Birmingham Royal Ballet - Giselle - Autumn Tour 2019

[JNC]

Hi all, I’m thinking about seeing Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Giselle at Sadler’s Wells this November. 

 

Just wondered how this version compares with other Giselles and if it is recommended? 

 

Thanks 

[Jan McNulty]

It was produced by David Bintley and Galina Samsova and is very traditional.  I think Act 2 is absolutely exquisite.  Act 1 is good but my personal feeling is that there are not enough men in the village to make it realistic.

 

When it was first produced Bathilde entered on a horse (I think only in Birmingham) accompanied by 2 salukis.  Fortunately they are no longer included.

 

It is very well worth seeing (IMHO).  I don't think any of the current company, apart from Cesar Morales, have performed Giselle or Albrecht although I stand to be corrected.

 

My favourite production is Mary Skeaping's for ENB.  Yoko Ichino produced a beautiful traditional production for Northern Ballet 8 years ago (using ENB's set and costumes) but it was only shown in Leeds.

 

The production which most sticks in my mind is the one by Christopher Gable and Michael Pink for Northern Ballet produced in 1997.  Because the company was smaller then they used both men and women as vengeful spirits.  It has subsequently been mounted in Milwaukee but I have not made the trek there to see it.

[Two Pigeons]

I have to say that I am less keen on this production as I vastly prefer the earlier production by SPW.  I particularly miss the pas de six in the first act as this has reverted to the traditional pas de deux which I find less interesting.

 

Having said that I have absolutely no dispute that with the right casting it is worth seeing.  If I could book for any combination of Celine Gittens, Delia Mathews, Samara Downs or Yvette Knight with Tyrone Singleton, Brandon Lawrence, Cesar Morales or Mathias Dingman I would happily book.

 

This brings us back to the eternal blister that is the BRB practice of not announcing the casting until about 2 weeks before.

 

Aside from that I endorse Janet's love of the Mary Skeaping's production for ENB.  To me it is the essence of the Romantic ballet.

[JNC]

Thanks both. Well considered, I think I will hold off booking for now and reassess closer to the time. Looks like there is still a lot of seat availability at Sadler’s Wells (although the best selling seem to be the cheap seats!) so there may also be deals closer to the time. 

[alison]

2 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

When it was first produced Bathilde entered on a horse (I think only in Birmingham) accompanied by 2 salukis.  

 

And at the ROH, I think.

[JNC]

I really do hope ENB revive Mary Skeaping's Giselle considering it is held in high regard. Whilst I really like Khan's contemporary Giselle, I think it's a shame if they have replaced Skeaping's with this, I certainly think there is place for both in the repertoire and hope it comes back in the 2020-2021 season. 

[alison]

They haven't replaced it: they performed both in one season a couple of years ago.

[AnneL]

19 hours ago, alison said:

 

And at the ROH, I think.

That’s my memory too.

[jmhopton]

My favourite Giselle production is one Northern Ballet did in 1990. I don't know if it is the same one Janet referred to but the second act was wonderfully creepy with a fabulous gothic set, very Casper David Friedrich. The Willis had quite long, clinging dresses and looked very vampirish. I remember seeing the Kirov's version in Manchester several months later and thinking it wasn't a patch on Northern Ballets! 

[Jan McNulty]

9 hours ago, jmhopton said:

My favourite Giselle production is one Northern Ballet did in 1990. I don't know if it is the same one Janet referred to but the second act was wonderfully creepy with a fabulous gothic set, very Casper David Friedrich. The Willis had quite long, clinging dresses and looked very vampirish. I remember seeing the Kirov's version in Manchester several months later and thinking it wasn't a patch on Northern Ballets! 

 

That was Christopher Gable's first production for Northern Ballet, which was absolutely terrific.  When he and Michael Pink were going to revive it in 1997 they decided the company was not large enough to do full justice to Act 2 and the version set in a ghetto, which used the whole cast as vengeful spirits, was born out of that.

 

In 1999 Norwegian National Ballet performed both of those productions back to back and some friends and I were fortunate to see a performance of both. in Oslo.  It was then I realised just how clever Christopher and Michael had been in their revised production where a lot of the vengeful spirits movements reflected the traditional Wilis choreography.  The choreography for Albrecht and Giselle was traditional.

[Jan McNulty]

Birmingham Royal Ballet have issued a new trailer for Giselle.  I love it!

 

 

[Two Pigeons]

Great to see Cesar Morales getting some exposure.

[George C]

I think that this trailer is exquisite. An unusual take on the ballet and beautifully filmed. He really is a very talented young man....and not a bad dancer ! !

[jmhopton]

Might be able to see Giselle at Sadlers Wells this November and was wondering about seating as I haven't been there for ages. Is it better to be on the back row of the lower circle or nearer the front of the upper circle? I don't usually sit in the stalls as I'm not very tall and dread getting someone tall in front of me. 

[alison]

Personally, I'd probably go for the Second Circle, but I'm not sure there's a lot in it.

[Rachel H]

16 hours ago, jmhopton said:

Might be able to see Giselle at Sadlers Wells this November and was wondering about seating as I haven't been there for ages. Is it better to be on the back row of the lower circle or nearer the front of the upper circle? I don't usually sit in the stalls as I'm not very tall and dread getting someone tall in front of me. 

 

I'd go for front of the Upper (2nd) Circle rather than back of the 1st Circle, as the overhang from the Upper Circle might affect the sound.  The rake is good too. IMHO of course 🙂

[JNC]

17 hours ago, jmhopton said:

Might be able to see Giselle at Sadlers Wells this November and was wondering about seating as I haven't been there for ages. Is it better to be on the back row of the lower circle or nearer the front of the upper circle? I don't usually sit in the stalls as I'm not very tall and dread getting someone tall in front of me. 

 

Between your choices I'd go front of the upper circle. Sadlers Wells is a lot smaller than ROH and a new theatre. 

 

I've never sat in the lower circle (only the stalls and upper circle) but the rake is excellent in the upper circle (though you may have problems if someone is leaning forward, but usually a polite word does the trick). I think the front of the upper circle is reasonably close to the stage (compared to ROH where you're still quite far away due to the horseshoe design) and so you will probably be pleasantly surprised. 

 

I have also sat towards the back of the upper circle and found the view to be remarkably good - you may need opera glasses at this distance for extreme facial 'close ups' but the back of the upper circle at Sadlers Wells is almost equivalent to front of the amphi at ROH! 

[jmhopton]

Many thanks for all who have replied. The consensus seems to be upper circle so I'll go for that if we definitely stop overnight before the triple bill at the ROH. 

[Lizbie1]

1 hour ago, JNC said:

I have also sat towards the back of the upper circle and found the view to be remarkably good

 

The problem with the back of the upper circle is that the seats are not staggered at all, so you are directly behind the person in front's head. I'm not sure if this is the case for the front of the upper circle - I think it might kick in from about Row E. It certainly becomes a problem by Row M, where the cheap seats are (so I can't complain too much).

 

I'm average height for a woman, and have had trouble with this more often than I'd expect from a modern - and purpose built for dance - theatre; the rake is quite sharp, but not sharp enough to offset such obstructions because of the high viewpoint. (i.e. the rake is about as sharp as the viewing angle when you're that far back.)

[bridiem]

5 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

The problem with the back of the upper circle is that the seats are not staggered at all, so you are directly behind the person in front's head. I'm not sure if this is the case for the front of the upper circle - I think it might kick in from about Row E. It certainly becomes a problem by Row M, where the cheap seats are (so I can't complain too much).

 

I'm average height for a woman, and have had trouble with this more often than I'd expect from a modern - and purpose built for dance - theatre; the rake is quite sharp, but not sharp enough to offset such obstructions because of the high viewpoint. (i.e. the rake is about as sharp as the viewing angle when you're that far back.)

 

I'm tall, and this is a big problem for me too in the upper circle (also not sure how far back it starts). Staggering really... 😏

[capybara]

I didn't know about the lack of 'stagger'. I think that I've only been at the back of the Upper Circle for shows which haven't sold out and I therefore had empty seats in front of me.

[JNC]

4 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

The problem with the back of the upper circle is that the seats are not staggered at all, so you are directly behind the person in front's head. I'm not sure if this is the case for the front of the upper circle - I think it might kick in from about Row E. It certainly becomes a problem by Row M, where the cheap seats are (so I can't complain too much).

 

I'm average height for a woman, and have had trouble with this more often than I'd expect from a modern - and purpose built for dance - theatre; the rake is quite sharp, but not sharp enough to offset such obstructions because of the high viewpoint. (i.e. the rake is about as sharp as the viewing angle when you're that far back.)

 

Ah ok - I double checked and I have sat in row M before and had no problems - but perhaps I was just lucky with the person sat in front of me! 

[LinMM]

I've never had a problem with being able to see at Sadlers Wells but usually sit in the front half of either the First or Second Circle 

The only thing is I go for end of row seats if can get as the rows are so long so if you are in the middle of a row it's a long way to get out!

[Jan McNulty]

Giselle opened last night in Birmingham and we were treated to a very special performance by Momoko Hirata and Cesar Morales with Kit Holder an outstanding Hilarion.  Samara Downs as Myrtha led an exemplary troupe of Wilis.  What a night!

 

[Scheherezade]

15 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

Giselle opened last night in Birmingham and we were treated to a very special performance by Momoko Hirata and Cesar Morales with Kit Holder an outstanding Hilarion.  Samara Downs as Myrtha led an exemplary troupe of Wilis.  What a night!

 

 

Looking good for Sadlers Wells. If only they would be proactive with the casting information!

[maryrosesatonapin]

We're going to see this tonight.  I bought tickets (before knowing the cast), and then today another friend wanted to join us so I checked the Hippodrome website and was shocked to see how many unsold tickets there are.  @Jan McNulty was yesterday's performance well-attended?

[Two Pigeons]

1 hour ago, Scheherezade said:

 

Looking good for Sadlers Wells. If only they would be proactive with the casting information!

 

58 minutes ago, maryrosesatonapin said:

We're going to see this tonight.  I bought tickets (before knowing the cast), and then today another friend wanted to join us so I checked the Hippodrome website and was shocked to see how many unsold tickets there are.  @Jan McNulty was yesterday's performance well-attended?

 

 

perish the thought that these two observations may be connected.

[capybara]

Having booked for BRB’s Giselle at SW. I am now receiving flyers about it. A worrying sign.

 

[Jan McNulty]

Celine Gittens and Brandon Lawrence made their debuts this afternoon.  I was totally overwhelmed.  

[Sim]

Did anyone see the Delia Mathews/Tyrone Singleton debuts last night?

 

Am off to Birmingham this afternoon to see Gittens/Lawrence so will report back!

[trog]

1 hour ago, Sim said:

Did anyone see the Delia Mathews/Tyrone Singleton debuts last night?

 

 

Yes and very beautiful is was too. Delicious Delia is always on top form, and last night was no exception. Whether it was the coy Giselle, the bolder dancing Giselle, the mad Giselle or the ghost Giselle, every character was played distictly. I especially liked her in the ensemble pieces, when she is dancing with the villagers.

 

I never really been a fan of Tyrone. There is no doubting his ability but for me he rarely seems to fit the role, although last night he somehow did.

 

Beatrice Parma and Lachlan Monaghan gave it they're all on the harvest pdd. I think it is probably amongst the most joyous times that I have seen in danced.

 

I have always preferred the second act to the first. It is a feast for the eyes. Alys Shee was very aloof as Myrtha. Men would certainly be compelled to obey her orders!

 

A nice little moment. There were three girls sitting on a bench, sharing grapes from a basket. The look of horror on one them as she dropped a grape I found quite funny. One of the other girls retrieved it before there was any mishap.

 

[northstar]

Thanks to all for the posts on the start of BRB's run of performances of their Giselle. I also saw Delia Mathews/Tyrone Singleton on Friday eve.  I thought the leads and the whole cast was absolutely splendid, a completely convincing masterpiece of the Ballet repertoire. More than any individual performance I was simply enchanted by this strange, powerful supernatural fantasy. As Samara Downs said in the pre-performance talk - 'It's full on!'. It certainly was. 

 

I've seen Giselle live only a couple of times, which is probably a advantage in some ways (I've seen the ENB Skeaping version with Alina Cojocaru leading, and the RB live cinema relay with Nunez and Muntagirov last year I think). The production and staging of this BRB production is fabulous in my opinion. The village in Act I is feels quite intimate and natural (only minor flaw - I wasn't sure about the waterfall), while the gothic ruins and moonlight of Act II I just loved. 

 

Above all I remember the moments of high drama and intense mood to which all of the company contributed so wonderfully. And the dramatic 'space' in the story, the moments of stillness, shock, or those passages that built tension and mystery. The mad scene with Mathews at the centre really did feel like a horrific (and heartbreaking) turn of events, with the villagers joining the audience in one large circle of aghast onlookers around her. Then from the warm colourful countryside, the contrast to the dark cold opening of Act I with Alys Shee spinning a supernatural mood in her extended solo, utterly transporting and chilling. In the moments of stillness in these scenes I felt the whole theatre was spellbound. 

 

Mathews has beyond doubt all the qualities one could wish for in a principal dancer and it is a delight to follow her as she progresses in her career (I saw her Aurora debut last year). She has all the technique and the tricks no question. But her characterisation I found also moving and convincing, particularly the growth in confidence she portrayed through her steps as she danced with Albrecht, and in her unravelling was nearly as tear-jerking as the most moving performance I saw (Nunez and Muntagirov). Then in Act II the sadness and sense of separation was even finer I would say, with her opening solo particularly impressive. I find it harder to say much of Singleton besides repeating what Trog said about his undoubted abilities, but the connection he and Mathews created was very fine. And his series of silent entrechats, with the the Willis boureeing behind him were marvellous. 

 

But more than the individual qualities of Mathews or Singleton or any other dancer, the sense of such a uniformly high quality through the whole company was so impressive and lead to that continuing theatrical spell working it's magic throughout the entire evening.  Many stood to applaud at the curtain calls. 

 

Such a shame that this production is not including Salford (or any other location in the north) in its tour this year, as I would surely go and see at least one more performance if it were. I doubt I am able to travel to see any of the remaining performances, but I'd highly recommend anyone else to see this exquisite BRB Giselle.

[Jan McNulty]

I saw the first 3 performances last week in Birmingham.  If I ever had any doubts about the staging of Act 1 they completely disappeared and I appreciated its structure like never before.  Act 2 is utterly sublime and always has been - I just love the setting in the ruined, gothic-style church with its eerie lighting.

 

I will say from the outset that the company looked to be on absolutely dazzling form and the ladies of the corps in Act 2 were exemplary and chilling.  In the mass arabesque across the stage there were in as near absolute sync as you could hope to get and all the legs were at the same height and angle.  Just chilling (in a good way).

 

All three leading casts I saw stressed the romance in Act 1.  Albrecht was obviously in love with Giselle and mortified when he got caught out by his fiancée.  He was devastated and guilt-ridden by Giselle's death.  In Act 2 all three Albrechts were were full of remorse for what had happened.

 

Momoko Hirata and Cesar Morales had the opening night honours. on Wednesday.  Momoko has always had a dazzling technique and it has been a joy to see her developing into a true artist.  Yes she had the steely technique to make everything look easy but she also had an innate fragility that perfectly fitted the role.  In her performance in act 1 she was joyful but frail and in act 2 she looked almost boneless and as though she was floating through the air.  Cesar Morales is incredibly elegant and romantic and was the perfect partner.  

 

Kit Holder was the best Hilarion I think I have ever seen in that he fleshed the character out as a person truly in love with Giselle but was consumed by jealousy.  He was broken and remorseful at Giselle's death, in fact he was so moving I was moved to tears by his grief.

 

Samara Downs was magnificently terrifying as Myrtha.

 

Thursday afternoon was one of those performances that people will be asking if you were there with jealous longing for years to come.  I'm still welling up just thinking about this very, very special performance.  Celine Gittens and Brandon Lawrence made their profoundly moving debuts in this stunning performance.  I can't describe with any coherence how they danced but they just lived the roles.  I felt so privileged to be in the audience and witness their perfect partnership.

 

In more debuts Alexander Yap was great as Hilarion and Alys Shee made a wonderful and terrifying Myrtha.

 

What an afternoon!

 

On Thursday evening we were privileged to see even more debuts with Miki Mizutani and Mathias Dingman leading the cast.  Miki was just sublime in both acts and particularly ethereal in act 2.  Mathias Dingman was a bit broader brush in his interpretation of Act 1, his acting being very effective and his dancing scintillating.  He was beautiful in act 2 with Miki.

 

Lachlan Monaghan made an excellent debut as Hilarion and Yijing Zhang sent chills running down my spine as Myrtha.

 

So I was put through the emotional wringer with 3 glorious performances from BRB and I can't wait to see more of them later in the season.

 

The company is in very fine fettle indeed, moving with ease from a modern-looking triple bill to a beautifully staged traditional classic.