Royal Ballet: Romeo and Juliet, Autumn 2021

[Dawnstar]

It was the page that came up last week when I had to Google for cast lists because I couldn't find a direct path on the ROH's website, so I bookmarked it for future reference. Clearly it's not going to be much help though.

[bridiem]

3 minutes ago, oncnp said:

 

My bookmarks to the page you noted don't show it either.  It is linked from the "What's On" page

 

Romeo and Juliet (roh.org.uk)

 

Great. So we now need to check in two different places to see if the cast sheet is up. 😝

[alison]

They're repeating Benvolio and Mercutio already?  I suppose it might have something to do with The Dante Project premiere-ing tomorrow.

[Jane S]

1 hour ago, Dawnstar said:

 

@Jane SNo, he did plenty of performances in that role in the last run. I saw him as Lord Capulet 3 times out of the 5 performances I saw.

 

Thanks, Dawnstar - it's ages since I last saw R&J and I've obviously missed some good things!

[Dawnstar]

1 hour ago, alison said:

They're repeating Benvolio and Mercutio already?  I suppose it might have something to do with The Dante Project premiere-ing tomorrow.

 

Wasn't Sissens supposed to do Benvolio on Saturday but was ill? If so then tonight is presumably what should be Richardson's first performance. I did wonder if they'd do a direct swap, as Sissens is presumably recovered (he's down for the Mandolin Dance) but evidently it doesn't work like that.

51 minutes ago, Jane S said:

Thanks, Dawnstar - it's ages since I last saw R&J and I've obviously missed some good things!

 

The first run I saw was the last one so I'm sure I must have missed lots of good casts in the years before that.

[Dawnstar]

I'm not sure that Thomas Whitehead's ponytail hairstyle is correct for this period!

 

 

[Rob S]

Is Thomas Whitehead’s ponytail making it’s Tybalt debut? 

Edited October 13, 2021 by Rob S

[Dawnstar]

Well, I don't recall him having it in 2019...

[capybara]

The debutante tonight was, I think (and surprisingly, really) Claire Calvert as the Lead Harlot.

[Guest oncnp]

1 minute ago, capybara said:

The debutante tonight was, I think (and surprisingly, really) Claire Calvert as the Lead Harlot.

 

According to Claire Calvert it was a triple Harlot debut

[JennyTaylor]

For those interested in the monks, Vadim didn't follow them round the corner, he just stood in the doorway for a long time before it was his cue to come forward and kill Paris. Not sure if he would have still been visible towards the back of the theatre, though he did have the cloak open so you could see his white shirt.  I was right the other side of the stage this evening, but I could just see him (because I was looking for him). 

 

Vadim also sat down on his cloak and tuned his mandolin, as did Will Bracewell. As per a previous comment in this thread though, I don't recall other Romeo's doing this before. (I like it). 

 

Another difference, Will Bracewell had the poison in the left side of his belt, Vadim in his right.   

[alison]

4 minutes ago, JennyTaylor said:

Vadim also sat down on his cloak and tuned his mandolin, as did Will Bracewell. As per a previous comment in this thread though, I don't recall other Romeo's doing this before. (I like it).

 

As I often sit in the restricted-view seats on that side, I frequently miss this, but I thought it was a set part of the choreography?

[Dawnstar]

8 minutes ago, JennyTaylor said:

For those interested in the monks, Vadim didn't follow them round the corner, he just stood in the doorway for a long time before it was his cue to come forward and kill Paris. Not sure if he would have still been visible towards the back of the theatre, though he did have the cloak open so you could see his white shirt.  I was right the other side of the stage this evening, but I could just see him (because I was looking for him).

 

Another difference, Will Bracewell had the poison in the left side of his belt, Vadim in his right.   

 

When I saw Muntagirov stop in the archway I wondered if someone at the RB had been reading this thread!

 

Corrales had his on the right too. I wonder if it's due to whether the dancers are right or left handed?

 

3 minutes ago, alison said:

As I often sit in the restricted-view seats on that side, I frequently miss this, but I thought it was a set part of the choreography?

 

I assume it is, as when I was flicking through my 2019 programme the other day I noticed a photo of McRae in that pose. My comment on Bracewell on Saturday was that he'd seemed to sit there for longer than others, not that he sat when others did not.

[Guest oncnp]

12 minutes ago, JennyTaylor said:

 Not sure if he would have still been visible towards the back of the theatre, though he did have the cloak open so you could see his white shirt.  I was right the other side of the stage this evening, but I could just see him (because I was looking for him). 

 

He was barely visible from Row H and like you I only saw him because I was looking for him.

[JennyTaylor]

12 minutes ago, oncnp said:

 

According to Claire Calvert it was a triple Harlot debut

And very good is was too from all 3 of them: Claire, Gina and Hannah Grennell.  Joe Sissens was in the Mandolin Dance, so hopefully we will see him on Saturday as Benvolio. Luca Acri outstanding again as Mercutio.  His speed of execution of steps is superb.  

I wonder what everyone else thought of David Donnelly as Paris. I felt it was a very sympathetic portrayal with some smiles early on, though reverted more to type in later scenes. 

Yasmine Naghdi was a superb dramatic Juliet. Utterly heart breaking in Act 3. 

[Dawnstar]

8 minutes ago, JennyTaylor said:

I wonder what everyone else thought of David Donnelly as Paris. I felt it was a very sympathetic portrayal with some smiles early on, though reverted more to type in later scenes. 

Yasmine Naghdi was a superb dramatic Juliet. Utterly heart breaking in Act 3. 

 

I liked Donnelly's Paris. He seemed to be more sympathetic than how I remember him from 2019, though that might he my memory being faulty.

 

I agree Naghdi was dramatic but I'm afraid I didn't quite find her heartbreaking. She almost seemed too strong to be completely tragic. For instance, when Kaneko screamed on Saturday it felt as though she was screaming because she was utterly devestated. When Naghdi screamed tonight, it felt to me as if she was angry that everything had gone so dreadfully wrong.

Edited October 13, 2021 by Dawnstar
Added to 2nd paragraph.

[JennyTaylor]

1 minute ago, Dawnstar said:

 

I liked Donnelly's Paris. He seemed to be more sympathetic than how I remember him from 2019, though that might he my memory being faulty.

 

I agree Naghdi was dramatic but I'm afraid I didn't quite find her heartbreaking.

I found her much more moving than Vadim, though of course, his dancing was superb. 

[Dawnstar]

1 minute ago, JennyTaylor said:

I found her much more moving than Vadim, though of course, his dancing was superb. 

 

He does so many things brilliantly but, having now seen him as Romeo twice & as Des Grieux once, I'm not sure tragic passion is one of them.

[AnticaFiamma]

27 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

When I saw Muntagirov stop in the archway I wondered if someone at the RB had been reading this thread!

I was wondering the same! Also, the lights got noticeably brighter in the middle of a couple of scenes, so maybe someone is reading this.

 

I found tonight's performance slightly underwhelming. The dancing was superb, but it was not nearly as emotional as the last two performances. I liked Yasmine Naghdi, but I was still too transfixed by Fumi Kaneko – that speed! that precision! those endless legs! – although I liked her death scene quite a bit, especially the muted scream and the extra-painful crowling towards Romeo: for a moment I thought she would have died before reaching him! And it was graceful of her to give VM a rose during the curtain call.

 

On the whole I thought that Corrales & Hayward had the strongest sexual tension (I'll never forget the thrill of when he lifted her on points to kiss her), Bracewell & Kaneko were the most romantic, while Muntagirov & Naghdi's relationship is more puppy love. I liked how he kissed her shoulders during the balcony scene, but on the whole I think I never believed they were deeply in love. 

 

I was also disappointed by Thomas Whitehead, there's nothing wrong with his performance but he's not quite on par with Ryochi Hirano or Matt Ball. Luca Acri was great tho, I think I liked him better than on Saturday, when I still had Marcelino Sambé's electrifying Mercutio too impressed in my eyes and mind. 

Edited October 13, 2021 by AnticaFiamma

[JennyTaylor]

I think Matthew Ball has raised the bar on Tybalt so high now. I haven't seen him yet in this run, but last time round, I couldn't take my eyes off him.  Up until then, my favourite Tybalt's had been Gary Avis and Thiago Soares. Giving the part to a "younger" Principal and then seeing what he can do, has been a complete game changer.  Hirano also gave it a very good shot last Saturday, but I agree that Tom Whitehead was not quite up in that league.  He played it as very nasty, and looked the part but it was a "standard" performance. Nothing wrong at all, just not reaching the same heights. 

[Rob S]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dawnstar]

2 hours ago, AnticaFiamma said:

I found tonight's performance slightly underwhelming. The dancing was superb, but it was not nearly as emotional as the last two performances.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only person who didn't feel tonight's performance came up to the previous 2 from an emotional point of view. I was sitting there wondering if I was missing something, or if 3 R&Js in 8 days were too much, or if it was because I found it difficult to concentrate for the latter part of Act 1 after a woman in the row behind me had a coughing fit during the ballroom scene & continued to cough intermittantly for the rest of that act & the next (while wearing her mask under her chin! I could have cheerfully murdered her!).

 

2 hours ago, JennyTaylor said:

I think Matthew Ball has raised the bar on Tybalt so high now. I haven't seen him yet in this run, but last time round, I couldn't take my eyes off him.  Up until then, my favourite Tybalt's had been Gary Avis and Thiago Soares. Giving the part to a "younger" Principal and then seeing what he can do, has been a complete game changer.  Hirano also gave it a very good shot last Saturday, but I agree that Tom Whitehead was not quite up in that league.  He played it as very nasty, and looked the part but it was a "standard" performance. Nothing wrong at all, just not reaching the same heights. 

 

For me Hirano & Whitehead are on a similar level but Ball is on a higher level entirely. Whitehead seems to be basically the same throughout: total bastard! There's not really a lot of emotional variation. I never saw Soares in the role but I can imagine he would be good. I wonder if any of the other Principal men are likely to have a go at the role? Admittedly I'm struggling to think of any suitable, given Sambe does Mercutio & if Corrales were to have a go at another role I see him more as a Mercutio type than a Tybalt type.

 

@Rob SNo photo of Whitehead's ponytail? 😉

Edited October 14, 2021 by Dawnstar

[Guest oncnp]

5 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

 

I'm glad I'm not the only person who didn't feel tonight's performance came up to the previous 2 from an emotional point of view. I was sitting there wondering if I was missing something, or if 3 R&Js in 8 days were too much, or if it was because I found it difficult to concentrate for the latter part of Act 1 after a woman in the row behind me had a coughing fit during the ballroom scene & continued to cough intermittantly for the rest of that act & the next (while wearing her mask under her chin! I could have cheerfully murdered her!).

 

The gentleman next to me slept through much of the first two acts (including the Dance of the Knights with the orchestra at full blast) but didn't snore so no problem unlike the fidgety woman sitting behind me who kept hitting the back of my seat and wouldn't shut up. 

 

On the emotional front,  I got exactly what I was expecting having seen his R&J and Manon. IMO he doesn't "do" grand expressive emotion. And I thought he had a little trouble getting started, some heavy landings and just didn't look comfortable.  

 

Edited October 14, 2021 by oncnp

[JohnS]

Again many thanks all for the posts and RobS for his fabulous photos.
 

With so many casts I’ve chosen to see a later Naghdi/Ball performance as their matinee debut, some years ago now, was so memorable.

 

As a postscript to mask wearing, when completing my Romeo & Juliet feedback, I mentioned the poor compliance with what I thought were well judged announcements and the example set by ROH staff and the orchestra. I received a very full reply from Customer Services which included the following:

 

“We have now strengthened our messaging on this even further with recorded requests from Maestro Pappano from the Royal Opera Company and Kevin O’Hare from The Royal Ballet for our audience to keep wearing masks when attending.”

 

Here’s hoping Tony Pappano and Kevin O’Hare achieve significant improvements in compliance.
 

I should say that I don’t know if these are auditorium announcements just before lights out at the start of each act or more general announcements before audiences take their seats. I hope it’s the former as on reflection I rather think I may have heard something when in the foyer before the opening night performance but wasn’t paying much attention.

[bridiem]

I've been very profoundly moved by Muntagirov in dramatic roles in the past, but I felt last night that he was 'performing' Romeo rather than really inhabiting the role. I didn't know if I felt that because I was very distracted anyway; I thought it could be my fault for not engaging properly. But his dancing was magnificent, as was Naghdi's. I felt something similar about her, though (hence my doubt about my judgement); I rarely actually believed in her as Juliet rather than as a brilliant dancer dancing Juliet. But I did find the last act moving. And I thought the new harlots were all terrific.

[bridiem]

6 minutes ago, JohnS said:

Again many thanks all for the posts and RobS for his fabulous photos.
 

With so many casts I’ve chosen to see a later Naghdi/Ball performance as their matinee debut, some years ago now, was so memorable.

 

As a postscript to mask wearing, when completing my Romeo & Juliet feedback, I mentioned the poor compliance with what I thought were well judged announcements and the example set by ROH staff and the orchestra. I received a very full reply from Customer Services which included the following:

 

“We have now strengthened our messaging on this even further with recorded requests from Maestro Pappano from the Royal Opera Company and Kevin O’Hare from The Royal Ballet for our audience to keep wearing masks when attending.”

 

Here’s hoping Tony Pappano and Kevin O’Hare achieve significant improvements in compliance.
 

I should say that I don’t know if these are auditorium announcements just before lights out at the start of each act or more general announcements before audiences take their seats. I hope it’s the former as on reflection I rather think I may have heard something when in the foyer before the opening night performance but wasn’t paying much attention.

 

They're not the auditorium announcements. I don't hang around in the foyer so I haven't heard any announcements there.

[JennyTaylor]

I heard Kevin O'Hare's message once audibly and once very faintly during the interval. Mask wearing last night was dismal and I felt uncomfortable at times. 

[Rob S]

I only heard Mr O’Hare’s announcement once over my three trips of this season. If they wanted the message strengthened then maybe get some of the dancers to make the announcements. 
I have yet to see anyone in the auditorium put on a mask after one of the announcers messages 

[bridiem]

3 minutes ago, Rob S said:

I only heard Mr O’Hare’s announcement once over my three trips of this season. If they wanted the message strengthened then maybe get some of the dancers to make the announcements. 
I have yet to see anyone in the auditorium put on a mask after one of the announcers messages 

 

Yes - the announcer's request is steadfastly ignored by those not already wearing masks. But I'd rather the dancers didn't get involved in the whole mask-wearing issue. And I suspect those who ignore the current announcements would ignore them too. As far as I'm concerned, at the moment wearing a mask when asked to do so is simply a matter of courtesy.

[capybara]

I was in the Ladies when I heard Kevin’s announcement for the first time and my reaction was, “Oh noooooo! Not a big cast change?”

 

Edited to add that Kevin himself came out of the Stage Door last night fully masked.

 

 

 

Edited October 14, 2021 by capybara

[Rob S]

6 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

 

 

@Rob SNo photo of Whitehead's ponytail? 😉

 

I didn't get a pic that did either him or the ponytail justice I'm afraid, I can only submit this evidence of how being stabbed in the armpit draws blood from the knee

 

 

Edited October 14, 2021 by Rob S

[zxDaveM]

52 minutes ago, Rob S said:

I only heard Mr O’Hare’s announcement once over my three trips of this season. If they wanted the message strengthened then maybe get some of the dancers to make the announcements. 
I have yet to see anyone in the auditorium put on a mask after one of the announcers messages 

 

The guy in front of me looked sheepishly guilty after the announcement just before curtain up - but didn't even have a mask with him, let alone wrapped around his face

[alison]

1 hour ago, Rob S said:

 

I can only submit this evidence of how being stabbed in the armpit draws blood from the knee