Royal Ballet’s The Nutcracker Winter 2021/22

[bridiem]

9 hours ago, oncnp said:

 

He has posted on IG that there has been a death in the family. 

 

Thanks, oncnp - that's sad news.

[Angela Essex]

14 hours ago, Blossom said:

Anyone know if she’s better? Just secured tickets for Sat night (which due to Worldpay and gift certificate issues has involved about 6 calls with the Box Office and very grumpy about customer experience)  and would be more than ok with this substitution.

I’m going on Saturday night too. I checked her Instagram yesterday, but nothing on it to suggest she won’t be dancing on Sat. 

[Emeralds]

11 hours ago, oncnp said:

 

He has posted on IG that there has been a death in the family. 

Thank you for the update, oncnp.

Very sad news. My condolences to Gary and his family. 

[art_enthusiast]

Just a quick general query - I don't mean to offend anyone here, but I was wondering if the Nutcracker's popularity with small children might mean that there's a lot of them in the audience, potentially being quite noisy/disruptive throughout? I'm really not sure as I haven't been for a while, so was wondering if this might be the case.

[bridiem]

5 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

Just a quick general query - I don't mean to offend anyone here, but I was wondering if the Nutcracker's popularity with small children might mean that there's a lot of them in the audience, potentially being quite noisy/disruptive throughout? I'm really not sure as I haven't been for a while, so was wondering if this might be the case.

 

I can only speak from my experience in the Amphi, where there do tend to be more children than usual but I've never encountered them being noisy or disruptive. Maybe I've been lucky?!

[AnticaFiamma]

30 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 

I can only speak from my experience in the Amphi, where there do tend to be more children than usual but I've never encountered them being noisy or disruptive. Maybe I've been lucky?!

I was about to say the same, when I went it was full of children but they were all as good as gold

[Jan McNulty]

43 minutes ago, AnticaFiamma said:

I was about to say the same, when I went it was full of children but they were all as good as gold

 

And not only in ROH.  I have found that most children are well behaved and enthusiastic in theatres I have been in all over the country whether Nutcracker or any other ballet.

[San Perregrino]

7 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

Just a quick general query - I don't mean to offend anyone here, but I was wondering if the Nutcracker's popularity with small children might mean that there's a lot of them in the audience, potentially being quite noisy/disruptive throughout? I'm really not sure as I haven't been for a while, so was wondering if this might be the case.

The majority of Nutcrackers pass without major incident.  However, in the light of experience I’ve come to accept that going to the Nutcracker isn’t always smooth sailing either in the amphitheatre, the orchestra stalls or any seat in between. It’s a show targeted at children, it is often a child’s first ballet and/or theatre experience, small children behave unpredictably. Many parents are thick skinned when it comes to their child’s behaviour because they live it 24/7 and thin skinned when it comes to feedback thereon.  As such, if I choose to go along (and I do), I go with my eyes open. If a child, or indeed adult, is acting out badly enough to distract other audience members or coughing loud enough to drown out a full orchestra (over the years at Nutcracker I’ve experienced both and all sorts of variations there on) I have come to understand that the problem lies with the  ‘responsible’ adult(s) who have brought them along when it would have been best to stay away until next year when the child is old enough or well enough to enjoy the performance.  Whilst some, if asked politely, will make an effort to ‘tone down’ a child’s behaviour, others are at best defensive and at worst downright rude (the more they have paid for the ticket, the greater their sense of ‘immunity’ to the impact of their little one on their neighbours. Approach with caution and if possible talk to an usher rather than directly to the offender.

My worst experience wasn’t with a child, it was with a grandparent. The child was mute, mesmerised by what was happening on stage. The grandparent kept up a constant narrative as well as constantly pointing at what the child wasn’t looking at during Act 1. As the interval started the child told the grandparent that it wanted to watch the second act in silence and could grandma shut up 🙂

ps many younger children fall asleep/nap in act 2 so their impact on the performance is lessened.

pps the ‘safest’ place to be is possibly stalls circle standing because these places are ‘unsuitable for people of short stature’ so unlikely to be occupied by children 😉
 

ppps experiencing first hand the reactions & responses to the Nutcracker of a child who is ‘in the right place at the right time’ is immensely rewarding if not magical. said child is likely to return to watch ballet for the rest of its life. 

Edited December 4, 2021 by prs59
to add ps & pps & ppps

[Lizbie1]

55 minutes ago, prs59 said:

My worst experience wasn’t with a child, it was with a grandparent. The child was mute, mesmerised by what was happening on stage. The grandparent kept up a constant narrative as well as constantly pointing at what the child wasn’t looking at during Act 1.

 

I've witnessed this too.

 

prs59, this is such a good post!

[Mary]

Agreed- I have seen, or rather heard,  this happen many times! and a continuous whisper-with constantly bobbing head- can be more annoying than anything.

When I take a child to the theatre I give them an outline BEFORE it starts and say -' I will answer questions in the interval'.

 

These over eager commentators are missing the point..Let the magic do its work....because once it has it usually does stick for life.

 

 

[LinMM]

I’m quite prepared for younger children at Nutcracker and it’s lovely to see children aged 3-4 practising their jetes and waltzes. 
It’s more problematic when 3-4 year olds are taken to Galas and the like which are entirely unsuitable for most children until about 8 years old plus. 
To say children are ALWAYS perfectly behaved seems a bit far fetched to me and not in my experience but I’m usually surprised at how well behaved MOST are with a little bit of support from adults both before and during performances. 

[art_enthusiast]

10 hours ago, prs59 said:

The majority of Nutcrackers pass without major incident.  However, in the light of experience I’ve come to accept that going to the Nutcracker isn’t always smooth sailing either in the amphitheatre, the orchestra stalls or any seat in between. It’s a show targeted at children, it is often a child’s first ballet and/or theatre experience, small children behave unpredictably. Many parents are thick skinned when it comes to their child’s behaviour because they live it 24/7 and thin skinned when it comes to feedback thereon.  As such, if I choose to go along (and I do), I go with my eyes open. If a child, or indeed adult, is acting out badly enough to distract other audience members or coughing loud enough to drown out a full orchestra (over the years at Nutcracker I’ve experienced both and all sorts of variations there on) I have come to understand that the problem lies with the  ‘responsible’ adult(s) who have brought them along when it would have been best to stay away until next year when the child is old enough or well enough to enjoy the performance.  Whilst some, if asked politely, will make an effort to ‘tone down’ a child’s behaviour, others are at best defensive and at worst downright rude (the more they have paid for the ticket, the greater their sense of ‘immunity’ to the impact of their little one on their neighbours. Approach with caution and if possible talk to an usher rather than directly to the offender.

My worst experience wasn’t with a child, it was with a grandparent. The child was mute, mesmerised by what was happening on stage. The grandparent kept up a constant narrative as well as constantly pointing at what the child wasn’t looking at during Act 1. As the interval started the child told the grandparent that it wanted to watch the second act in silence and could grandma shut up 🙂

ps many younger children fall asleep/nap in act 2 so their impact on the performance is lessened.

pps the ‘safest’ place to be is possibly stalls circle standing because these places are ‘unsuitable for people of short stature’ so unlikely to be occupied by children 😉
 

ppps experiencing first hand the reactions & responses to the Nutcracker of a child who is ‘in the right place at the right time’ is immensely rewarding if not magical. said child is likely to return to watch ballet for the rest of its life. 

Thank you for the helpful response - I agree, the fault primarily lies with the 'responsible' adults. I agree that if necessary, finding an usher to complain to is probably better than going straight to the offender - unfortunately I've noticed that ushers are quite thin on the ground at the Royal Opera House? Presumably there's one at the door of each seat section, then after the first interval they've usually vanished.

I believe the ROH has a rule that under 5s aren't allowed...not too sure if it's a rule but every performance on the website says "This production is suitable for ages 5+". So I guess it's unlikely that any extremely young children would be present. It seems that ROH rules are now more of a formality that aren't followed, given the amount of smartphone usage I've seen in performances recently.

 

I'm slightly anxious because I got quite an expensive seat, so I'm hoping to have as minimal interruption as possible. I also thought that the matinées might have more children present, so avoided those. Also wondering if the children are wearing masks as well?

Totally agree about unnecessary narration - unless you're visually impaired, and there are usually audio described performances for that (offered by many theatres now, which is promising). Otherwise please don't talk during a performance, whether it's opera, ballet or drama! I sometimes think it would be a good idea to have signs up (like the face mask ones), with reminders that talking is completely unnecessary unless of course, you have some sort of health emergency and need to leave the auditorium, or you're at a pantomime where audience interaction is encouraged.

At Giselle on December 2nd (Lamb/Sambé) my sister had the misfortune to have a few talkers sitting behind her whispering through Act 1. Thankfully someone in her row turned around to verbally reprimand them, after which they quietened down. And these are adults who should presumably have the life experience to know better!

I agree it's nice to see children enjoying the Nutcracker - I recall enjoying it too when I first saw it, though I wish I had been exposed as a child to the more dramatic, emotive MacMillan ballets (Mayerling/Manon/R+J) - I believe it would have increased my respect of the art form more, rather than Tchaikovsky's main 3 and that's it.

As a child it was almost drummed into me by my ballet/opera/theatre loving Grandmother how inconsiderate and disrespectful it is to make noise during a performance, whether whispering, coughing or rustling food wrappers. (If you need to cough consistently, retire to the bathroom or don't come in the first place, that was her stance.) Simply out of respect to the performers, musicians and other audience members who have paid for their seats, regardless of how expensive the seats are. It's just common courtesy - this is a public theatrical space, not your living room. Whether it's the Royal Opera House or a high school theatre production, the same rules apply in my opinion.

 

Edited December 4, 2021 by art_enthusiast

[Emeralds]

19 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

Just a quick general query - I don't mean to offend anyone here, but I was wondering if the Nutcracker's popularity with small children might mean that there's a lot of them in the audience, potentially being quite noisy/disruptive throughout? I'm really not sure as I haven't been for a while, so was wondering if this might be the case.

Only ever had adults around me misbehaving at the ballet! (Sadly, including ex-ballet company staff on a few occasions, who should know better). The children at Nutcracker that I’ve come across have generally been from self-selected families who have respect for the art and the occasion, have prepared their children to do the same, and the children sit enthralled by the production without disturbing anyone else, and don’t lean too far forward, talk or kick seats. 

 

School groups with teens and older children are another matter, but school groups would attend the schools matinee, which I don’t book for- the slightly rowdy school  groups  I saw were at West End musicals.  You won’t get those groups at evening performances of the Royal Ballet. 

[Emeralds]

Curious to hear from anyone who saw tonight’s show as to how Natalia did. I saw her as Sugar Plum back in 2013 with Federico Bonelli as her Prince. It was also one of Francesca Hayward’s earliest breakthroughs, dancing Clara in place of Emma Maguire, who had an injury. Gary Avis was Drosselmeyer and Alexander Campbell was Hans Peter/Nutcracker. We thought that show was totally magical. I thought Natalia interpreted the role in a very classical way, which was lovely and very different to her dramatic and vivid Kitri, Odette/Odile and Giselle that I’d seen her dance prior to that. 

[alison]

My worst experience at the RB Nutcracker was quite a few years ago now, with a child and parent or grandparent sitting either immediately behind or in front of me.  Said child was absolutely enthralled by what was happening on stage - but unfortunately kept up something of a running commentary/asking "wh-" questions: who's that?  what's he doing?  what happens next?  why ...?  I didn't want to say anything for fear of ruining their first ballet experience, but had to go down to the foyer at the interval to ask if they had a spare seat somewhere else, as I was afraid I might throttle said child.

 

But that totally pales into insignificance compared with a visit to see the Black Light Theatre of Prague at Sadler's Wells ...  Ugh!

[Angela Essex]

58 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

Curious to hear from anyone who saw tonight’s show as to how Natalia did. I saw her as Sugar Plum back in 2013 with Federico Bonelli as her Prince. It was also one of Francesca Hayward’s earliest breakthroughs, dancing Clara in place of Emma Maguire, who had an injury. Gary Avis was Drosselmeyer and Alexander Campbell was Hans Peter/Nutcracker. We thought that show was totally magical. I thought Natalia interpreted the role in a very classical way, which was lovely and very different to her dramatic and vivid Kitri, Odette/Odile and Giselle that I’d seen her dance prior to that. 

Hello Emeralds I was there tonight. It was amazing. I’m new to ballet so can’t really comment about Osipova save to say that she was amazing, but having said that Reece Clark as the Prince was a showstopper - he just stood out to me as an absolute total star. Every move perfection. Took my breath away. Ditto Olivia Cowley as the Arabian Princess - she was utterly mesmerising. Really her and Reece were the stand out amazing moments for me. And the snowflakes ❤️❤️❤️❤️ The set as well 😮😮😮😮. And amazing performances from the children too. 

[jmhopton]

Re children at ballet, a very memorable performance I attended at least 10 years ago was the Mariinsky (I think) doing Jewels. It was a matinee and there were several classes of secondary school children there. I suspect they may not have attended much live theatre let alone ballet but there were gasps when the curtain rose on the stage. They were very good during the performance and it was nice to see the girls trying to get en pointe in their clumpy schools in the interval and the boys enjoying exploring the building,  going up and down the escalators. At the end the raucous clapping, cheering and stamping of feet left no one in any doubt they enjoyed themselves hugely and they certainly added to my enjoyment of the performance. 

[art_enthusiast]

46 minutes ago, alison said:

My worst experience at the RB Nutcracker was quite a few years ago now, with a child and parent or grandparent sitting either immediately behind or in front of me.  Said child was absolutely enthralled by what was happening on stage - but unfortunately kept up something of a running commentary/asking "wh-" questions: who's that?  what's he doing?  what happens next?  why ...?  I didn't want to say anything for fear of ruining their first ballet experience, but had to go down to the foyer at the interval to ask if they had a spare seat somewhere else, as I was afraid I might throttle said child.

 

But that totally pales into insignificance compared with a visit to see the Black Light Theatre of Prague at Sadler's Wells ...  Ugh!

 

Wow, that sounds tremendously annoying! Hopefully they were able to find you a seat elsewhere?

[LinMM]

The most memorable school performance for me was a performance of Giselle years ago when Beryl Grey then Director of Festival Ballet ( I think it was just before it became ENB) came out in front of the curtain to welcome everyone to the ballet performance and she said I expect some of you may know the names of a few steps and proceeded to demonstrate a demi plié a tendu and then did a grand battement which immediately set off a whole load of wolf whistles and cheers!! 
Later on it became memorable for another reason when at the end of Act one we were all told to leave the theatre as quickly as possible. As it was in the IRA bombing campaign we all feared the worse but many classes waited dutifully outside as we did whilst others just went off. 
It turned out to be a small wardrobe fire so we went back for the second Act. 
Just as the lights went down one of the girls in my class (all well familiar with the story of course)  said quite audibly Miss is this the bit where we get to see the Willies 😳  

[Blossom]

2 hours ago, Emeralds said:

Curious to hear from anyone who saw tonight’s show as to how Natalia did. I saw her as Sugar Plum back in 2013 with Federico Bonelli as her Prince. It was also one of Francesca Hayward’s earliest breakthroughs, dancing Clara in place of Emma Maguire, who had an injury. Gary Avis was Drosselmeyer and Alexander Campbell was Hans Peter/Nutcracker. We thought that show was totally magical. I thought Natalia interpreted the role in a very classical way, which was lovely and very different to her dramatic and vivid Kitri, Odette/Odile and Giselle that I’d seen her dance prior to that. 

I was there tonight and honestly wasn’t sure if I had made the right decision to see Osipova (given I was beholden to dates with returns) but it was well worth it. She absolutely sparkled. Reece Clarke was standout too - a perfect Prince but also A perfect partner for a complete force of nature.
 

Shame about the child next to my daughter who evidently became ill during the second act and started to cough persistently. She must have been 9 or 10 years old and therefore was not wearing a mask and was spluttering all over the place which was distracting mostly because it became pretty obvious that she was feeling pretty unwell when she lay down on her mother and should not have remained there for other people’s sake. 

Edited December 5, 2021 by Blossom

[TSR101]

I was also there tonight - I thought Osipova was a little flat and not her usual sparkling self. It all looked far from her usual effortless best. I was wondering whether she had 100% recovered from whatever kept her from performing a week or so ago. At times it felt like it was really hard work for her to keep going - she came up very short on the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy finishing well ahead of the music. I haven't seen Osipova's Sugar Plum Fairy before, so this might have been an off night or just not her best role but it wasn't in the same league as Nunez's that I saw in 2020 & 2018 (or Cuthberton's I think in 2017). 

 

In general, I thought the performance was pretty ragged at times. I sense a quick switch from Giselle for the Corps probably didn't help. I wasn't a fan of the changes to they made to this production either. However, Reece Clarke continues to ask the question why on earth he is not yet a principal although even he seem to struggle a little more with the lifts in the Sugar Plum pas de Deux than I have seen from Vadim . 

 

When all is said and done, Nutty is still magical but not one of their best performances by far. 

[Rob S]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[art_enthusiast]

31 minutes ago, TSR101 said:

I wasn't a fan of the changes to they made to this production either. 

What changes to the production do you mean? The Arabian dance change and the Covid-adapted battle scene?

Edited December 5, 2021 by art_enthusiast

[Amelia]

Thank you, Rob S. for your beautiful photos.

 

Blossom wrote: "She absolutely sparkled.”

TSR101 wrote: “...was a little flat and not her usual sparkling self.”

Believe your own eyes only.

[TSR101]

26 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

What changes to the production do you mean? The Arabian dance change and the Covid-adapted battle scene?

 

I was actually thinking of the battle scene. Perhaps my memories of it are rose tinted but I remember as more dramatic and chaotic (in a good sense).

 

I though Olivia Cowley was very good actually (apart from throwing the glitter a bit too early at the end lol!). Although the reason for the change is completely absurd. 

[Blossom]

7 hours ago, Amelia said:

Thank you, Rob S. for your beautiful photos.

 

Blossom wrote: "She absolutely sparkled.”

TSR101 wrote: “...was a little flat and not her usual sparkling self.”

Believe your own eyes only.

Ditto on the photos- and you must be very fast on the button to capture everyone so well. Despite prime position, I missed so many!!

 

Re: Osipova, I expect it depends what sort of expectations you go in with! My expectations weren’t very high for this very British choreography where the British  port de bras is so important- this is why Cuthbertson or Hayward would be my first choice, availability allowing (and actually Nunez would not be a particular preference for me here). However, Osipova brings a regal air to her performance. 
 

In terms of some things in the overall performance being a bit off, I agree that there were a few rough edges and not Royal Ballet standard (of perfection) but I think a lot can still be forgiven thanks to Covid.

 

Despite a slip at one point, enjoyed seeing Nadia Mullova-Barley in a soloist role as a lead flower - she danced with such joy. It was lovely to see her progress since appearing in the 2016 Nutcracker documentary on the BBC.

 

Very much also enjoyed David Donnelly as a cavalier (and mouse king) and pleased to see he is getting more soloist roles.

[Angela Essex]

8 hours ago, TSR101 said:

I was also there tonight - I thought Osipova was a little flat and not her usual sparkling self. It all looked far from her usual effortless best. I was wondering whether she had 100% recovered from whatever kept her from performing a week or so ago. At times it felt like it was really hard work for her to keep going - she came up very short on the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy finishing well ahead of the music. I haven't seen Osipova's Sugar Plum Fairy before, so this might have been an off night or just not her best role but it wasn't in the same league as Nunez's that I saw in 2020 & 2018 (or Cuthberton's I think in 2017). 

 

In general, I thought the performance was pretty ragged at times. I sense a quick switch from Giselle for the Corps probably didn't help. I wasn't a fan of the changes to they made to this production either. However, Reece Clarke continues to ask the question why on earth he is not yet a principal although even he seem to struggle a little more with the lifts in the Sugar Plum pas de Deux than I have seen from Vadim . 

 

When all is said and done, Nutty is still magical but not one of their best performances by far. 

Yes TSR! I’m so glad you mentioned those things. I’m new to ballet, but I noticed the timing issues with Osipova too. I’m familiar with the music having played it in Orchestras. There was a pas de deux in which she wasn’t in time as well as dance of the SPF and yes, the sparkle wasn’t there for me either. Agree about the Corps too spacing was off at times. 

I think if an untrained eye such as myself can see these things then yes it’s not the most ideal performance. It was magical but not perfect - having said that idk why we even expect perfection as people are just human beings doing their best and I was transported to another world for 2 hours so 🤷‍♀️
Also agree about Reece Clark I was looking for his biography in the Principals section of the programme and I thought they’d accidentally left him out of it. I was quite shocked to find he was a first soloist as he literally was stand out amazing for me.
In my humble opinion Olivia Cowley should be promoted too her Arabian Princess was breathtaking. 

[maryrosesatonapin]

31 minutes ago, Angela Essex said:

Yes TSR! I’m so glad you mentioned those things. I’m new to ballet, but I noticed the timing issues with Osipova too. I’m familiar with the music having played it in Orchestras. There was a pas de deux in which she wasn’t in time as well as dance of the SPF and yes, the sparkle wasn’t there for me either. Agree about the Corps too spacing was off at times. 

I think if an untrained eye such as myself can see these things then yes it’s not the most ideal performance. It was magical but not perfect - having said that idk why we even expect perfection as people are just human beings doing their best and I was transported to another world for 2 hours so 🤷‍♀️
Also agree about Reece Clark I was looking for his biography in the Principals section of the programme and I thought they’d accidentally left him out of it. I was quite shocked to find he was a first soloist as he literally was stand out amazing for me.
In my humble opinion Olivia Cowley should be promoted too her Arabian Princess was breathtaking. 

I haven't seen Nutcracker yet but agree that Reece Clarke is stunning.  I was surprised to see that Joonhyuk Jun is so low in the ranks as his dancing really stood out too.

[LinMM]

Who did the Arabian Dance? 

[Fonty]

2 hours ago, Angela Essex said:

Yes TSR! I’m so glad you mentioned those things. I’m new to ballet, but I noticed the timing issues with Osipova too. I’m familiar with the music having played it in Orchestras. There was a pas de deux in which she wasn’t in time as well as dance of the SPF and yes, the sparkle wasn’t there for me either. 

 

 

I really dislike the dance of the SPF in this production.  I think the choreography doesn't fit in properly with the music, and also it contains some rather ugly steps which no ballerina can do justice to. 

[Lizbie1]

20 minutes ago, Fonty said:

 

I really dislike the dance of the SPF in this production.  I think the choreography doesn't fit in properly with the music, and also it contains some rather ugly steps which no ballerina can do justice to. 

 

Do you mean the gargouillades? They can look pretty odd but some dancers make them them look good I think. In any case, they're (I believe) survivors from Petipa, so that could be seen as justifying their inclusion. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.)

 

Or you may be talking about something else entirely!

[Fonty]

Yes, those are the ones.  I have very rarely, if ever, seen anyone execute them in a way that looks graceful.

[Emeralds]

1 hour ago, LinMM said:

Who did the Arabian Dance? 

The cast list says Olivia Cowley and Nicol Edmonds, and it looks like them in the photos, I think (wasn’t there but saw them in the originally-Osipova-and-Clarke ensemble the previous week).