Birmingham Royal Ballet: Carlos Acosta's new production of Don Quixote, 2022

[Jan McNulty]

BRB are performing Don Q at Sadler’s Wells in July.

[capybara]

9 hours ago, alison said:

Did they wear their costumes from the RB production, or ones from BRB's?

 

Nunez and Muntagirov were, in the main, wearing costumes which looked familiar to me.

[SheilaC]

Who was the Don? Last week in Birmingham I saw 3 dons. Two made the most of the humour but Valentin Olovyannikov was superb, not just presenting him as a geriatric buffoon, like the others, but bringing out his misplaced idealism and gallantry, even dignity, which added depth.

[Guest oncnp]

4 stars from the Financial Times (paywall but also in tomorrow's links). When was the last time the FT went to Birmingham? 

 

Carlos Acosta’s Birmingham Royal Ballet stages his new-look Don Quixote | Financial Times (ft.com)

[capybara]

2 hours ago, SheilaC said:

Who was the Don?

 
Jonathan Payn.

[Jan McNulty]

1 hour ago, oncnp said:

4 stars from the Financial Times (paywall but also in tomorrow's links). When was the last time the FT went to Birmingham? 

 

Carlos Acosta’s Birmingham Royal Ballet stages his new-look Don Quixote | Financial Times (ft.com)

 

It's just a shame they came up to see guests rather than company members in the leading roles!

[Ian Macmillan]

Re the Paywall:  Try copying the article title from the FT site into Google and there's every chance that you'll be able to get in, possibly via answering a question or two.  No idea how putting Google in the loop helps, but it frequently does for me. 

[Jan McNulty]

31 minutes ago, Ian Macmillan said:

Re the Paywall:  Try copying the article title from the FT site into Google and there's every chance that you'll be able to get in, possibly via answering a question or two.  No idea how putting Google in the loop helps, but it frequently does for me. 

 

Me too Ian.  I was able to read it before.  I keep a browser that I use solely for paywalled articles and I keep clearing the cache.  That seems quite effective.

[capybara]

1 hour ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

It's just a shame they came up to see guests rather than company members in the leading roles!

Completely agree.

Judging by the ticket sales , the on stage and online responses of company members and the audience reaction, inviting guests looks as if it was a good idea. But, for a daily paper which isn’t known for its willingness to travel outside of London, to do so to review a performance by guest artists feels discourteous to BRB and its dancers.

 

(By the way, there have been announcements on social media - including by him - that Yaseo Atsuji  is leaving BRB at the end of this week to return to Japan as a freelance dancer.)

Edited February 23, 2022 by capybara

[CCL]

1 hour ago, Ian Macmillan said:

Re the Paywall:  Try copying the article title from the FT site into Google and there's every chance that you'll be able to get in, possibly via answering a question or two.  No idea how putting Google in the loop helps, but it frequently does for me. 

It worked for me, too! Thank you for the tip, Ian!

[alison]

It's not worked for me recently - I'd meant to ask you and Jan about it, Ian.  I keep getting a "become a subscriber" page.

[Jan McNulty]

1 hour ago, capybara said:

 

 

(By the way, there have been announcements on social media - including by him - that Yaseo Atsuji  is leaving BRB at the end of this week to return to Japan as a freelance dancer.)

 

There's a news item on the website:

 

https://www.brb.org.uk/post/farwell-to-yasuo-atsuji-details-of-final-performances

 

It was also announced in a general supporters' email from the company.

 

Yasuo will be much missed.  I had hoped that he would perform Basilio - he showed what a fine actor in comedy roles he was in Shrew and Fille.

[LinMM]

I’m hoping to catch this in July now! 

[jmhopton]

13 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

BRB are performing Don Q at Sadler’s Wells in July.

Do we have any dates for July, please? 

[TSR101]

2 minutes ago, jmhopton said:

Do we have any dates for July, please? 

 

6-9th July 

 

https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/birmingham-royal-ballet-don-quixote/

[jmhopton]

7 minutes ago, TSR101 said:

 

6-9th July 

 

https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/birmingham-royal-ballet-don-quixote/

 

Thanks very much TSR101. I thought I'd looked on the website but obviously not looked in the right place! I'm staying in Rye that week so am keeping everything crossed Brandon is doing another matinee as it's tricky getting back in an evening. Otherwise might try another cast as I'd love to see it again and I've rather gone off the Lowry as a venue which is by far the nearest venue for me. It's just such a nightmare to get there for driving or fiddly getting the train to Manchester and the tram out to Salford.

 

By the way I'm sure Marianela and Vadim were using their RB Don Q costumes. Don't know how they differ from the BRB ones.

Edited February 23, 2022 by jmhopton

[TSR101]

I went to Don Quixote last night, and although I still find this new Acosta production a little disjointed at times, in general it was a lovely evening of Ballet. A lot of the people near me were talking about coming to see Marianela and Vadim (so Acosta's idea seems to be paying off) and there were a number of children from ballet school excitedly chatting about getting to see them too and amazed by what Marianela can do. As you would expect, Vadim and Marianela were brilliant with only a couple of small errors on the one handed lift in the first act that really stood out. However, I also thought Alexander Yap was excellent as a Espada and Javier Rojas made an excellent 'gypsy king'. Both had great stage presence. All in all a great night, albeit I had forgotten how uncomfortable the Hippodrome seats are! 

Edited February 23, 2022 by TSR101

[Jan McNulty]

2 minutes ago, jmhopton said:

 

Thanks very much TSR101. I thought I'd looked on the website but obviously not looked in the right place! I'm staying in Rye that week so am keeping everything crossed Brandon is doing another matinee as it's tricky getting back in an evening.

 

Brandon and Celine are due to do this Saturday evening in Birmingham.  I loved their performance on Saturday afternoon last week.

 

It doesn't look as though they are scheduled for the rest of the tour (although SW casting hasn't been announced yet).  I know there have been some casting issues due to Covid but it looks as though Miki/Lachlan, Qian/Max and Momoko/Mathias have been picking up extra performances on the tour.

[jmhopton]

1 minute ago, TSR101 said:

I went to Don Quixote last night, and although I still find this new Acosta production a little disjointed at times, in general it was a lovely evening of Ballet. A lot of the people near me were talking about coming to see Marianela and Vadim (so Acosta's idea seems to be paying off) and there were a number of children from ballet school excitedly chatting about getting to see them too and amazed by what Marianela can do. As you would expect, Vadim and Marianela were brilliant with only a couple of small errors on the one handed lift in the first act that really stood out. However, I also thought Alexander Japp was excellent as a Espada and Javier Rojas made an excellent 'gypsy king'. both had great stage presence. All in all a great night, albeit I had forgotten how uncomfortable the Hippodrome seats were! 

Yes, I thought the one-handed lifts were rather truncated, especially the second one. Didn't at all detract from the splendour of the overall performance, though.

[Jan McNulty]

2 minutes ago, TSR101 said:

 Alexander Japp was excellent as a Espada and Javier Rojas made an excellent 'gypsy king'. Both had great stage presence. 

 

It's Alexander Yap not Japp.

 

Mathias one-handed lifts with Beatrice on Saturday night were breath-taking!

[TSR101]

3 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

It's Alexander Yap not Japp.

 

Mathias one-handed lifts with Beatrice on Saturday night were breath-taking!

 

Not sure how I managed to spell it incorrectly when I had his BRB page up to look at what else he's done but corrected now! thanks

[TSR101]

4 minutes ago, jmhopton said:

Yes, I thought the one-handed lifts were rather truncated, especially the second one. Didn't at all detract from the splendour of the overall performance, though.

 

Yes I think Marianela struggled to maintain her balance both times and she wavered a bit which moved her centre of gravity around (Vadim looked very solid with the lift) but I forgive her, she made up for it in the latter acts! 

[Jan McNulty]

Just now, TSR101 said:

 

Not sure how I managed to spell it incorrectly when I had his BRB page up to look at what else he's done but corrected now! thanks

 

It may have been auto-correct - perhaps whoever wrote the auto-correct software is an Agatha Christie fan!

[Dawnstar]

2 hours ago, LinMM said:

I’m hoping to catch this in July now! 

 

Same here, but I fear that the performances might sell out before casting is announced & I don't want to book until there's casting. I can foresee a lot of refreshing Sadler's Wells website in search of returns at the start of July!

[DanJL]

Fantastic performance tonight - really loved the production and wonderful dancing throughout. Particularly enjoyed Alexander Yap as Espada and Beatrice Parma as one of Kitri's friends. 

 

Have to say that Nuñez and Muntagirov were out of this world. One of the single handed lifts was wonderfully executed tonight incidentally and held for a good long time. The other not quite as successful. Everything else they did was magic, both in terms of execution and the spirit and enjoyment they bring to the roles. I've seen them dance the act 3 pas de deux in galas, but tonight's rendition was on a whole other level to that and received a standing ovation of its own! 

 

But overall very many things to enjoy in this new production and I look forward to seeing much more of BRB both in this and in other ballets! 

[alison]

6 minutes ago, DanJL said:

Particularly enjoyed Alexander Yap as Espada

 

Yes, I thought when I saw it in Southampton that he, and Yu Karihara as Mercedes, had the necessary attitude and general "wow factor" for Don Q.  I'm hoping others will have developed it more by now, too.  I believe that Yu is doing Kitri, but on the basis of what I saw I'd be interested to see Yap as Basilio as well.

[Pulcinella]

36 minutes ago, DanJL said:

Fantastic performance tonight - really loved the production and wonderful dancing throughout. Particularly enjoyed Alexander Yap as Espada and Beatrice Parma as one of Kitri's friends. 

 

Have to say that Nuñez and Muntagirov were out of this world. One of the single handed lifts was wonderfully executed tonight incidentally and held for a good long time. The other not quite as successful. Everything else they did was magic, both in terms of execution and the spirit and enjoyment they bring to the roles. I've seen them dance the act 3 pas de deux in galas, but tonight's rendition was on a whole other level to that and received a standing ovation of its own! 

 

But overall very many things to enjoy in this new production and I look forward to seeing much more of BRB both in this and in other ballets! 

I have to agree with DanJL about this performance, the whole company were on fire and Nunez and Muntagirov gave a lesson in how to completely control all your movements while making them exciting as well. A well deserved standing ovation at the end, a rarity for the ballet at the Hippodrome. It made all the travel problems I had getting there well worthwhile and I came away with a broad grin on my face. This was my first viewing of this production as I unfortunately had to miss the matinee last Saturday as all my trains were cancelled owing to the storms. Looking forward to seeing Mizutani and Monaghan tomorrow afternoon and having another view of the production.

[Balletfanp]

Well, what a hugely enjoyable evening it was last night. Such a huge mood lifter, the colour and fun couldn’t fail to entertain and brighten everyone’s mood. The slightest of stories padded out with wit and humour.

 

The production has been very skilfully adapted from the RB version to fit smaller stages but hasn’t suffered by that for the most part - I didn’t miss the larger scale. Some of the new costumes are beautiful (especially the gypsies in Act 2). Nunez and Muntagirov did indeed wear their RB costumes throughout (not enough time to fit them with new ones, I don’t suppose), but they blended in and didn’t look out of place. The windmill effect was cleverly and effectively done. My only regret was the loss of those beautiful pastel floral tutus in Act 2 - some of my favourites in ballet - although Marianela did wear hers. The new ones are lovely but couldn’t match those imo.

 

On to the performance. The Company as a whole danced with great fire and enthusiasm with some standout performances - more on those later. There was the odd mishap; what looked like possibly a slippery patch on the stage caused one of Kitri’s friends to take a tumble, and two matadors had a mid-air collision due to, I think, one of them leaping the wrong way, ending in a fall for both of them. It actually looked quite nasty - they did, like the professionals they are, pick themselves up and carry on, but I do hope they are both OK 🙁.

 

Marianela and Vadim were absolutely on fire. Marianela is such a perfect Kitri - as Acosta has said in the past, she is made for this role, funny, feisty, flirtatious, and with the stunning technique to match. Vadim is the sunniest, most charming Basilio you could hope for, with that brilliant smile, a cheeky edge and great comic timing. His Basilio is ever optimistic and never cast down by any of his tribulations. Of course - it goes without saying - his dancing and partnering were both superb. The first one-handed lift was rock solid and held perfectly. The second wasn’t quite so clean and again it looked as though Marianela didn’t quite position herself perfectly for it so she was slightly off balance from the word go. It was still held, but wasn’t as long. It didn’t matter!

 

Their Act 3 dancing was just stupendous. The pas de Deux was simply a masterclass in classical dance and partnering, and they are relaxed enough with it for it to look effortless, which allows them to connect and enjoy it. It’s a common thing with most dancers that that you can kind of tell from their faces when there’s a tricky move coming up - never with these two.

 

I adore Marianela’s Kitri variation and the flirtatious, vibrant character she brings to it.  She works that fan to the max! Vadim’s solo was amazing - those effortless leaps, those perfect, whip-fast pirouettes. He didn’t have the space on stage that he really needed (he didn’t do the split leaps he usually does), but in the coda he did do those amazing - what would you call them? Scissor action cabrioles? - that no one else seems to do, and make me wince a bit as I can’t help but think of the strain it must put on his back to do them. But they look spectacular, no doubt about it! The audience began to applaud halfway through the coda and didn’t stop!

 

Of the other performances, the standouts for me were Alexander Yap as Espada - possibly the best Espada I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen him in anything else but he totally owned that role. One could understand why the townswomen were swooning over him! Also, the lead gypsies, Eilis Small and Javier Rojas - she smouldered wonderfully and he danced and leaped with abandon and a very Romany flourish. It seemed a little odd seeing a male dancing Amour, but then, why not? Cupid was male, after all. Max Maslen danced the role beautifully and cleanly.

 

There was massive applause at the end with some people standing, then when Marianela and Vadim came on there was a full house standing ovation and a huge roar of applause - totally deserved!
 

A last but not least mention for the orchestra, conducted at a slapping, sprightly pace by Philip Ellis, better than the sometimes rather sluggish pace one sometimes gets with the ROH orchestra. All in all I’m so glad I made the trip!

[YSmith]

On 23/02/2022 at 01:11, jmhopton said:

 Alexander Yapp was the matador. I'd never heard of him so checked the programme and unless there's a printer error he's only an Artist. Why? He totally dominated the stage and is one of the best matadors I'd seen.

Absolutely agree with this! Watched both nights of Vadim/Marianela shows, I think cast was same for both. It goes without saying that the two guest principals were phenomenal, but I was most shocked by the sheer presence and attitude of Alexander Yap's Espada. I go to see his profile on the programme and he is only an artists! How is this possible, I would've thought he was at least a Soloist if not higher- any one know who this rising star is? I'll definitely be interested to see where he goes....

 

The rest of the cast were phenomenal too, Kit Holder makes the perfect Gamache, and Rory Mackay makes just the perfect amount of strict but loving father. I must say, I was shocked to see the collision of the two matadors, they recovered from it professionally but I hope they were ok.

The set is absolutely gorgeous, the windmill is a clever play with the colour changing sky a gorgeous addition. I do think the costumes are alright, not sure why the revamp especially as did someone say they spent over 800k? Is that right? Not sure they do the spending justice but that is just imo...

[Tony Newcombe]

44 minutes ago, YSmith said:

Absolutely agree with this! Watched both nights of Vadim/Marianela shows, I think cast was same for both. It goes without saying that the two guest principals were phenomenal, but I was most shocked by the sheer presence and attitude of Alexander Yap's Espada. I go to see his profile on the programme and he is only an artists! How is this possible, I would've thought he was at least a Soloist if not higher- any one know who this rising star is? I'll definitely be interested to see where he goes....

 

The rest of the cast were phenomenal too, Kit Holder makes the perfect Gamache, and Rory Mackay makes just the perfect amount of strict but loving father. I must say, I was shocked to see the collision of the two matadors, they recovered from it professionally but I hope they were ok.

The set is absolutely gorgeous, the windmill is a clever play with the colour changing sky a gorgeous addition. I do think the costumes are alright, not sure why the revamp especially as did someone say they spent over 800k? Is that right? Not sure they do the spending justice but that is just imo...

That was the cost of the production

[alison]

1 hour ago, YSmith said:

Absolutely agree with this! Watched both nights of Vadim/Marianela shows, I think cast was same for both. It goes without saying that the two guest principals were phenomenal, but I was most shocked by the sheer presence and attitude of Alexander Yap's Espada. I go to see his profile on the programme and he is only an artists! How is this possible, I would've thought he was at least a Soloist if not higher- any one know who this rising star is? I'll definitely be interested to see where he goes....

 

Welcome to the forum, YSmith.  I have to say, I totally agree with you - he was the standout for me when I saw it at Southampton.  I think he's been in the company a while, though.

[capybara]

With Alexander Yap creating quite a stir as Espada, I thought that it would be interesting to reproduce what the BRB website says about him:

 

Born: London

Trained: Royal Ballet School

Joined: 2018

Other companies: Northern Ballet (2015-18)

Favourite composer: I listen to a lot a of classical composers but if I had to pick one it would be Frédéric Chopin.

REPERTORY INCLUDES

David Bintley: King Dances; David Bintley and Galina Samsova's production of Giselle (Hilarion)
Ruth Brill: Peter and the Wolf (Wolf)
Twyla Tharp: Nine Sinatra Songs ('Strangers in the Night')
Peter Wright: The Nutcracker (Arabian Dance, Winds, Consort)

With Northern Ballet
Kenneth MacMillan: Concerto pas de deux
Kenneth Tindal: Casanova
David Nixon: Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Great Gatsby, Beauty and the Beast
Jonathan Watkins: 1984

[MaddieRose]

He's also done Paris in MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet. I saw him in the role last October and he had such a brilliant stage presence. I'm glad he's doing so well in Don Quixote, and hopefully this leads to more opportunities for him.