Jan McNulty Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 PRESS RELEASE Wednesday 16 June BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET REVEALS 2021/22 PLANS, INCLUDING CARLOS CURATES: R&J REIMAGINED, SIR KENNETH MACMILLAN’S ROMEO AND JULIET, THE NUTCRACKER, AND MORE CURATED BY CARLOS AT SADLER’S WELLS WILL INCLUDE THE WORLD PREMIERE OF A DUET BY GOYO MONTERO PERFORMED BY CARLOS ACOSTA AND ALESSANDRA FERRI SPRING 2022 HERALDS CARLOS ACOSTA’S BRAND-NEW PRODUCTION OF DON QUIXOTE Following Birmingham Royal Ballet’s return to live performance with the Curated by Carlos season and Cinderella at Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Theatre Royal Plymouth, Acosta again balances the new and the classic in a season that begins with contrasting tellings of, arguably, the greatest love story ever told. For Birmingham Royal Ballet’s homecoming season at Birmingham Hippodrome, Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s passionate Romeo and Juliet choreography and Prokofiev’s glorious score will set hearts alight in this enduringly popular, classic interpretation of Shakespeare’s tragedy. From the balcony scene’s ecstatic pas de deux, exploring love in all its soaring wonder, to the lovers’ heart-breaking ends, Romeo and Juliet is ballet at its most poignant and beautiful. Performances at Plymouth Theatre Royal take place later in October. Carlos Curates: R&J Reimagined sees Romeo and Juliet get a very different treatment with the Company premiere of Romanian choreographer Edward Clug's Radio and Juliet, a reinvention of the classic story set to the music of Radiohead, featuring tracks from Kid A, Amnesiac and OK Computer. This version explores what could have happened if Juliet decided not to take her own life, and is an exhilarating, emotional rollercoaster that has toured the world to widespread acclaim since its premiere in 2005. Radio and Juliet forms a double bill with a new work from Birmingham-based choreographer Rosie Kay, details to be announced. Carlos Acosta said: ‘Shakespeare’s timeless story of love and passion has inspired so many versions over the centuries, not least translated into dance. We’re exploring some of this rich reinterpretation in our double bill Carlos Curates: R&J Reimagined, also in October. I really love Edward Clug’s contemporary reinvention of the story and I’m also thrilled that we are continuing to build relationships with other Birmingham arts companies and that we’ll be joined by Rosie Kay Dance Company who will complete this exciting programme.’ October sees the postponed and adapted London run of Curated by Carlos at Sadler’s Wells. The triple bill now opens with the Company’s love letter to Birmingham: City of a Thousand Trades, a new one-act abstract ballet inspired by and celebrating the richly diverse cultural and industrial heritage of the place it calls home. Commissioned as part of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Ballet Now programme and produced in association with The REP, City of a Thousand Trades was created by choreographer Miguel Altunaga and co-directed with The REP Associate Director, Madeleine Kludje, with music inspired by the city’s soundscape, including its legacy as the birthplace of Heavy Metal, composed by Mathias Coppens and performed live by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, with designs by Guilia Scrimieri and lighting by Michael Lee-Woolley. Brazilian/British choreographer Daniela Cardim’s Imminent, also a Ballet Now commission, has been created with a team of international talent, including composer Paul Englishby, designer April Dalton, dramaturg Lou Cope, assistant choreographer Peter Leung and lighting designer Peter Teigen. The new abstract work is inspired by the feeling that the balance we thought we could maintain is precarious to say the least. A tipping-point is approaching. Imminent invites us to recognise that a window of opportunity is now calling upon us. There is hope – and it is important to let go of the past, to take action and move boldly on. Completing the triple bill, Goyo Montero’s Chacona gets reworked for the London stage and features the world premiere of a new duet created for Carlos Acosta and Alessandra Ferri, a mouthwatering prospect to say the least. Having danced Manon together in Havana many years ago, this duet sees two of the all time greats reunited. Ferri said ‘We always wanted to do more together but never had the opportunity. Really I think this is a dream come true for both of us.’ Goyo Montero’s thrillingly physical work Chacona is set to electrifying music by J.S. Bach and performed live on stage by violin, guitar and piano, together with 16 dancers. For spring 2022, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Director Carlos Acosta promises entertainment for all ages when he brings an explosion of Spanish sunshine, spectacular dance and vivacious comedy to stages across the country. In a new production created especially for Birmingham Royal Ballet, Don Quixote introduces us to Cervantes’ famous knight himself, lovers Kitri and Basilio, and a host of supporting characters. As the Don sets out on a quest to track down his true love, with his loyal friend and servant Sancho Panza at his side, he finds himself embroiled in an unlikely adventure of love and dreams. The first UK performances of Acosta’s sparkling new 21st-century production of this 19th-century masterpiece take place in February. This festive season, Birmingham Royal Ballet will bring The Nutcracker back to two iconic stages. Birmingham Hippodrome welcomes the return of Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy in November and the Company will celebrate its fourth appearance at the Royal Albert Hall from 28 December. The enchanting Royal Albert Hall production features Simon Callow as the voice of Clara’s mysterious godfather, Drosselmeyer, and video and projection by Tony-Award-winning 59 Productions (An American in Paris, War Horse). Birmingham Royal Ballet’s superb dancers and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia weave their magic with the timeless choreography and glorious Tchaikovsky score to create a quintessential Christmas treat for all the family. Listings ROMEO AND JULIET Music Sergei Prokofiev; Choreography Kenneth MacMillan Birmingham Hippodrome Wednesday 6 - Saturday 9 October On sale 18 June brb.org.uk/romeo Plymouth Theatre Royal Wednesday 27 - Saturday 30 October On sale 30 June brb.org.uk/romeo CARLOS CURATES: R&J REIMAGINED RADIO AND JULIET Birmingham Hippodrome Thursday 14 - Saturday 16 October On sale 18 June brb.org.uk/carloscurates CURATED BY CARLOS CITY OF A THOUSAND TRADES IMMINENT CHACONA Sadler’s Wells 4 - 6 November On sale 6 July (Priority from 28 June) brb.org.uk/curated THE NUTCRACKER Birmingham Hippodrome Saturday 20 November - Saturday 11 December On sale brb.org.uk/nutracker Royal Albert Hall Tuesday 28 - Friday 31 December On sale brb.org.uk/rahnutcracker DON QUIXOTE Music Ludwig Minkus; Choreography Carlos Acosta after Marius Petipa Birmingham Hippodrome Friday 18 - Saturday 26 February On sale 18 June brb.org.uk/quixote Further dates to be announced Notes to Editors: Birmingham Royal Ballet Based at Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham Royal Ballet is the United Kingdom’s leading touring ballet company performing a range of traditional, classical and heritage ballets as well as ground-breaking new works with the aim of encouraging choreographers of the future. The Company’s Director since January 2020 is the internationally renowned Carlos Acosta. Birmingham Royal Ballet standardly performs at Birmingham Hippodrome for approximately ten weeks of the year and the remainder of the year tours throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. On average, the Company performs 175 shows a year nationally and internationally. The Royal Ballet Sinfonia is Birmingham Royal Ballet’s permanent orchestra, it is also Britain's busiest ballet orchestra. The Sinfonia also plays frequently for The Royal Ballet and other leading ballet companies, including performances withParis Opéra Ballet, New York City Ballet, Australian Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the Kirov, Norwegian Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and La Scala Ballet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 Gosh...I didn't realise Carlos was making a new DonQ! I thought he would just slightly adapt his RB version. I will be interested to see how different it is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted June 16, 2021 Author Share Posted June 16, 2021 2 minutes ago, Sim said: Gosh...I didn't realise Carlos was making a new DonQ! I thought he would just slight adapt his RB version. I will be interested to see how different it is... As I understand it there was a fair amount of reworking to do because the set would not fit in the Hippodrome or any touring theatres. As there was a good amount of interacting with the moving set I can see that there would be changes but how much will have changed? Who knows? I'm very disappointed that no Northern dates have been announced - only the statement under Don Q that more dates are to be announced. Let's hope they are Northern ones! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaddieRose Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 Guess I'll be off to see Macmillan's Romeo and Juliet then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Perregrino Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 For me, the most exciting part of this announcement is Don Quixote. A shot of pure joy to lift the spirits 😀👏🏻 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 I hadn't realised that BRB was dancing R&J too. So 29 from the RB plus 10 - 12 from BRB. Is this the first time there has been a clash of this magnitude? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted June 16, 2021 Author Share Posted June 16, 2021 12 minutes ago, capybara said: I hadn't realised that BRB was dancing R&J too. So 29 from the RB plus 10 - 12 from BRB. Is this the first time there has been a clash of this magnitude? I suspect possibly not as many performances but there have been clashes of rep in the past with, IIRC, R&J, Swan Lake and Fille. In fact last year before lockdown BRB was touring Swan Lake and RB were starting their run (obviously not in the same cities.) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 I am hoping to book for Romeo and Juliet at Plymouth Theatre Royal. I haven’t been to this theatre before and would appreciate any advice about best seating, value wise and particularly where to avoid. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted June 18, 2021 Author Share Posted June 18, 2021 I love the front row of the stalls there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 Hi everyone. I'm very interested in seeing Romeo & Juliet at Birmingham, but would like to know about castings in advance. Has this information not been made public yet? Or is it released to 'Friends'? Also, as its my first time ever watching the BRB, would appreciate any advice about best/recommended seating at the Hippodrome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted July 5, 2021 Author Share Posted July 5, 2021 I don't know whether Carlos Acosta will change the past policy but during SDB's tenure casting was announced only a couple of weeks before the performance. It depends on where you like sitting. My preference is for the front row of the stalls. If you don't do "front row" then go 4 or 5 rows back as the first couple of rows are not particularly well raked. Apart from that the sight lines at the Hippo are pretty good. At the moment the seats are being sold on a socially distanced basis but I suppose that may change on 19th July. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Pigeons Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 In addition to Jan's suggestion I would recommend and aisle seats on either side block in the stalls. As I remember it the rows end with seats 12, (e.g. H12) or 37. The view from the circle is excellent but I personally am not too good with the lack of leg room. Best wishes and I really hope you enjoy your visit. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheilaC Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 33 minutes ago, Two Pigeons said: In addition to Jan's suggestion I would recommend and aisle seats on either side block in the stalls. As I remember it the rows end with seats 12, (e.g. H12) or 37. The view from the circle is excellent but I personally am not too good with the lack of leg room. Best wishes and I really hope you enjoy your visit. Although the view from the circle is good, as Two Pigeons says, I really cannot recommend it. In most theatres I prefer the circle but the one at the Hippodrome is very steep. It is difficult to get to your seat unless you're in a row close to the entrances and end of the row. And it is a nightmare if you are at all prone to vertigo. The view from the stalls is good, even at the back. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 I've not had a problem with vertigo there, although I occasionally have had in the Amphitheatre at the Royal Opera House. And yes, legroom can be limited, at least in the cheaper seats. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 @Jan McNulty @Two Pigeons @SheilaC @alison Many many thanks for your kind suggestions!! I forgot to mention that I don't think I can afford the highest/higher priced seats as I'm only just a graduate! But I will most likely book a seat from the rear stalls, as Sheila suggested 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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