Royal Ballet - Romeo and Juliet - Winter 2022

[alison]

6 hours ago, CCL said:

Hamilton gave everything as Juliet this afternoon. Her journey from wide-eyed innocent in Act 1 through the ecstasy of falling in love with Romeo to her anguish and isolation in Act 3 was heart-rending. Hirano was a dreamy, boyish Romeo in Act 1 and once he had met Juliet, ardent and impassioned. Great chemistry between them. I also very much enjoyed Gary Avis as Tybalt and the dazzling Mercutio of Francisco Serrano - wow! What a lovely way to spend my day off

 

That's great to hear.  I'd not been particularly impressed with her Juliet the previous time I'd seen her, but seeing what Ferri's coaching had done for Nunez I was hoping the same would apply to Hamilton too.  And I'm just gutted that due to work overrunning I wasn't able to go and see it  

[bridiem]

Cast sheet for tonight is up:

https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/36/romeo-and-juliet-by-kenneth-macmillan/cast-list/49085

[Dawnstar]

Acri again! I don't know if he's actually done Mercutio at more than half of this season's performances but it certainly feels like it. This'll be my 4th time seeing him out of 6 performances. I do think he's good in the role but a bit more Mercutio variety would be nice!

[Rob S]

13 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

Acri again! I don't know if he's actually done Mercutio at more than half of this season's performances but it certainly feels like it. This'll be my 4th time seeing him out of 6 performances. I do think he's good in the role but a bit more Mercutio variety would be nice!

Such Acrimony! 😆

[bangorballetboy]

1 hour ago, Dawnstar said:

Acri again! I don't know if he's actually done Mercutio at more than half of this season's performances but it certainly feels like it. This'll be my 4th time seeing him out of 6 performances. I do think he's good in the role but a bit more Mercutio variety would be nice!

 

25%

[art_enthusiast]

Just have to say, loving Mayara's performance so far! Very natural acting and superb dancing of course. The same goes for Calvin Richardson.

 

[JennyTaylor]

I have Matthew Ball sitting in front of me and Nicol Edmonds next to me!

[Rob S]

1 minute ago, JennyTaylor said:

I have Matthew Ball sitting in front of me and Nicol Edmonds next to me!

 Ooh whereabouts are you? 

Edited February 10, 2022 by Rob S

[Rob S]

Spotted them, you’re playing it very cool Jenny! 🙂

[JennyTaylor]

J6 orch stalls. Another late return ticket. Jackpot in all respects 

[Dawnstar]

2 hours ago, bangorballetboy said:

25%

 

I thought I was probably overestimating.

 

I've discovered an upside to seeing the same Mercutio of the 4th time: during the Mercutio/Tybalt fight rather than focusing on the combatants I spent most of it looking at Romeo's reactions. And so I ended up sobbing at the end of Act II for the 2nd time this season.

[AnticaFiamma]

6 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

I thought I was probably overestimating.

 

I've discovered an upside to seeing the same Mercutio of the 4th time: during the Mercutio/Tybalt fight rather than focusing on the combatants I spent most of it looking at Romeo's reactions. And so I ended up sobbing at the end of Act II for the 2nd time this season.

Calvin Richardson was amazing in it, he's so expressive! Most Romeos just act in denial or shell-shocked, which is legit but not as gripping

[JennyTaylor]

Well, that was a beautifully heart breaking performance from both Mayara and Calvin. Another completely different interpretation. Loved it!

[Dawnstar]

I feel shattered after that. I'm glad @Rob S was there to provide his usual perfect photos because I was trembling too much at the end of Act III to be able to hold my camera steady! I loved Magri as Juliet but then I expected to, as I have yet to not like her in any role I've seen her in. The revelation for me was Richardson, who I've not seen in many big roles - really only in The Cellist before this - and who I was extremely impressed & moved by.

[bridiem]

I thought both Magri and Richardson were absolutely wonderful. Magri was such a sweet, pretty, innocent girl in Act I - someone who loved her life and had no reason to fear the future. So when she fell in love with Romeo it was all the sincerity and joy of a child who allows herself to be swept away into the golden life she always believed in. And Richardson was an equally passionate Romeo - full of life and fun and bursting with happiness when he finds his Juliet. Both of them danced so beautifully - they were lyrical, musical and completely in tune with each other. And so the tragedy unfolded and all the youthful hope turned into ragged despair and ugly death. Heartbreaking. 

[Dawnstar]

4 minutes ago, bridiem said:

And Richardson was an equally passionate Romeo - full of life and fun and bursting with happiness when he finds his Juliet.

 

I thought he came over as absolutely besotted with Juliet in the literal meaning of the word: drunk & dazed with love. It was incredibly endearing. (And I now really want to see him do Des Grieux in the future.)

[AnticaFiamma]

Calvin Richardson's Ulysses and Mayara Magri's Myrtha were two of my favourite things about the Autumn season at Covent Garden: tonight I came in with great expectations, and they were all surpassed. I'm sure no one could say it was a debut – let alone a double one! – they danced with the chemistry and intensity of very experienced partners.

 

Magri is a white-hot Juliet: she virtually dies at the end of the bedroom pad des deux and spends the rest of the act in a state of desperation almost too intense to behold. Her confrontation with her parents, her meeting with the friar and the decision of drinking the potion are one gem after the other. Her final scene in the crypt is a masterclass in grief and determination: while for many Juliets the silent scream is just part of the choreography, Magri joins the list of great actresses that (like Helene Wiegel in Mother Courage or Jessica Tandy in The Birds) turn this "trope" into a moment of pure expressionism. You hear that scream. For some reason, it really moved me that she stabbed herself right under her left breast, exactly where she had put Romeo's hand two acts earlier. The dancing is also first rate (those arabesques! those bourrees!) and the only reminder that just a couple of months ago she was dancing a perfect Myrtha in Giselle. Juliet is the exact opposite of the queen of the Willis, and the fact that she danced both parts so perfectly really is testament to Magri's talent.

 

Richardson is her perfect match, his Romeo is youthful, charming, surely experienced with women but absolutely unprepared for Juliet. He brings raw sexual tension to the balcony and the bedroom pas de deux, and he had amazing chemistry not only with Magri but also with Benvolio and Mercutio. Their scene before the ball was perfectly executed, one of the finest I've seen in the past couple of weeks. His grief at Mercutio's death was unbearable, and the heartbreak in the Capulets' crypt was just beyond words: when he drags Juliet's body by the arm he is so bent that almost collapses under the weight of his loss.

 

It was truly an exceptional night and it's a real shame that this was their only public performance this season. So far Fumi Kaneno & William Bracewell have been my favourite R&J of the season by a mile: now there's a very close second.

Edited February 11, 2022 by AnticaFiamma

[Rob S]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 11, 2022 by Rob S

[bridiem]

Thank you so much, Rob S! Terrific photos (as always).

[Sim]

The raw, honest emotion of Magri’s Act 3 is what has stayed with me.  I drank a large glass of wine when I got home to help me recover.  We knew she could do feisty after her Kitri and her Swanilda, but my goodness the vulnerable and desolate also came out tonight, in a way that I wasn’t expecting.  Just wow.  

[Scheherezade]

2 minutes ago, Sim said:

The raw, honest emotion of Magri’s Act 3 is what has stayed with me.  I drank a large glass of wine when I got home to help me recover.  We knew she could do feisty after her Kitri and her Swanilda, but my goodness the vulnerable and desolate also came out tonight, in a way that I wasn’t expecting.  Just wow.  

I so agree! Unexpected and totally wonderful. I was anticipating good things from Magri but her Juliet exceeded my every expectation. From the unforced innocence of her opening scenes to the visceral, searing heartbreak at the close, she held me every extraordinary step of the way. If this was her debut, what can we expect from her in the future? This girl is truly a class act!

[SLH]

I haven’t posted on here for years but felt the need to after last night. Mayara Magri is outstanding in everything she does, such strength and truth in her dancing but Calvin Richardson, just WOW. He was extraordinary, I 100% believed in them both from the beginning. He was Romeo, she Juliet and my heart broke. It still is. Last night was one of those performances I’ll always remember. I first noticed him in a World Ballet Day rehearsal of the Sleeping Beauty prologue from 2018, such understated elegance. If the RB powers that be read this, more of him please, I’d love to see him do Manon or Onegin. 

[Swan]

Fabulous photos Rob S, thank you. Loving the comments from everyone at the performance last night and I’m looking forward to seeing Mayara and Calvin as R&J in a future run.

[LinMM]

So happy to read that Magri has delighted (and affected) so many people in this role. I’ve always thought she could be a star in the making since watching her at the Prix some years back now!  I’m really looking forward to her Swan Lake next month with Corrales. 
Those piccies are really exceptional Rob and have finally helped me to fully identify Calvin Richardson!!  He was particularly good in Dante Project but it was too dark to see his face clearly. 

Another dancer to keep an eye on from now on anyway! 
 

[Odyssey]

Yes, I didn’t recognise him from the Dante Project. It’ll be good to go back to the World Ballet day class and look out for him.

This seems to be shaping up to be an exceptional run of R & J . Apart from the undoubted talent in the company at all levels, a lot has to be down to the superb coaching the dancers are receiving. 

[Scheherezade]

And, yes, I was so affected by Magri’s remarkable Juliet that I didn’t mention what an impressive debut Richardson also delivered last night. It was lovely to share in their delight, captured so beautifully in Rob S’s photographs, at the whoops and cheers from a rightly appreciative audience.  

[Dawnstar]

10 hours ago, SLH said:

If the RB powers that be read this, more of him please, I’d love to see him do Manon or Onegin. 

 

I'd quite like to see him have a go at Lensky first. After seeing what I did last night I think he could do Romantic poet very well.

 

6 hours ago, LinMM said:

I’m really looking forward to her Swan Lake next month with Corrales.

 

I'm very interested to see how they will go together in Swan Lake. I remember when I saw their debut in Coppelia thinking that in the grand pas they were excellent in their solos but some of the partnering looked like a bit of a work in progress so it'll be interesting to see what the Swan Lake partnering will be like, with a couple more years of experience for both. (I was musing on this after seeing Magri's Sugar Plum Fairy debut last month when the very experienced Hirano partnered her beautifully.)

 

One thing I don't think has been mentioned from last night was the amusing moment at the Act I ball where Acri, about to exit after Mercutio's taunting of Tybalt, got caught on one of Gartside's long sleeves. I thought for a moment he was going to take Gartside with him!

 

If anyone other than me is still on Romeo ballroom doublet watch, Richardson had the most common style with the double row of braid down the fron & round the neck and the slashed lower sleeves.

 

I've now seen 6 of the 7 R&J performances I'm due to see this season & I still feel it's not been enough. If only one could have 2 or 3 pairs of eyes for the crowd scenes, where there's always too much going on to be able to see it all.

[AnneL]

I just want to add my praise to the chorus for last night’s performance. This was the only Romeo and Juliet I shall see in the current run, other than the general rehearsal (in which Kaneko and Bracewell gave an exceptional account of the title roles) and I feel very fortunate to have been there on both occasions. 
Last night was a really special debut by both Magri and Richardson and it will live in my memory for a long, long time. I appreciated no only the drama and characterisation they brought to the roles but also their sheer talent, and I am aware too of all the hard work they must have put in. Not that they made it look like hard work, but such is the magic of ballet. 

[Dawnstar]

49 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

I'd quite like to see him have a go at Lensky first. After seeing what I did last night I think he could do Romantic poet very well.

 

Argh, that obviously should read "what he did last night". I wish I didn't always spot my typos just after the edit function has expired!

 

Oh and further to the subject of dancers in the audience last night, I was sat a few seats down from ENB's Francesca Velicu. I'd noticed her in the intervals & thought that she looked like a dancer & looked vaguely familiar but couldn't place her. Then afterwards I saw her post on Instagram & twigged it was her. Considering I'd been impressed by her in Raymonda only 3 weeks earlier I really ought to have recognised her!

[art_enthusiast]

1 hour ago, Dawnstar said:

Oh and further to the subject of dancers in the audience last night, I was sat a few seats down from ENB's Francesca Velicu. I'd noticed her in the intervals & thought that she looked like a dancer & looked vaguely familiar but couldn't place her. Then afterwards I saw her post on Instagram & twigged it was her. Considering I'd been impressed by her in Raymonda only 3 weeks earlier I really ought to have recognised her!

Where were you sitting, could I ask? Just curious about where the dancers themselves like to sit
 

Also has anyone ever sat in the front row of the Grand Tier, and what was it like? Just wondering, because it seems a bit far away compared to the stalls circle/stalls

[capybara]

18 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

Where were you sitting, could I ask? Just curious about where the dancers themselves like to sit
 

Also has anyone ever sat in the front row of the Grand Tier, and what was it like? Just wondering, because it seems a bit far away compared to the stalls circle/stalls

The dancers tend to sit wherever they can bag a seat!!

 

I ended up in the front row of the Grand Tier recently as that was all that was available at one juncture for the Osipova/Clarke performance. It was too far away for my liking but, then, I like to be as close to the stage as possible.

 

 

 

Edited February 11, 2022 by capybara

[MJW]

32 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

Where were you sitting, could I ask? Just curious about where the dancers themselves like to sit
 

Also has anyone ever sat in the front row of the Grand Tier, and what was it like? Just wondering, because it seems a bit far away compared to the stalls circle/stalls

 

I prefer the first or second rows of the GT (or the same with the Balcony) as I'm guaranteed an unobstructed view and feel a bit less "swamped" than when sometimes sitting in the Stalls

Edited February 11, 2022 by MJW
word addition

[Ingrid]

2 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

I'm very interested to see how they will go together in Swan Lake. I remember when I saw their debut in Coppelia thinking that in the grand pas they were excellent in their solos but some of the partnering looked like a bit of a work in progress so it'll be interesting to see what the Swan Lake partnering will be like, with a couple more years of experience for both. (I was musing on this after seeing Magri's Sugar Plum Fairy debut last month when the very experienced Hirano partnered her beautifully.)

 

Me too Dawn.

 

I like Corrales but I think his partnering skills still needs to be more developed. And since the Royal has amazing first soloists partnering principals, it's fair of us to expect a bit more from him. He's still young, so I hope we see that skill getting more refined as the years go. 

 

Can I post a small clip (1:00 minute) of the performance that I found on instagram here?