Royal Ballet Announces 2022/23 Season

[zxDaveM]

1 hour ago, oncnp said:

The short form version...Main stage 

 

·        Mayerling                                                            5 October–30 November 2022

·        New Crystal Pite                                               18 October-–3 November 2022

·        The Royal Ballet: A Diamond Celebration        16–19 November 2022

·        The Nutcracker                                                  6 December 2022–14 January 2023

·        The Sleeping Beauty                                         16 January–6 June 2023

·        Woolf Works                                                       1–23 March 2023

·        Cinderella                                                            27 March–3 May 2023

·        New Wayne McGregor / Corybantic Games / Anastasia Act III

                                                                                      9–17 June 2023

 

gone are the days of 12 different evenings on the main stage (7-8 full length evenings and 4-5 triple bills in combo)

[Blossom]

Thrilled for Cinderella and looking forward to seeing Woolf Works live. Glad Mayerling is back. 

Disappointed at the continued long runs e.g. Sleeping Beauty which cynically I'd say are there just to fill the coffers post Covid. 

Would have liked to have seen more from the broader repertoire, Fille surely could have been a money maker also but at least adding a bit more variety and another reason to book. Classical triple bills would also fit the bill - lower cost in general so more likely to  sell out easily?

With opera not having sold so well this year, I'd hoped, perhaps naively that there may have been a bit of an opportunity to redress the balance.

[bridiem]

1 minute ago, Fonty said:

Oh, ok, thanks.  I didn't see the link, only the general description saying 3 world premiers along with Diamonds and a 1st performance.  So it is all new stuff apart from Diamonds, yes? Speaking personally, I would have thought something celebrating 60 years of anything should have at least 75% that reflects that history, which in the case of the RB means heritage works.  Maybe with a key piece from each decade?  But obviously I am just an old dinosaur. 

 

Yes; and an obvious choice could have been MacMillan's Rite of Spring (premièred 1962, 60 years ago).

[Sim]

Just now, Fonty said:

Oh, ok, thanks.  I didn't see the link, only the general description saying 3 world premiers along with Diamonds and a 1st performance.  So it is all new stuff apart from Diamonds, yes? Speaking personally, I would have thought something celebrating 60 years of anything should have at least 75% that reflects that history, which in the case of the RB means heritage works.  Maybe with a key piece from each decade?  But obviously I am just an old dinosaur. 

You and me both, Fonty.  Why would anyone want to see heritage pieces that reflect what the company was instead of what it seems to be becoming?  

[Fonty]

Just now, bridiem said:

 

Yes; and an obvious choice could have been MacMillan's Rite of Spring (premièred 1962, 60 years ago).

Exactly the one I had in mind, Bridiem.

[zxDaveM]

1 minute ago, The Sitter In said:

Depressing reading indeed.  That Nijinska’s Les Noces is not to be revived in its centenary year and given the company’s history with the work is nothing short of scandalous - does no-one at the RB recognise that the company holds precious works in the history of ballet?  Corybantic Games instead of Symphonic Variations perfectly exemplifies the current state of affairs…The absence of triple bills (the company’s glory) is truly shocking.  We all love Mayerling, but hand on heart, how many Rudolfs of the first water does the company have?  I certainly don’t want people just to ‘have a go’, which seems to be the recent logic behind a lot of casting.   Apart from the return of Cinderella (heaven be praised), this is a stodgy, uninspired and uninspiring season with long runs of works.  If they think Woolf Works will fill the coffers better than a well-crafted pair of triple bills… just wait, not to mention the benefit to the dancers of performing Ashton, MacMillan, Balanchine rather than the appalling ***** ********.  Oh dear, oh dear.

 

I would love to have Les Noces again - perhaps too expensive with the required opera input sadly. Whole heartedly agree about Symphonic Variations v Corybantic knicker drawer (I'd have happily taken Symphonic Dances instead too). As for Mayerling, can't say it's one of my favourites, but there had to be a 3-act MacMillan, so there it is.

I suppose until the coffers replenished, variety will not be the spice of life at the Royal Ballet

[zxDaveM]

8 minutes ago, MaddieRose said:

David Finn is perhaps the most familiar with the Royal Ballet, having lit Giselle, Sweet Violets, Symphonic Dances, Scarlett's Swan Lake and Frankenstein. 
 

 

'lit' can be argued with! He must be able to see in the dark, is all I can say

[bridiem]

19 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

my word, there are some long runs for some - filling the coffers I guess. 28 Nuts (plus 3 schools matinees or 'treat' performances), 28 Beauties, 26 Cinders, all at top prices no doubt. I'll have to be really choosy and select only my very favourite casts! 🙂

 

Me too, zxDaveM. If all or even most of the full-lengths are at top prices will they really all sell out? And even if they do, is that really 'inclusive'?

[zxDaveM]

Just now, bridiem said:

 

If all or even most of the full-lengths are at top prices will they really all sell out?

 

Probably. Nutcracker will certainly sell out relatively quickly for the pre-Christmas shows, and then eventually for the post-Christmas ones. Sleeping Beauty is one everyone knows, so will sell out too (though not as fast as Swan Lake). Same for Cinderella (even if it's the Disney movie everyone knows, rather than the ballet)

[zxDaveM]

I'd liked to have seen more triple bills - to show off the heritage of the 60 years (and there is PLENTY to chose from), but I guess management a bit scared off by how slowly the current triples have sold. The 'new' triple didn't seem to sell that well, and even now, tickets fairly easy to get for the Ashton triple later this month (perhaps tickets were seen as too expensive for a 'lowly' triple, but when the funds are low, you can't blame them for trying to maximise revenue). So if people aren't beating down the door when they have a triple bill to go to, management aren't going to stress themselves putting together fresh ones. Especially when they can sell oddles of tickets at top prices for the old war-horses. Which is a shame as far as I'm concerned

[AnticaFiamma]

Very curious about the casting for Mayerling. Surely McRae, Hirano & Ball, but debuts? I think Calvin Richardson could be amazing in it

[bridiem]

I understand the emphasis on full-lengths at the moment, but I think this is going too far. And it's the nature of the one-act works that disturbs me as much as the number. Does Joseph Toonga really merit a main stage work ahead of MacMillan, Ashton, Bintley etc (or indeed at all)? I could go on, but it's too depressing.

[Richard LH]

23 minutes ago, The Sitter In said:

We all love Mayerling

...well not all…I don’t find  forced intercourse, prostitution, drug abuse, madness, and murder/suicide the most uplifting start to the season.

[CCL]

I didn’t attend the ROH for a number of years (children, lack of income, etc) but started to come back about a year before Covid- and kicked myself  for all the productions I’d missed out on. So I’m really happy at the thought of being able to see Mayerling and Woolf Works and delighted at further opportunities to see Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. In fact I’m pretty excited at everything on offer. Furthermore, as an opera newbie, I’m very interested in what’s on offer there - so many operas I’ve yet to see! This announcement has really made my day.

[Mary]

I share the disappointment and indeed puzzlement....of many here.

 

I am cheered though by pondering the prospect of some lovely Cinderella debuts. The company is rich in possiblities here.

[J_New]

 

9 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

I'd liked to have seen more triple bills - to show off the heritage of the 60 years (and there is PLENTY to chose from), but I guess management a bit scared off by how slowly the current triples have sold. The 'new' triple didn't seem to sell that well, and even now, tickets fairly easy to get for the Ashton triple later this month (perhaps tickets were seen as too expensive for a 'lowly' triple, but when the funds are low, you can't blame them for trying to maximise revenue). So if people aren't beating down the door when they have a triple bill to go to, management aren't going to stress themselves putting together fresh ones. Especially when they can sell oddles of tickets at top prices for the old war-horses. Which is a shame as far as I'm concerned

I agree with you, Dave - but as you said earlier, at least it will be a cheap season .... I won't be there nearly as much as usual.

I have avoided the 'new' triple because modern doesn't usually do it for me. Not sure why the Ashton triple hasn't sold though ... I'm looking forward to that.

[Mary]

I thought the Ashton triple bill sold better than the Weathering one though?

I could be wrong.

[J_New]

8 minutes ago, bridiem said:

I understand the emphasis on full-lengths at the moment, but I think this is going too far. And it's the nature of the one-act works that disturbs me as much as the number. Does Joseph Toonga really merit a main stage work ahead of MacMillan, Ashton, Bintley etc (or indeed at all)? I could go on, but it's too depressing.

 

I was hoping that Zucchetti would be doing more for the main stage ... 

[Lizbie1]

11 minutes ago, Mary said:

I thought the Ashton triple bill sold better than the Weathering one though?

I could be wrong.

 

Exactly - it's the "new" triples that generally sell poorly, so why aren't these the ones to be sacrificed?

 

It's a very thin season - Cinderella the only highlight for me.

[bridiem]

3 minutes ago, J_New said:

 

I was hoping that Zucchetti would be doing more for the main stage ... 

 

He is doing a work for the Diamond bill, which is good. That and the two Wheeldons are the only indications that Kevin O'Hare has any belief whatsoever in living classical choreographers. (And I hated Corybantic Games...).

[Jan McNulty]

If there are only 3 performances of the Diamond bill will the prices for that be sky high?

 

Nothing on the schedule that makes me want to leap on a train from Liverpool.

[bridiem]

4 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

If there are only 3 performances of the Diamond bill will the prices for that be sky high?

 

I doubt it since it's mostly new works. 

[Fonty]

38 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

I'd liked to have seen more triple bills - to show off the heritage of the 60 years (and there is PLENTY to chose from), but I guess management a bit scared off by how slowly the current triples have sold. The 'new' triple didn't seem to sell that well, and even now, tickets fairly easy to get for the Ashton triple later this month 

 

As far as the Ashton triple is concerned, the more expensive areas seem to be sold out, and it is the Amphitheatre which has the majority of the available tickets.  I think it is quite common that the so called "cheaper" areas tend to hang around until the last minute?

[Dawnstar]

I suppose my bank account will be happy that I only want to see about half the season's works! I was hoping for Mayerling & I'd definitely like to see Cinderella (as long as the new production is attractive) so I'm pleased by those two. The Nutcracker & Sleeping Beauty were expected but it does feel no time since I last saw them so I can't get excited. I wish they were doing Jewels in full rather than just Diamonds, as I've not seen Jewels live but don't want to sit through 4 modern works (at least 2 of which I know I will not like) in order to see one third of it. Likewise I'd like to see Anastasia but I'm not prepared to sit through the other 2 pieces. I find it pretty disappointing that nearly half the season is made up of contemporary works.

[emmarose]

12 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

If there are only 3 performances of the Diamond bill will the prices for that be sky high?

 

Nothing on the schedule that makes me want to leap on a train from Liverpool.

 

I'd imagine so, and probably almost impossible to get a good seat too.

[San Perregrino]

I’m always excited to see whatever the RB presents and the new season is no exception, some of my favourites are included, some not but there’s still a cornucopia of ballet & dance to look forward to. Admittedly, it’s a long time since I saw Cinderella, but I don’t remember it as being anything like fantastic, so it’s exciting to know a new production is coming. Here’s hoping it’ll be reworked into something memorable that showcases the amazing talent at all levels of the RB. 

[FionaM]

I’m disappointed in the volume of negativity here.  
 

The ROH has an enormous financial loss from the pandemic … it’s not their fault that state funding in UK is inferior to competitor opera houses in Europe.  So I don’t blame them and didn’t expect anything but safer choices.   
 

There are going to be many super performances and new casts to enjoy in all these upcoming ballets.   I’m delighted by all the full length offerings.   I will go to all of them and the triple bills, as I have done this season.   
 

I am disappointed that the audience (including here) is not showing sufficient support for existing triple bills.  It’s not surprising that there will be fewer next year.  
 

# love ballet, any ballet, with these brilliant dancers.  

 

 

[JNC]

2 hours ago, Richard LH said:

The "Diamond Celebration" looks to be one, and maybe some of the  new works are in triples? But no mention of more classical triples ....is this the final line up or will more be announced later?

But only three days and three performances? Ridiculous. Sorry but I’m not impressed by this at all. 
 

I would love to see Diamonds but really am tempted to wait to see Jewels in full as I’m not sure how I’ll feel about the other works being performed on the same evening.  I’m not sure I want to pay ‘full price’ for an evening where only 1/3 interests me. 

for me it stands as:

The good:

I’m looking forward to seeing Cinderella as I’ve not seen it before, and even though it’s perhaps not an inspired choice I do adore the Sleeping Beauty so happy that is back.  Having said that I will likely only go to 1-2 performances given I managed to go to a few performances pre covid to see a variety of casts. 
 

The not sure about but will give a go:

Woolf Works - I’ve seen the streamed version and am unsure. But willing to give it a go and hopefully will be some interesting casting opportunities. 
 

Not for me:

I do like the Nutcracker but having seen it once this year and once pre covid I’m not sure there’s much more it can offer so soon again, I’m also not a fan of the removal of the children in the battle scene. 
 

I may give the new crystal pite a go depending on casting and pricing and if dates suit but at the moment I remain unconvinced.

 

I can see why other forum goers like Mayerling but it’s not for me!

 

And the very random triple of Anastasia Act 3, a new McGregor and Corybantic Games is definitely not for me! 

 

Overall very disappointed to be honest. It is lacking in creativity and the odd triple concoctions baffle me. 

 

Very sad to see no classical/heritage triple, missing a one act Ashton, and I would also like to see more one Act Macmillans (I’m not counting Anastasia as that is essentially a truncated full length, and I see Diamonds somewhat similarly).

To me this feels like a rehash of very recent seasons - even the new Cristal Pite is essentially a reworking of an existing piece and the other new pieces I have to say don’t particularly interest me. And everything else (with the exception of Woolf Works and Cinderella of course) has been on the main stage in the last 5 years? 

 

Overall I don’t think I’ll be going a huge amount to the opera house next season which is quite sad but I’ll save money I suppose. The only thing I’m looking forward to as it is due a revival is Cinderella. But one work out of the entire season isn’t great.

 

Appreciate everyone has different preferences so perhaps there’s an element of me not liking the selected works as well, but I do also think there is an overall lack of revivals of work that hasn’t been seen for a while and would be new to many of the newer principals. 

[emmarose]

13 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

I suppose my bank account will be happy that I only want to see about half the season's works! I was hoping for Mayerling & I'd definitely like to see Cinderella (as long as the new production is attractive) so I'm pleased by those two. The Nutcracker & Sleeping Beauty were expected but it does feel no time since I last saw them so I can't get excited. I wish they were doing Jewels in full rather than just Diamonds, as I've not seen Jewels live but don't want to sit through 4 modern works (at least 2 of which I know I will not like) in order to see one third of it. Likewise I'd like to see Anastasia but I'm not prepared to sit through the other 2 pieces. I find it pretty disappointing that nearly half the season is made up of contemporary works.

 

This is how I feel, I love Diamonds, but the other pieces I know I won't be interested in. Even the very best of the modern works I don't have the same emotional connection to.

I'd rather have the full work.

Edited April 6, 2022 by emmarose

[bangorballetboy]

12 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

don't want to sit through 4 modern works (at least 2 of which I know I will not like) 

 

Can you let me know tonight's lottery numbers please?

[JNC]

1 hour ago, The Sitter In said:

Depressing reading indeed.  That Nijinska’s Les Noces is not to be revived in its centenary year and given the company’s history with the work is nothing short of scandalous - does no-one at the RB recognise that the company holds precious works in the history of ballet?  Corybantic Games instead of Symphonic Variations perfectly exemplifies the current state of affairs…The absence of triple bills (the company’s glory) is truly shocking.  We all love Mayerling, but hand on heart, how many Rudolfs of the first water does the company have?  I certainly don’t want people just to ‘have a go’, which seems to be the recent logic behind a lot of casting.   Apart from the return of Cinderella (heaven be praised), this is a stodgy, uninspired and uninspiring season with long runs of works.  If they think Woolf Works will fill the coffers better than a well-crafted pair of triple bills… just wait, not to mention the benefit to the dancers of performing Ashton, MacMillan, Balanchine rather than the appalling ***** ********.  Oh dear, oh dear.

agree with everything here! 
 

without wishing to sound too drastic I’m thinking of cancelling my friends membership. I really want to support ROH but I don’t think I’ll be attending a lot this season. I guess I need to weigh up whether I’m paying to support ROH or paying for priority booking, because if it’s the latter I probably should cancel. 
 

I understand the financial implications post covid but the more I look at this the more annoyed I get - it’s not just the long runs of the big productions but that fact that every year we are guaranteed one of the MacMillan big three, two of the big three Petipas (and I love Petipa!) and MacGregor and Wheeldon is just uninspiring and I’m not sure about the direction the company is taking. 
 

When ENB mounted a successful Raymonda (I’ll admit I’m unsure if it sold out but it got good reviews?) and when the Ashton bill has sold much better than the contemporary triple, I can understand the need for longer runs of the classics and a desire to keep innovating with contemporary but the lack of one act “heritage”, or even three act neoclassical works (excepting Cinderella) is concerning. Why do we have to have Romeo and Juliet every two years but not Sylvia or Le Fille for 6-7-10 years? 

Edited April 6, 2022 by JNC

[emmarose]

12 minutes ago, FionaE said:

I’m disappointed in the volume of negativity here.  
 

The ROH has an enormous financial loss from the pandemic … it’s not their fault that state funding in UK is inferior to competitor opera houses in Europe.  So I don’t blame them and didn’t expect anything but safer choices.   
 

There are going to be many super performances and new casts to enjoy in all these upcoming ballets.   I’m delighted by all the full length offerings.   I will go to all of them and the triple bills, as I have done this season.   
 

I am disappointed that the audience (including here) is not showing sufficient support for existing triple bills.  It’s not surprising that there will be fewer next year.  
 

# love ballet, any ballet, with these brilliant dancers.  

 

 

 

Tickets are very expensive, if the paying audience are feeling uninspired, they're surely entitled to express how they're feeling.

 

And surely it should be noted, here we are fans of the art form and most of us are fans of this company, if even dedicated fans are not happy with the offerings, maybe there's a bit of an issue.

[zxDaveM]

58 minutes ago, Mary said:

I thought the Ashton triple bill sold better than the Weathering one though?

I could be wrong.

 

better, yes (the opening night nearly sold out), but still plenty left