AnneMarriott Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 4 hours ago, alison said: That reminds me: of all the stupid things which have been going through my head while I've been watching this run of Manon, the most frequent has been to wonder, given the relative newness and, I think, increased length of the other deportees' dresses in recent years, what on earth happened to Manon's to get it so torn and shortened? Perhaps it got caught up in some of the ship's (possibly fairly rudimentary) machinery and got ripped? In view of the effect she has on all the men, perhaps the ship's crew tried to get frisky? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 I've just seen a photo online of Hayward in Manon Act 3 last year, and her dress was still raggedy but knee-length (it's a Facebook photo and I don't know how to post it here or if it would be OK to do so). So the dress has obviously been considerably shortened for this run. I wonder if that was for 'dramatic' effect or for practical reasons? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 I echo the above comments - a stupendous performance and so pleased to have picked up a return ticket after seeing this cast’s first performance. Francesca Hayward's Manon - flirtatious, beguiling, devastating. I thought she captured all the nuances of her character - so clearly torn between riches, where her loyalty to Lescault was really disturbing, and her love for des Grieux. Act 3 was searing, quite the most intense final pdd I’ve seen in the theatre. Fabulous dancing from all the principals, although for my tastes Cesar Corrales was nudging a little too close to being over the top in the drunk scene (but the stumble worked very well). This Manon was one of those extra special performances that will live long in the memory and heartfelt thanks and many congratulations to all. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninamargaret Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 To add,to my comments about last night's performance, I felt that Campbell very much resembled Dowell in his lovely smooth lines. Hayward really does seem to have made Manon her own - her first performance, with Watson, was good, her further performances, with several different De Grieux, have allowed her to really build on the role and last night was, I think, pretty definitive. A DVD is,definitely necessary! And to comment on previous queries about de,Grieux' hat, I can report that Campbell came on with it tucked under his arm! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Last night, Manon's (Hayward's) dress for the final pas de deux was back to the length it used to be years ago - and all the better for that. Posters on here are coming out with such wonderful words to capture her performance - definitive indeed? 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 This is Francesca's initial delivery of flowers 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 4 minutes ago, Rob S said: This is Francesca's initial delivery of flowers Looking forward to seeing the second delivery - quite a display and so well deserved! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Devastated to have missed Francesca Hayward (and the rest of this cast) this time round, sadly couldn't make the dates. Was she that much better than last time round when I did see her and thought she was pretty amazing then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share Posted October 30, 2019 6 hours ago, bridiem said: I've just seen a photo online of Hayward in Manon Act 3 last year, and her dress was still raggedy but knee-length (it's a Facebook photo and I don't know how to post it here or if it would be OK to do so). So the dress has obviously been considerably shortened for this run. I wonder if that was for 'dramatic' effect or for practical reasons? Well, that would depend on what part of Act III it's in. It starts off knee-length-ish, then one layer gets torn off sometime in time for the final pdd, I think. It's just that all the other harlots' dresses are virtually ankle-length and intact these days which makes the disparity so obvious. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 40 minutes ago, Scheherezade said: Devastated to have missed Francesca Hayward (and the rest of this cast) this time round, sadly couldn't make the dates. Was she that much better than last time round when I did see her and thought she was pretty amazing then? For me, she was (even better). I felt that she was more natural and spontaneous than before AND (the mark of a great artist), she played it slightly differently on each occasion. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah langfield Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Francesca is Manon. Full stop! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNC Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 1 hour ago, Scheherezade said: Devastated to have missed Francesca Hayward (and the rest of this cast) this time round, sadly couldn't make the dates. Was she that much better than last time round when I did see her and thought she was pretty amazing then? Ditto. I have never seen her in the role...but she's one of my favourite dancers and I think she would be the perfect Manon. I hope the current run of bad sales doesn't mean we don't see it disappear for a long time (I mean it definitely needs at least a 3 year rest considering but I need to see Hayward in this, so please come back in 4 or 5 years!!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 2 minutes ago, JNC said: I have never seen her in the role...but she's one of my favourite dancers and I think she would be the perfect Manon. I hope the current run of bad sales doesn't mean we don't see it disappear for a long time (I mean it definitely needs at least a 3 year rest considering but I need to see Hayward in this, so please come back in 4 or 5 years!!). I imagine you've got a while to see your wish fulfilled - Hayward is one of those dancers who I'm sure will still be able to convincingly portray a 15-year-old when she's 45... 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redshoesgirl2 Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 7 hours ago, bridiem said: I've just seen a photo online of Hayward in Manon Act 3 last year, and her dress was still raggedy but knee-length (it's a Facebook photo and I don't know how to post it here or if it would be OK to do so). So the dress has obviously been considerably shortened for this run. I wonder if that was for 'dramatic' effect or for practical reasons? i am thinking it is not a dress but an undergarment of some sort. the men ripped off her dress and left her in tattered unders. personally, i find long skirts to be antithetical to ballet where i want to see legs at least of the main characters. reminds me of performance of Kings of the Dance with Hallberg many years ago - in a big, heavy, pleated skirt. I mean, here you have one of the real greats of ballet and they put him in a stupid skirt. what line? what movement? all covered up. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 8 hours ago, JohnS said: Looking forward to seeing the second delivery - quite a display and so well deserved! 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 As Cilla might have said, that's a lorra lorra flowers!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 I'm too busy looking at Corrales & wondering why he seems to have a completely different hair style in that photo compared to the dress rehearsal & the performance on 19th?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Many thanks Rob S - that’s great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 1 hour ago, Rob S said: One of the bouquets was for Mayara! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 7 minutes ago, Sim said: One of the bouquets was for Mayara! Yes that is true, the red and white flowers on the left went to Mayara....still, a lot of flowers for Francesca 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCL Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 I was there last night, and I loved it. Financial restrictions meant I could only book for one cast, and I knew I wanted to see Francesca Hayward - even though I had never seen her dance this role before, I felt that she would, as others have said here, ‘be’ Manon. She certainly was! I wished I was closer (I was row A, side amphi) so that I could see her face more clearly but her dancing said everything. Alexander Campbell was a revelation for me - dancing with such beauty and heartfelt emotion- and I thought his partnering was deeply sympathetic. They created magic together. And what a superb performance from Cesar Corrales...Not only did he show all of Lescaut’s swagger and charisma, I felt there was pathos too, in Act 2. His interaction with Mayara Magri was wonderfully comic, they were dynamic together. Truly, this was a special performance which I felt very fortunate to see. 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyTaylor Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 The Hayward/ Campbell Manon partnership was actually the one I had been waiting for in this run, despite my raptures about other performances. I was so blown away by this partnership . when they first danced together, and have been so disappointed to have to wait until now for another chance to see them together in definitive principal roles. I was not disappointed. I find it impossible to compare these 2 with any other performances I have seen in this run. Quite simply, it was a totally different ballet experience. Francesca Hayward was phenomenal as Manon, bringing out every ounce of flirtatiousness but also the angst, the uncertainty, and finally the despair. As a ballerina, her speed of attack into the twists and turns outdoes anyone but Alex was always there to catch, to hold and to bring out the best in her. He was more expressive than I have ever seen and I found it very interesting to compare his stage presence in Act 1 and 2, to Cesar Corrales as Lescaut, who was dynamic and strong from the start. He was the one who dominated the stage, whilst Alex looked on in anguish. I've seen other Des Grieux's with a stronger presence, but perhaps Alex plays it right for the character. I felt Corrales almost gave off electric sparks in Act 1 and I just sat there, thinking - wow. Mayara Magri was the best Mistress I have seen by far and I did like Tom Whitehead's M GM, (horrible), so in all, an exceptionally strong ensemble. The Act 3 final pdd was an art form and I just wish I could see the whole thing all over again. Only 2 performances of this cast seems criminal. 24 hours later, and I'm still buzzing. 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 I knew that was the cast to try see.... I missed it sadly.... sigh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmhopton Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Several pages of the new (November) Dance Europe magazine are devoted to the RB Manon with some great pictures including one of Francesca in THAT dress and a large pull out one of Nunez and Bolle on one side and Campbell and Hayward on the other. There is also a separate illustrated interview with Corrales and several pages devoted to BRBs Giselle. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Dance Europe offers long reviews of three casts: Lamb/Muntagirov, Hayward/Campbell and, by a different critic, Nunez/Bolle. A good read! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 Sounds like I need to ask for a subscription to Dance Europe for Xmas.... am a bit disappointed in content of our own Dancing Times these days.... is it just me? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 I'm currently dithering over whether or not to go this evening. I really, really want to go, as it'll probably be my only chance of seeing Morera & Bonelli in the piece, but the cold I've had for over a week now, and that has already caused me to miss a triple bill perofrmance plus 2 West End shows, is still going. Would I be an utterly selfish bitch if I went knowing that I might cough during the performance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted October 31, 2019 Author Share Posted October 31, 2019 Hmm, ultimately only you can decide that. To consider: how much have you been coughing? (do you still have any other symptoms?) Is your seat one you can make a hasty escape from if need be? Have you got some effective cough sweets? (I do find that most of these "old-fashioned sweetshop" chains do sell them now, but they all seem to be wrapped in cellophane these days, unfortunately, so you'd need to unwrap one in advance.) I'm finding that the best thing with a cough is to try and relax and concentrate on the performance, because as soon as you start getting anxious about the coughing that will make it worse - but that can be easier said than done. There has to be some reason why musicians, conductors and singers manage to get through a performance without coughing in the middle of it ... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 If you do decide to come I recommend Fisherman's Friends; they come in a small paper bag so once you've opened it you don't then need to open each sweet individually. Also, they are very effective! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNC Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 30 minutes ago, Dawnstar said: I'm currently dithering over whether or not to go this evening. I really, really want to go, as it'll probably be my only chance of seeing Morera & Bonelli in the piece, but the cold I've had for over a week now, and that has already caused me to miss a triple bill perofrmance plus 2 West End shows, is still going. Would I be an utterly selfish bitch if I went knowing that I might cough during the performance? As Alison said only you know how bad it can be. If there's a chance you 'may' cough, or would only cough every now and again, I would risk it - the odd one here and there is understandable and we've all been there. And some coughs are quite noisy and others aren't, and some go on for an age and so on... If you do think you'll be ok just have a bottle of water handy (a non-noisy one if possible, some can be noisy with plastic crumpling and metal bashing) as well as cough sweets, non-rustle ones preferably, (although I never find them that effective) and perhaps take decongestants in advance? And potentially be prepared to either leave the auditorium or leave at an interval if it seems very bad. In the meantime I would drink lots and lots of water now for the best possible chance. And either way hope you feel better soon! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 Thanks for the advice. I'm not sure how helpful cough sweets would be because it's not a dry cough, it's coughing up phlegm (sorry for the detail!). I also usually use boiled sweets instead of cought sweets as I find the taste of most cough sweets unbearable. Unfortunately I'm 6 seats in from the aisle in the front row of the side block of the stalls, so mid-act escaping would be difficult. I have spent the last couple of days checking the ROH website to see if anything on an aisle in the stalls circle might appear that I could swap to but nothing has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted October 31, 2019 Author Share Posted October 31, 2019 33 minutes ago, Sim said: If you do decide to come I recommend Fisherman's Friends; they come in a small paper bag so once you've opened it you don't then need to open each sweet individually. Also, they are very effective! And they now come in a multitude of flavours if you go into a decent independent chemist (lemon, cherry, blackcurrant I think I saw in the shop the other day), so if you can't stand the originals that may help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted October 31, 2019 Author Share Posted October 31, 2019 Also it might be helpful to explain the situation to the helpful folks at the main desk in the foyer, in case they have a spare you could swap to. (There are a couple currently in the Grand Tier on the aisle, but I think those may be more expensive than yours). Or alternatively ask your neighbours if any of them would mind swapping ... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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