the occasional writer if we are lucky. (Having said that I just saw a nice interview on the Andrew Marr show with Jonathan Pryce and Eileen Atkins about the play they are in) 

 

There is very little chance of ballet penetrating the national consciousness if there is such a dearth of interest in the media. 

Edited October 21, 2018 by Darlex

[LinMM]

Yes I do forget sometimes that Dance and Ballet in particular are my passion and not everyone feels the same way so many people will obviously tend to want to see things they have heard of eg: Swan Lake! 

I do agree Darlex that greater media exposure especially on tv ....so direct into people's homes etc could hopefully promote less well known Dance pieces among the general public.

Alison I also agree that the Mayflower is a HUGE space to fill admittedly but it is well known in the area.

Perhaps just at the moment people don't want anything too complex ......one wonders what would happen with a ballet like Mayerling on tour! But am not sure about this....Akram Khans very new and different version of Giselle did seem to bring in some new audiences....in fact I saw this at the Mayflower ....it was reasonably well attended ...but could have just been the name Giselle which brought the customers in then!! ( Some would have got a bit of a shock) 

At least the Mayflower offered this ballet no such luck in Brighton!! 

 

 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, LinMM said:

 

Perhaps just at the moment people don't want anything too complex ...

 

So go and see Fille in these angst ridden times!!!

[LinMM]

The irony is that probably many non regular ballet goers have never heard of Fille either!!

But yes is a lovely tonic of a ballet!! 

[Fonty]

33 minutes ago, LinMM said:

.Akram Khans very new and different version of Giselle did seem to bring in some new audiences....in fact I saw this at the Mayflower ....it was reasonably well attended ...but could have just been the name Giselle which brought the customers in then!! ( Some would have got a bit of a shock) 

 

 

It might have been the name Akram Khan.  Many people will remember his piece for the 2012 opening ceremony at the Olympics.  

[bridiem]

3 minutes ago, Fonty said:

 

It might have been the name Akram Khan.  Many people will remember his piece for the 2012 opening ceremony at the Olympics.  

 

Yes; if it needs a known name to get people to go, perhaps Dame Darcey should be asked to give a prominent recommendation before all ballet titles!

[LinMM]

Maybe a TV programme called "Have you ever been to see......( Manon...Mayerling...Song of the Earth..............................) 

Explaining the plots/ source themes of each ballet....interviewing dancers and what they feel about the roles....some coaching bits choreographers talking about piece( recordings etc)  and then show the ballet!! This would be linked to Ballet Company's seasons of course!! 

Then any theatres showing the ballet that season offer  a substantial reduction in price to the first 1,000 people of the general public who book for it.

Well it is Sunday.......

[Fonty]

Sounds like a good idea.

 

This is not a personal criticism of Darcey herself, so I hope people will not be offended if I say that I am a little disappointed that she hasn't done more to promote ballet to the wider public.

 

I know she has done programmes such as her own personal heroes, but something along the lines you suggest, Lin, might do wonders to bring a new audience to the art form I love so much.

[bridiem]

I agree, Fonty; but even with her name I suppose she doesn't necessarily have carte blanche about what programmes get made/broadcast. (Though I would have thought that something along the lines suggested by LinMM and broadcast immediately before or after Strictly would be quite a good bet for audiences.)