Royal Ballet's Swan Lake (Spring 2022)

[JNC]

5 hours ago, Richard LH said:

You were very fortunate! 

I have tried twice to claim a free programme for Swan Lake, before and after the break in the run, and was informed that neither the earlier nor later Swan Lake performances counted, not being a Spring Season booking. 

oh that’s not very fair! Did you manage to at least claim one for Ashton? 

[Rob S]

 

 

 

 

 

[JennyTaylor]

Standing ovation for Will Bracewell and Lauren Cuthbertson this evening.  This was a tender, tragic love affair. Very beautiful indeed. Still recovering from this wonderful experience. 

[alison]

I trust Peggy was tucked up in bed/cot this evening

[JennyTaylor]

Lovely to see Lauren present a whole bouquet to Will this evening as in Rob's picture above. So privileged to have tickets in Row A of the Orch Stalls, where I wallowed in being able to see every fleeting expression of the dancers' faces. I picked them up only yesterday and gave my original ticket back for resale.  My husband suddenly decided he wanted to come to see what all the fuss was about.  He thoroughly enjoyed it (having previously being in the habit of falling asleep, hence I now usually go alone.)  I could see he was enjoying it, which made it even better. 

 

Will Bracewell is such a joy to watch and with Gary Avis as Von Rothbart, the interaction between the 2 is a masterclass in characterisation, never mind the dancing. Lauren was extremely expressive in Act 2 in particular and you could see the fear in her eyes. The depth of characterisation was superb.  It wasn't flamboyant though the Act 3 party pieces went extremely well, but somehow given the mood set by Act 2, that seemed appropriate. Act 4 was heart breaking - how I love the music.  Still feeling the beauty of it all.  

[Finnbarr]

Beautiful indeed,Jenny. Lauren was touching and imperious in equal measure. William’s acting was very natural and his spins were ferocious. His partnering, including his elegant lifts, allowed Lauren to show us the very best of her wonderful dancing. Bravo to both.

 

The fouettés were fabulous by the way. Starting with lots of doubles, always on the beat and a secure finish. This part of the ballet is important, in my view. Swan Lake is a drama told through dance not a gala with technical fireworks. I was drawn into the Odile/ Siegfried dynamic: I didn’t want to have to be worrying whether Lauren Cuthbertson would fall over because that would have broken the spell.

 

I loved Melissa Hamilton and Mario Sasaki as the big swans. I would like to see Melissa’s Odette/Odile one day. But,ROH, please , please contract in a specialist horn player for Swan Lake in future. I have seen this production four times and each time the horn has played a bum note in the Big Swans scene. It spoils it somewhat.

 

This Corps has been just lovely, both in Giselle and in Swan Lake. 
 

I so wish Liam Scarlett could have heard the applause. I would have liked to thank him for his artistry and inspiration. As I said, I have seen this production four times and once on film in a drive-in in deepest lockdown and have cried at the end each time: and I am quite a hard nut.
 

 

[Rob S]

1 hour ago, Finnbarr said:

But,ROH, please , please contract in a specialist horn player for Swan Lake in future. I have seen this production four times and each time the horn has played a bum note in the Big Swans scene. It spoils it somewhat.

 

I've never heard that part done correctly and I'm up to 16 performances in this run, the cinema version of the 2018 run and the blu ray of Ospova/Golding, all the same

Edited May 14, 2022 by Rob S

[alison]

I'm looking forward to seeing this cast in the cinema: although I had a clear view for once, I was quite far away, so it sounds as though it should be a good cast to see in closeup.

[Lizbie1]

Just a quick note on last night's performance: I booked because I like Bracewell a lot and because I worry I've been taking Cuthbertson for granted. I was in two minds about going because it's been a very busy week, but I'm so glad I went: I thought Cuthbertson was terrific, particularly how she really captured the half-wildness of Odette and made the choreography speak of her fear early in Act 2. Bracewell was also very enjoyable - great partnering and a lovely line. I thought his Act 1/2 solo was very powerful.

 

About the playing: I've almost forgotten how the Big Swans bit is supposed to sound by now! More generally, I liked that the tempi were quite ambitious in places but felt that the big moments were strangely underpowered. Or maybe that's just me.

[Jane S]

17 hours ago, JennyTaylor said:

Lovely to see Lauren present a whole bouquet to Will this evening as in Rob's picture above.  

 

It's a sweet gesture but whever I see this I wonder what the person who sent her the flowers is thinking?

[Candleque]

18 hours ago, Finnbarr said:

I would like to see Melissa’s Odette/Odile one day.

Me too. She’d be gorgeous imo. Don’t understand why she hasn’t already been given this opportunity at the ROH tbh as I see Melissa often guests in principal roles at other theatres. But in general I find the line between first soloist and principal (and who gets cast and who doesn’t) confusing at the RB. 

[Odyssey]

Melissa has danced Odette/ Odile when she was a guest principal for 2 years at Dresden Semperoper Ballet. (She also danced Aurora in Sleeping Beauty and Nikiya in La Bayadere)  I was surprised, when she returned, that the opportunities didn’t come to widen her repertoire. Melissa touches on this period of dancing the classics in her interview with The Ballet Association in 2020, which makes very interesting reading 

https://balletassociation.co.uk/pages/reports-2020-melissa-hamilton

 

[Rob S]

Melissa was down as a provisional Odette, along with Yuhui but I assume that means someone would have to be injured very early in the rehearsal before they get called up.

[Dawnstar]

2 hours ago, Candleque said:

Me too. She’d be gorgeous imo. Don’t understand why she hasn’t already been given this opportunity at the ROH tbh as I see Melissa often guests in principal roles at other theatres. But in general I find the line between first soloist and principal (and who gets cast and who doesn’t) confusing at the RB. 

 

When looking through Nutcracker past casts on @Saodan's website a few months ago I was surprised to see that Hamilton used to dance the Sugar Plum Fairy, as she hasn't done since I started following the company closely. Given that role seems to have been taken away from her, it sadly doesn't seem very likely that she'll get to do Odette/Odile for the RB. I just hope she gets at least 1 public Mayerling performance next season as I was very disappointed not to be able to see her Manon in 2019, with her only performance being the schools' matinee.

[art_enthusiast]

1 hour ago, Dawnstar said:

 

When looking through Nutcracker past casts on @Saodan's website a few months ago I was surprised to see that Hamilton used to dance the Sugar Plum Fairy, as she hasn't done since I started following the company closely. Given that role seems to have been taken away from her, it sadly doesn't seem very likely that she'll get to do Odette/Odile for the RB. I just hope she gets at least 1 public Mayerling performance next season as I was very disappointed not to be able to see her Manon in 2019, with her only performance being the schools' matinee.

 

Indeed. She's an amazing dancer, and definitely deserves more opportunities. I found her Juliet this year incredibly moving.

[Dawnstar]

12 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

Indeed. She's an amazing dancer, and definitely deserves more opportunities. I found her Juliet this year incredibly moving.

 

Unfortunately I couldn't make her Juliet dates this year but I thought she was excellent in 2019 & she & Timofej Andrijashenko were a beautiful pair.

[zxDaveM]

I just idly looked at the ticket prices in the local Vue for Thursday (19th May) cinema relay - £20. Admittedly, comfy seats now, though in a small screen in the multiplex (just over 90 seats - 12 sold already), I'm sure last time I went it was £12-£13...

Still tempted though

[MJW]

9 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

I just idly looked at the ticket prices in the local Vue for Thursday (19th May) cinema relay - £20. Admittedly, comfy seats now, though in a small screen in the multiplex (just over 90 seats - 12 sold already), I'm sure last time I went it was £12-£13...

Still tempted though

 

Although I have been two performances at Covent Garden in the current run I am going to my local arts centre to see the cinema screening with a friend (as its always interesting to see a performance from a completely different perspective) - 130 seats - 118 sold. 

 

Interestingly the Nutrcacker sold out completely but R&J was about half full.

[alison]

5 hours ago, zxDaveM said:

I just idly looked at the ticket prices in the local Vue for Thursday (19th May) cinema relay - £20. Admittedly, comfy seats now, though in a small screen in the multiplex (just over 90 seats - 12 sold already), I'm sure last time I went it was £12-£13...

 

 

If my local Vue's anything to go by - and it's not that far from yours - I'd be surprised.

[DoctorDerry]

It is £20 at our CineWorld here in Cheltenham. Seemed OK to me and I have not checked which of the screening rooms  I will be going to, it is usually a small one. I will be interested in comparing Will Bracewell partnering Lauren as I saw him at ROH earlier with Francesca who gave what I felt, was a somewhat underpowered performance   Hope there is not too much popcorn around!

[art_enthusiast]

On 14/05/2022 at 21:09, Rob S said:

Melissa was down as a provisional Odette, along with Yuhui but I assume that means someone would have to be injured very early in the rehearsal before they get called up.

 

Was just wondering, where did you hear about this?

[JennyTaylor]

26 minutes ago, DoctorDerry said:

It is £20 at our CineWorld here in Cheltenham. Seemed OK to me and I have not checked which of the screening rooms  I will be going to, it is usually a small one. I will be interested in comparing Will Bracewell partnering Lauren as I saw him at ROH earlier with Francesca who gave what I felt, was a somewhat underpowered performance   Hope there is not too much popcorn around!

Lauren was not underpowered when I saw her last week.  It's not a super fireworks type Act 3, but it is in keeping with the overall tone of the whole performance.  A spontaneous standing ovation (including Orch Stalls) was the audience's reaction at the end. 

[Rob S]

54 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

 

Was just wondering, where did you hear about this?

One of the dancers posted a video that looked at a notice board that had a roster on it, those two were listed as provisional. 

[capybara]

1 hour ago, Rob S said:

One of the dancers posted a video that looked at a notice board that had a roster on it, those two were listed as provisional. 

Whoops!

It is normal in all ballet companies for one or more dancers to be listed as covering a role. Perhaps not in the cases mentioned, but a dancer listed in brackets and learning a role in one run can be cast for real when the production returns to the rep.

There was an example of this in The Nutcracker documentary where a glimpse is offered of the casting notice. Ashley Dean is in brackets there but she was cast as Clara the next time round.

[Rob S]

30 minutes ago, capybara said:

Whoops!

It is normal in all ballet companies for one or more dancers to be listed as covering a role. Perhaps not in the cases mentioned, but a dancer listed in brackets and learning a role in one run can be cast for real when the production returns to the rep.

There was an example of this in The Nutcracker documentary where a glimpse is offered of the casting notice. Ashley Dean is in brackets there but she was cast as Clara the next time round.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Yuhui has been provisional Odette since about 2008 ☹️

[Rob S]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[alison]

I was looking at my recording of the 2018 performance the other day.  Act IV appeared to be very dark, almost spotlit, black and white and very little else.  Can anyone remember whether this actually was the case and the lighting has been changed in subsequent runs, or was it just another case of the lighting on screen looking darker than in the theatre?  (I keep being reminded of all those times you watch Wimbledon on TV and get told that actually the light is far worse on court and the TV cameras make it look far brighter than it is - can it be possible that the reverse is also true?)

[LinMM]

Great pics again Rob S 

I see you’ve caught one of the new dancers Viola Pantuso in the group of swans peeping through the back. I noticed her a few times in Swan Lake. 

[zxDaveM]

1 hour ago, LinMM said:

... one of the new dancers Viola Pantuso in the group of swans peeping through the back. I noticed her a few times in Swan Lake. 

 

me too - they seem to have given her lots to do, and in every act

[Richard LH]

9 hours ago, Rob S said:

I wouldn’t be surprised if Yuhui has been provisional Odette since about 2008 ☹️

it would be wonderful if she could be given the chance to dance this role.

[Rob S]

3 hours ago, LinMM said:

Great pics again Rob S 

I see you’ve caught one of the new dancers Viola Pantuso in the group of swans peeping through the back. I noticed her a few times in Swan Lake. 

 

I've got one of her not at the back in a previous performance

[bridiem]

Tonight's cast sheet: https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/36/swan-lake-by-liam-scarlett/cast-list/49156

[art_enthusiast]

Joseph is back as Benno! 😊