Mayerling, Royal Ballet Autumn 2022

[bridiem]

24 minutes ago, Fonty said:

On that topic, I remember some years ago chatting with a couple of adults in the shop at the ROH.  They had several children with them, and they had just been to see a special school's performance. The children had been really eager to see Swan Lake, which had just finished a long run.  However, the ROH in its wisdom had decided that the most suitable programme for youngsters under the age of 11 was a triple bill which included The Judas Tree. 

 

I find that absolutely bizarre and extremely irresponsible.

[zxDaveM]

1 hour ago, Fonty said:

With regard to Mayerling's suitability for children, I think it depends on the child, doesn't it?  Most children I have known love a bit of violence, and if they love ballet they will enjoy the dance and probably ignore or fail to understand some of the very adult themes.

 

 

 

Act 3 Manon - "Mummy, what's that man doing to that lady?"

 

[zxDaveM]

1 hour ago, Tango Dancer said:

 

I'd probably agree with them, I'd pick Swan Lake any day over the Judas Tree. 

 

 

I'd rather watch synchronised kneeling down on stage, than The Judas Tree...

[Rob S]

Marcelino is doing a great job….and dealt with the skull that rolled off the bed right in to the pdd area just before his piece with Stephanie, he kicked it under the desk and all was well again. 

[Fonty]

13 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

 

I'd rather watch synchronised kneeling down on stage, than The Judas Tree...

 

Is that going to be part of the next creation from one of the new choreographers?

[zxDaveM]

2 minutes ago, Fonty said:

 

Is that going to be part of the next creation from one of the new choreographers?

 

I wouldn't be surprised; throw in a bit of rolling around on the floor in the dark, to excruciating noise posing as music - job done

[Dawnstar]

22 minutes ago, Rob S said:

Marcelino is doing a great job….and dealt with the skull that rolled off the bed right in to the pdd area just before his piece with Stephanie, he kicked it under the desk and all was well again. 

 

Yikes! I've seen a couple of hats fall off during recent Mayerling performances (Sissens lost his in the hunting scene last night & one of the Mitzis, can't now recall who, at the end of the tavern scene earlier in the run) but the skull must be even more awkward as it can roll. I wonder if skull management is part of Mayerling rehearsals?

[LinMM]

Ha ha wish there was a laughing emoji to your comment above Dave 😂

[Rob S]

41 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 one of the Mitzis, can't now recall who, at the end of the tavern scene earlier in the run) but the skull must be even more awkward as it can roll. I wonder if skull management is part of Mayerling rehearsals?

I like to guess whether her hat will fall off each time now…I think it was Claire or Mayara who had to walk off with it still on the floor near the start of the run. And it’s got to be called skull skills!! 🥾💀 

 

Francesca was fantastic too in her pdd, gun went off perfectly too 
 

Edited November 24, 2022 by Rob S

[Texan]

2 hours ago, Rob S said:

I like to guess whether her hat will fall off each time now…I think it was Claire or Mayara who had to walk off with it still on the floor near the start of the run. And it’s got to be called skull skills!! 🥾💀 

 

Francesca was fantastic too in her pdd, gun went off perfectly too 
 

Just looked at your photos of Sambe, Hayward, and other cast members on Instagram. As always, thank you, thank you, thank you. I wish I could have been there.

 

[Henry]

1 hour ago, Rob S said:

I like to guess whether her hat will fall off each time now…I think it was Claire or Mayara who had to walk off with it still on the floor near the start of the run. And it’s got to be called skull skills!! 🥾💀 

 

Francesca was fantastic too in her pdd, gun went off perfectly too 
 

It was Mayara's hat that fell off on 15th Oct 13:00 performance.  As most dancers do, she ignored the mistake and carried on.  I did feel that in this instance, what Mitzi Caspar would have done was to pick the hat up! 

 

[JohnS]

Another astonishing evening, fabulous debuts, and a strong cast. I thought Marcelino Sambé and Francesca Hayward made for a great Rudolf/Mary pairing. They danced brilliantly together and to my eyes the complex moves simply flowed as if they were entirely natural, quite extraordinary. They both came across as equal parties to the joint suicide, equally committed, and that balance worked incredibly well throughout their scenes. 
I thought Sambé acquitted himself pretty well in his PDDs with Louise, Stephanie, and Larisch and his scene with Empress Elizabeth was gripping. But I thought his dancing with Mary was on a different plane.
I found Hayward’s Mary entirely credible and compellingly sensual. The card scene was fabulous with Hayward intoxicated with joy which then exploded in her scenes with Rudolf. This was a debut that we’ve been waiting for since her Manon back in 2014 and it certainly lived up to my very high expectations.

I very much enjoyed Sarah Lamb’s Larisch, Itziar Mendizabel’s Empress Elizabeth, and Mayara Magri’s Mitzi. Taisuke Nakao was a very sympathetic Bratfisch. 
I think the second performance on 30 November will be even stronger and I’m sure will be a fitting end to this extraordinary run of Mayerlings.

[alison]

4 hours ago, zxDaveM said:

 

Act 3 Manon - "Mummy, what's that man doing to that lady?"

 

 

Also reported in relation to Act 1 of Mayerling, sometime late last century

 

I've read through 2 pages of comments on this thread and now can't remember what I was going to write!  Glad to hear the second Ball cast performance was good, because for me the first didn't entirely take off until the third act.  Pleased to hear good reports of the Sambé cast too, and looking forward to seeing that.

 

Oh, I know what I was going to ask: why on earth is Stephanie appearing in her nightie in the curtain calls?  Surely it used to be her shooting outfit?  It looks daft, because it's too much like Mary Vetsera's nightie.

[Cescablue]

7 hours ago, alison said:

 

Also reported in relation to Act 1 of Mayerling, sometime late last century

 

I've read through 2 pages of comments on this thread and now can't remember what I was going to write!  Glad to hear the second Ball cast performance was good, because for me the first didn't entirely take off until the third act.  Pleased to hear good reports of the Sambé cast too, and looking forward to seeing that.

 

Oh, I know what I was going to ask: why on earth is Stephanie appearing in her nightie in the curtain calls?  Surely it used to be her shooting outfit?  It looks daft, because it's too much like Mary Vetsera's nightie.

 

I wonder if Stephanie appearing in her nightie is to help distinguish her from Princess Louise, who appears in shooting outfit in curtain calls?  Not all of the audience are as familiar with the dancers as the forum members!

[Cescablue]

7 hours ago, JohnS said:

Another astonishing evening, fabulous debuts, and a strong cast. I thought Marcelino Sambé and Francesca Hayward made for a great Rudolf/Mary pairing. They danced brilliantly together and to my eyes the complex moves simply flowed as if they were entirely natural, quite extraordinary. They both came across as equal parties to the joint suicide, equally committed, and that balance worked incredibly well throughout their scenes. 
I thought Sambé acquitted himself pretty well in his PDDs with Louise, Stephanie, and Larisch and his scene with Empress Elizabeth was gripping. But I thought his dancing with Mary was on a different plane.
I found Hayward’s Mary entirely credible and compellingly sensual. The card scene was fabulous with Hayward intoxicated with joy which then exploded in her scenes with Rudolf. This was a debut that we’ve been waiting for since her Manon back in 2014 and it certainly lived up to my very high expectations.

I very much enjoyed Sarah Lamb’s Larisch, Itziar Mendizabel’s Empress Elizabeth, and Mayara Magri’s Mitzi. Taisuke Nakao was a very sympathetic Bratfisch. 
I think the second performance on 30 November will be even stronger and I’m sure will be a fitting end to this extraordinary run of Mayerlings.

Very pleased to read this - am now even more excited to be attending next Wednesday for the final performance!

Edited November 25, 2022 by Cescablue

[Sim]

19 minutes ago, Cescablue said:

Very pleased to read this - am now even more excited to be attending next Wednesday for the final performance!

Me too!!  

[FionaM]

Steven McRae is not performing Mayerling for rest of run 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/ClYa3nGNL0A/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

who will step in for tonight?

 

Stepping in is a big challenge in this role with all the complex partnering 

[Rob S]

9 minutes ago, FionaE said:

Steven McRae is not performing Mayerling for rest of run 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/ClYa3nGNL0A/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

who will step in for tonight?

 

Stepping in is a big challenge in this role with all the complex partnering 

 

I was about to say probably super sub Yasmine Naghdi...but she's Larisch tonight!!

[Guest oncnp]

14 minutes ago, FionaE said:

Steven McRae is not performing Mayerling for rest of run 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/ClYa3nGNL0A/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

who will step in for tonight?

 

Stepping in is a big challenge in this role with all the complex partnering 

 

Ball? Too bad Muntagirov's in Japan......

Edited November 25, 2022 by oncnp

[bridiem]

Perhaps someone who has been covering the role will get a chance?

[Mary]

That's a shame for Steve McRae but it sounds as if he's being very sensible.

[capybara]

In previous instances, a whole cast has been swapped in but it's so unfortunate for anyone (?Takada) who has yet to get their 'go'.

From what he is saying on IG, Matthew Ball would welcome another show and he must be still in a 'ready' state.

Agree that it would have been great had Vadim Muntagirov not been in Japan but gearing up his mind and body after a fortnight without rehearsals would have been a big ask of him, especially if different partners were involved.

 

[Guest oncnp]

Website says...Matthew Ball

[San Perregrino]

it is almost a complete cast change though i'm excited Akane is still dancing Mary and Dias as Mitzi

 

CAST

CAST CHANGE

• ORCHESTRA
  Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
• CROWN PRINCE RUDOLF
  Matthew Ball replaces Steven McRae
• BARONESS MARY VETSERA
  Akane Takada
• COUNTESS MARIE LARISCH
  Mayara Magri replaces Yasmine Naghdi
• EMPRESS ELISABETH
  Gina Storm-Jensen replaces Kristen McNally
• PRINCESS STEPHANIE
  Anna Rose O'Sullivan
• BRATFISCH
  Taisuke Nakao replaces James Hay
• MITZI CASPAR
  Leticia Dias
• EMPEROR FRANZ JOSEPH
  Bennet Gartside
• COLONEL 'BAY' MIDDLETON
  Lukas B. Brændsrød replaces Thomas Whitehead

 

 

 

Edited November 25, 2022 by PeterS

[capybara]

Yes - they've basically swapped in Matt's cast, apart from Akane. That's the only way........

[FionaM]

Why does Bratfisch need to change? 

[art_enthusiast]

3 minutes ago, capybara said:

Yes - they've basically swapped in Matt's cast, apart from Akane. That's the only way........

 

And Leticia as Mitzi. Will Ball be performing next week as well? I assume so

[bridiem]

Funnily enough I was looking at the casting yesterday and was quite surprised (since I'd forgotten) that Steven McRae was doing two more performances and quite close together - I thought that would be really challenging for him now. I'm sure he's made the right decision for himself, but it's rather hard on the other cast members who have had to withdraw. I suppose that's what comes with having a ballet so heavily dependant on the lead role. Anyway I hope he recovers well and that Matthew Ball et al have a ball (sorry).

[bangorballetboy]

41 minutes ago, FionaE said:

Why does Bratfisch need to change? 

 

The cast change email says "Given the short notice of this replacement, and also due to dancer sickness, it has been necessary to make a number of other changes to the scheduled casting..."

[Dawnstar]

1 hour ago, FionaE said:

Why does Bratfisch need to change? 

 

That does seem a bit of an odd one. Hope it doesn't mean Hay is injured again, with the upcoming Nutcrackers. I didn't manage to see him in 2019 because he was off injured so I'm very much hoping to finally see him on 6th.

 

Magri's now dancing 3 nights running: Countess Larisch Wednesday, Mitzi Caspar last night & Countess Larisch again tonight!

[bangorballetboy]

3 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

Hope it doesn't mean Hay is injured again

 

As you'll see from my posting immediately above your own, the other cast changes are due to Ball replacing McRae and dancer illness.  There is no mention of injury for the additional changes.

[JohnS]

I had a few further thoughts on the train home and as there haven’t been very many posts about last night’s performance I thought I’d share them.

 

Sambe’s first solo was impressive. Understandably there was some nervousness and slight wobble but he did more than enough to convince me that he inhabits Rudolf’s character and I’m sure a slightly more relaxed second performance will be even more effective.

 

I thought his PDD with Louise very telling - forceful and demanding rather than a mere flirtation, to be honest heralding the shocking ending to Act 1. 
 

Franz Josef did shake Rudolf’s hand, Gary Avis at his coldest. For my part I think the frosty handshake works well. Would Franz Josef, so much the embodiment of the Austro Hungarian Empire, really snub his son and heir in public on his wedding day? I think his contempt for Rudolf is much better shown in his reaction to the Louise flirtation and it doesn’t need to be telegraphed quite so blatantly early on - and of course Avis is a master of making clear his underlying thoughts.

 

I very much enjoyed Sarah Lamb’s Larisch. She brings a wealth of experience to the role and in many ways controls events using others to bring about what she can no longer do herself. Even when rebuffed, she quickly finds a way to further her cause which is satisfying Rudolf.

 

The Empress Elizabeth PDD was excellent. Itziar Mendizabel was impressive throughout, a fully fleshed out character who we see as: a mother lacking maternal feelings; a dutiful wife who scorns her husband’s infidelities with delicious irony; and a woman finding pleasure with Bay, not simply an entertaining dalliance but I like to think a real love, in sharp contrast to the ballet’s marriages of convenience, both hers and Rudolf/Stephanie’s.

 

The close of Act 1 must be one of the most difficult scenes to perform. The  shock was there but I think the preparations for the lifts etc were too staged and I’ve seen more free flowing Rudolf/Stephanie PDDs.

The Brothel scene was very effective. Mayara Magri was a lovely Mitzi and another fine quartet of Hungarian Officers led by Will Bracewell. I very much enjoyed Bratfisch which I think was Taisuke Nakao debut. I thought his dancing in Act 3 very impressive: he desperately wanted to remain to prevent the inevitable from happening and his reluctance in leaving was palpable.

 

As I said in my earlier post I thought the Rudolf/Mary dancing astonishingly good and made for yet another fabulous performance.

 

Martin Georgiev conducted and he’s conducting the last 4 Mayerlings. I thought him a little freer in some tempos which is no bad thing but I think Koen Kessels is readier to support the dancers.

[art_enthusiast]

14 hours ago, JohnS said:

Another astonishing evening, fabulous debuts, and a strong cast. I thought Marcelino Sambé and Francesca Hayward made for a great Rudolf/Mary pairing. They danced brilliantly together and to my eyes the complex moves simply flowed as if they were entirely natural, quite extraordinary. They both came across as equal parties to the joint suicide, equally committed, and that balance worked incredibly well throughout their scenes. 
I thought Sambé acquitted himself pretty well in his PDDs with Louise, Stephanie, and Larisch and his scene with Empress Elizabeth was gripping. But I thought his dancing with Mary was on a different plane.

 

Totally agree with this, I was extremely impressed last night. I was at some points reminded of Sambé and Hayward's incredible performance in Like Water for Chocolate. I know LWFC wasn't a universal favourite in terms of choreography, but the PDDs were something else, with constant simmering undercurrents of repressed emotion between them. This passion exploded to the forefront in their Mayerling PDDs. Just brilliant. I was also highly impressed with Isabella Gasparini's performance as Princess Stephanie.

Edited November 25, 2022 by art_enthusiast