Sim Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 Oh dear….now I will forever be expecting Mr Blobby to be rushing out from the wings to save “Noel” by sitting on Romeo and squashing him! 😂😂 Poor Nicol…! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 I have no idea who Mr Blobby is - unless he is Noel Edmonds' alter ego. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnticaFiamma Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 What a lovely performance last night! He might have struggled a little with some of the early lifts, but Federico Bonelli's Romeo will be sorely missed. Before the show Kevin O'Hara said that Bonelli had really made the role his own and Fede spent the three following hours showing how right he was. From his being on the stage from the moment the curtain rose – following Rosaline more closely than any other Romeo – to the senatorial way in which he drapes the cape around his body, his Romeo is a fully fleshed-out character, brought to life with intelligent acting and the beauty and elegance of his dancing. Núnez was just wonderful, she really is the gift that keeps on giving: I'll never forget how tenderly she laid her head on Romeo's chest while leaning on him at the party; her sensuous abandonment on Fede's shoulders during the balcony PDD; how fiercely she confronted Paris and her father; and how achingly her arm reached out for the window from which her love had left before succumbing to the sleeping draught. The whole performance was stunning, but the bedroom pdd was a true highlight. The rest of cast was just as good, and the long curtail call was as moving as the show: the company's affection for Bonelli and Montes is SO evident! 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 49 minutes ago, capybara said: I have no idea who Mr Blobby is - unless he is Noel Edmonds' alter ego. He was an incredibly irritating cultural icon of the 1980s! Here he is with the RB’s newest recruit: 10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 just need a tank of green gunk now... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 😂😂😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nogoat Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 19 hours ago, Shade said: Thank you Nogoat for your comprehensive analysis. I generally agree but I did find Act 3 on Saturday just as visceral as the Hallberg performance. I recall a real scream in that one though. Did you see the Acosta R&J? Hi @Shade. Yes, I think we are talking about fine margins here - reaching either the top of K2 or Everest is, to my non-mountaineering mind, so impressive as to be effectively equal. And, yes, I did see the Acosta R&J - and all those other amazing performances with her; Manon, Giselle, etc. He, too, was one of those completely failsafe partners that she could abandon herself to. So, thank you, because now I'm looking at not just K2 and Everest, but the whole blooming vista of the Himalayas! 🙂 But I guess over the years the fine detail of those performances has somewhat faded from memory, just like a range of mountains into the distance. I didn't read the forum back in 2013, nor commit anything to writing, and I'm grateful that doing so over the past few years has allowed me to consolidate my memories of specific performances, and also helped me understand why I feel the way I do about particular performers/performances/pieces/etc. I am endlessly fascinated by how and why such an outwardly curious artform as ballet has such a profound effect on me - at its best it's like stepping into Virtual Reality for the soul. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 4 hours ago, zxDaveM said: just need a tank of green gunk now... Stop!! Too too funny to imagine 🤣🤣 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 3 hours ago, Nogoat said: I am endlessly fascinated by how and why such an outwardly curious artform as ballet has such a profound effect on me - at its best it's like stepping into Virtual Reality for the soul. What a wonderful description Nogoat -you've absolutely summed the joy of ballet-watching up for me. Thank you. 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 1 hour ago, Nogoat said: But I guess over the years the fine detail of those performances has somewhat faded from memory, just like a range of mountains into the distance. I didn't read the forum back in 2013, nor commit anything to writing, and I'm grateful that doing so over the past few years has allowed me to consolidate my memories of specific performances, and also helped me understand why I feel the way I do about particular performers/performances/pieces/etc. I am endlessly fascinated by how and why such an outwardly curious artform as ballet has such a profound effect on me - at its best it's like stepping into Virtual Reality for the soul. Nogoat, I like the way you express an added benefit of using this forum over the years as it does indeed act as a record we can revisit.... I certainly can chart much in my journey on here as an adult dancer, a dance Mum, an audience member & a general ballet gossip!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 A musing on last nights R&J This comment may reflect the fact that I was in a restricted view seat quite far from stage of course.... It struck me for once how beautiful the leading lady’s pointe shoes were! So often we see dirty ripped satin, bulky & tatty darning, bunion bulging & even bloodied shoes! Ms Nunez’s shoes last night were pristine & added to her picture perfect image of the quintessential ballerina that she so wonderfully embodies! What a pleasure! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 17 hours ago, Dawnstar said: I took curtain call photos at tonight's performance but the results range from unsatisfactory to disasterous! As no-one else has posted any yet, I'll post some of mine (in the former category) as I suppose they're better than nothing. If anyone has taken better ones (not difficult) & posts them subsequently then I'll ask the moderators to remove mine. Had a feeling when the casting went up that this might be Federico’s last Romeo. Couldn’t make it on 1 Feb so I went on 13 Jan instead and he, Marianela and Erico were wonderful in their roles. Felt so grateful and thrilled to see these outstanding artists and their brilliant colleagues. To use a metaphor from the upcoming Olympics, they are the gold medal winning dream team indeed, in this ballet. All the best to Erico! Thanks for the lovely photos showing all the emotion and spontaneity, Dawnstar. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 A few comments on last night. I did find it hard to concentrate fully on the performance, as once the delay at the start of Act II happened part of my mind was worrying about trains home throughout Acts II & III, which may have been why I wasn't quite as emotional as at some of the other R&Js I've seen. Trust me to manage to see Bonelli for the first time as Romeo at his last performance in the role (only beaten by me managing to see Soares for the first time full stop at his last performance of anything!). I spent much of the performance thinking what a shame it's his last when he still looks so young, really he didn't look any older than Acri or Dubreuil, & is still dancing so well. Admittedly a couple of the lifts looked rather effortful but I did spot when looking through my curtain call photos that he had some strapping on his left hand so perhaps he's nursing a slight injury. I saw Nunez as Juliet in 2019 & wasn't too keen on her in the role but I thought she was far better last night. I'm sure having a partner she knows well, as opposed to substitute from another company, must have helped, but I also thought she was better in most of the scenes without Romeo (I still didn't quite buy the childish Juliet in her first scene). I'm not expert enough to properly judge dancing but the sheer quality of some of her movements last night I found breathtaking. Juliet running to Friar Laurence is one of my favourite moments of choreography anyway but Nunez's position when she paused for a spilt second having picked up her wrap but before starting to run brought tears to my eyes from the sheer beauty of posture (I hope this doesn't sound too daft a comment). The speed of her supported pirouettes was repeatedly amazing. Acri was excellent as Mercutio again (though I would like to see some other Mercutios please casting gods!). I enjoyed Dubreuil's elegant Benvolio, the first time I've seen him. Whitehead is still delivering unrelieved nastiness as Tybalt & I'm still itching to take a pair of scissors to that ponytail! This is the first time I've seen Pajdak as Mercutio's Harlot & I thought she was very moving at his death, the best I've seen since Magri in 2019. I'm sure Storm-Jensen as Benvolio's Harlot has got more vulgar since her debut last autum! I was pleased to see Ikarashi as the lead Mandolin Dancer again. Does anyone know who played the other leading Capulet lady at the ball? I thought it looked like Annette Buvoli but as she was playing Lady Montague I don't know if that's a likely doubling. The first time I really noticed Montes was as Friar Laurence in April 2019 (yes, I know that's late but my first live RB performance was only in October 2018) so it was lovely to see him in the role again & I'm very pleased I got to see his final performance. 11 hours ago, Minniethemoocher said: This was my latest night at the ROH since March 2020 - I am exhausted today but worth it to see such a marvellous performance You have my sympathy on the exhaustion. I'm aching all over today! 40 minutes ago, Emeralds said: Thanks for the lovely photos showing all the emotion and spontaneity, Dawnstar. You're welcome. I'm relieved that no-one's so far complained that they're not very good quality! 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyTaylor Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 First of all @Dawnstar your photos are great and really capture the moment. Photos are notoriously difficult to take of curtain calls because the lighting. I've tried many times and just get a blur. Yours are lovely. I agree with so many of your comments from last night. I was so disappointed with Marianela's previous outing in this role as she had such an unsatisfactory partner, but last night allowed her to give the role her all with a partner who matched her minute by minute. It's always lovely to see the relatively younger dancers play these 2 roles but it's also a privilege to see top class experienced performers play R&J and bring all their years of knowledge to the role - and still provide a fresh approach. Yes, I felt Bonelli, did struggle with some of the lifts especially actually the final one when he puts Juliet back onto the stone catafulque. He actually adjusted her in his arms before lifting her on. I also thought he was a little conservative in his dancing on a few occasions. But, it didn't matter at all, because his performance as a whole had such depth and skill in all its aspects. Go see James Hay as Mercutio (should be him at the cinema showing). He is just awesome. All, I would say, is give me another Tybalt - any other really. Claire Calvert's Rosaline continues to fascinate me. More detailed interplay as Romeo notices Juliet for the first time at the ball. How I love that each performance is the "same" but is always so different. Last night's was definitely unique for so many reasons including the lovely farewells and celebrations at the end. Also, was it my imagination or did the house lights go partially up at the start of the ball scene? 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 @JennyTaylor Thanks. The curtain call lighting definitely doesn't help for R&J. The other ballets I've seen in the last month, RB Nutcracker & ENB Raymonda, definitely had brighter lighting so my photos worked better. The lift that made me a bit nervous was when he lifted her above his head in the balcony scene. Once she got her foot over his shoulder it was okay but the first couple of seconds were a bit nerve-wracking! I didn't book for the O'Sullivan/Sambe cast because I was intending to see the cinecast but unfortunately I now can't as my mother is having an operation on 17th & we have to isolate for 3 days beforehand, which knocks out going to the cinema on 14th. Once I saw Ball's Tybalt in 2019 I'm afraid it rather spoiled me for most of the other current Tybalts by comparison! I did think at one point the house lights seemed a bit brighter than normal but I can't recall whether that was the ball scene or not. In the final scene I was slightly distracted by a light from the wings that seemed to be coming & going. Maybe the technical issue that necessitated the Act II re-start had something to do with lighting glitches? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 A brief return to Friday and Saturday matinee and a pair of fabulous performances. I thought Anna-Rose O’Sullivan and Marcelino Sambe really well matched and very much the young lovers, intoxicated in their passion. James Hay was a great Mercutio and I very much enjoyed Leo Dixon’s Benvolio. I wasn’t so taken with Thomas Whitehead’s Tybalt. Romeo and Juliet really takes off when the audience cares what happens to all the principal characters. There were some fabulous ensembles in the earlier run and I thought more energetic, better timed sword fights. Nevertheless I’m very much looking forward to seeing this cast in the cinema. I very much enjoyed seeing Yasmine Naghdi and Matthew Ball at Saturday’s matinee, taking me back to their magical, unforgettable debut in October 2015, again a Saturday matinee. It’s been wonderful seeing how they have seized the opportunities presented and so richly developed their careers. This performance I was particularly struck by the ecstasy of Yasmine Naghdi’s balcony scene, those luxurious arches, with Matthew Ball’s indomitable partnering. And great to see Gary Avis’s Tybalt. Managed a quick pasta before catching Yasmine and Matthew at the Stage Door. Not quite the crowds of October 2015 but delighted to be reminded of so many cherished memories. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnticaFiamma Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 (edited) 58 minutes ago, Dawnstar said: Juliet running to Friar Laurence is one of my favourite moments of choreography anyway but Nunez's position when she paused for a spilt second having picked up her wrap but before starting to run brought tears to my eyes from the sheer beauty of posture (I hope this doesn't sound too daft a comment). The speed of her supported pirouettes was repeatedly amazing. Oh god yes, that slow-motion movement was fantastic, it hit me like a ton of brick. I had a sense of deja vu because they played the slow motion trick a lot in Theodora, which I had seen the previous night, but when Nunez did it last night she was really magnificent and added so much gravitas and depth to the moment. Edited February 2, 2022 by AnticaFiamma 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 (edited) BREAKING NEWS: The ponytail has gone! At this point I have no idea if it resigned or it and Mr Whitehead had just grown apart. More info if I get it. Edited February 3, 2022 by Rob S 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanJL Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 1 hour ago, Rob S said: BREAKING NEWS: The ponytail has gone! At this point I have no idea if it resigned or it and Mr Whitehead had just grown apart. More info if I get it. Wow! Could this cause a continuity issue if they need to fall back on a combination of the two filmed performances for the cinema relay...? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 1 hour ago, DanJL said: Wow! Could this cause a continuity issue if they need to fall back on a combination of the two filmed performances for the cinema relay...? Quite possibly as his hair also appears to be a different colour and a different style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art_enthusiast Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 Great shot @bangorballetboy! Amazing performance from O'Sullivan and Sambe tonight. I was particularly moved by the crypt scene, Juliet's reaction to Romeo's death and vice versa, I really had the impression of being crazed by grief. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 1 hour ago, Rob S said: Quite possibly as his hair also appears to be a different colour and a different style. We thought it was a wig. Lord knows why, but it’s a wig! I think…🤔. I also said the same thing about the film continuity. I guess they are just going to have to use one or the other of his performances. Maybe it’ll rest on which hairdo the producers prefer?! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 7 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said: Great shot @bangorballetboy! Amazing performance from O'Sullivan and Sambe tonight. I was particularly moved by the crypt scene, Juliet's reaction to Romeo's death and vice versa, I really had the impression of being crazed by grief. I loved that moment when she stretched her arm out to Romeo as if to say “wait one minute, I am coming to join you” just before she runs to grab the knife. I have never seen that before and it was very moving. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Perregrino Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 Just adding ‘column inches’ to this thread so the page turns over as soon as possible. It is very disconcerting if not downright disturbing to see Mr Blobby when I want to read about R&J! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 But if you click on the star/circle next to the thread title, surely it'll take you to the new post, so you don't have to see Mr Blobby at all?! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 1 hour ago, alison said: But if you click on the star/circle next to the thread title, surely it'll take you to the new post, so you don't have to see Mr Blobby at all?! I find it’s clicking on the time displayed under the poster’s name that takes me to the latest post eg ‘1 hour ago’. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 3 minutes ago, JohnS said: I find it’s clicking on the time displayed under the poster’s name that takes me to the latest post eg ‘1 hour ago’. yes, that's what I use too. Only disadvantage, is that if there are lots of posts since you last read the thread, you either read them all backwards, or more logically, have to scroll up to where the first 'unread' post starts and go from there 🙂 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 4 minutes ago, JohnS said: I find it’s clicking on the time displayed under the poster’s name that takes me to the latest post eg ‘1 hour ago’. It does, but clicking on the star ensures that you're taken to the latest post that you haven't read (rather than the latest post), which I find very useful. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silke H Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 Some curtain call photos here: Bonelli Nunez 01 Feb 22 Sambé O'Sullivan 03 Feb 22 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 1 minute ago, Silke H said: Sambé O'Sullivan 03 Feb 22 You had a lucky escape during the second interval last night, I almost popped over to ask the woman in SCS D38-39ish if she was Missbunnyman...I wasn't completely sure so didn't but I'm guessing now that it was you😆 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silke H Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 7 minutes ago, Rob S said: You had a lucky escape during the second interval last night, I almost popped over to ask the woman in SCS D38-39ish if she was Missbunnyman...I wasn't completely sure so didn't but I'm guessing now that it was you😆 I was in SCS D36, so I may have overheard and revealed myself 😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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