Royal Ballet's The Nutcracker, Winter 2022/3

[maryrosesatonapin]

12 hours ago, Finnbarr said:

Hello, RB experts

 

can anyone tell me who it is who plays the delightful old retainer who features in the Christmas party in The Nutcracker, wandering around with a candelabra as everyone goes to bed ? He has been in all the performances I have seen and I think he is a great comic actor. Is he an ex- dancer? 

My partner and I were chuckling when watching him the other week - that would be us if we were up on stage!

 

[The Sitter In]

13 hours ago, Finnbarr said:

Hello, RB experts

 

can anyone tell me who it is who plays the delightful old retainer who features in the Christmas party in The Nutcracker, wandering around with a candelabra as everyone goes to bed ? He has been in all the performances I have seen and I think he is a great comic actor. Is he an ex- dancer? 

 

[The Sitter In]

Oliver Symons.  Used to do Widow Simone etc.

[Beryl H]

I always notice this character too 😊

[Fiona]

I remember Oliver Symons in the Gala Celebration when the ROH reopened in 1999.  He performed one of the Ugly Sisters in the duet from Act 2 of Cinderella when they exit then re-enter holding the oranges, with a travelling step, nodding their heads.  (If you know the ballet it will be familiar to you, and the music is unforgettable!) He was also seen backstage trying on new shoes for the event.

[Jane S]

Oliver Symons has a long history with the RB, starting with corps de ballet roles in the 1950s and returning after a 30-year gap to do the Ashton sister in Cinderella and Mrs Tiggywinkle on numerous occasions. In between he danced with Western Theatre Ballet and with Ballet for All and others.

 

He and Sandra Conley talked to the Ballet Association in 2002 and it's a nice read. He must be about 86 by now!

[LinMM]

I wonder if the travelling step with the oranges for the ugly sisters mentioned above is the “Fred Step” 

I used to know what it was as we were told on an RAD workshop on Cinderella once but keep forgetting it!! 

[Tango Dancer]

20 minutes ago, LinMM said:

I wonder if the travelling step with the oranges for the ugly sisters mentioned above is the “Fred Step” 

I used to know what it was as we were told on an RAD workshop on Cinderella once but keep forgetting it!! 

 

The Fred step is arabesque, fondu, coupé, petit developpé, pas de bourée, pas de chat.  I learnt it in a class as well and wrote it down at the time because I kept getting it wrong.  

[Dawnstar]

On 07/12/2022 at 18:44, Dawnstar said:

I'm hoping his future will include getting to dance Hans-Peter. He seems the right type for the role.

 

When I said that last week I wasn't expecting it to happen a week later!

 

 

(It's probably a good thing it's a Schools Matinee or I'd be really wanting to go.)

[James]

6 hours ago, The Sitter In said:

Oliver Symons.  Used to do Widow Simone etc.

I always enjoy his appearance in The Nutcracker- along with those of the housekeeper and the maiden aunts, all  of whom are played by more mature performers. For many years one of the aunts was portrayed by Diane Holland, famously the faded ballroom champion Yvonne in TV’s Hi Di Hi. I think it’s a shame the Royal Ballet don’t cast older dancers in the roles of the Grandfather and Grandmother. Young dancers look so unconvincing however good the make-up - this was particularly noticeable in the cinema screening. 

[Mary]

I  agree it would be great to see Liam Boswell at the schools matinee..

I was hanging around ROH on 7th and saw all the crocodiles of children coming in for the schools matinee:  it was lovely, really brought a tear to the eye to see their excitement and one group gave a great chorus of 'ooohs' as they entered the building.

 

[emmarose]

2 hours ago, LinMM said:

I wonder if the travelling step with the oranges for the ugly sisters mentioned above is the “Fred Step” 

I used to know what it was as we were told on an RAD workshop on Cinderella once but keep forgetting it!! 

 

This was a little something the dancers did during lockdown, I always remember it because I thought it was really quite cute.

Anyway, here's some examples of the Fred Step....

 

 

[Lizbie1]

24 minutes ago, James said:

For many years one of the aunts was portrayed by Diane Holland, famously the faded ballroom champion Yvonne in TV’s Hi Di Hi.

 

That is an amazing fact! I grew up on Hi de Hi and think it's one of the most underrated sitcoms the BBC made - every character so well drawn and played.

[Sophoife]

Thank you @emmarose! I'd forgotten that really charming video! Particularly Gary Avis just casually hands in pockets outside Chandos Lodge (how lucky he lives in Suffolk!).

 

Can anyone tell me why Anna Rose O'Sullivan went blonde? When one remembers all those who've mentioned being told to darken their roots or the edges of their hair (Claudia Dean and Leanne Benjamin for example), going as blonde as that with naturally very dark hair must be very time-consuming and, to me anyway, quite puzzling.

[emmarose]

40 minutes ago, Sophoife said:

Thank you @emmarose! I'd forgotten that really charming video! Particularly Gary Avis just casually hands in pockets outside Chandos Lodge (how lucky he lives in Suffolk!).

 

Can anyone tell me why Anna Rose O'Sullivan went blonde? When one remembers all those who've mentioned being told to darken their roots or the edges of their hair (Claudia Dean and Leanne Benjamin for example), going as blonde as that with naturally very dark hair must be very time-consuming and, to me anyway, quite puzzling.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed it, I loved it at the time and it's also great so people know what to look for if they want to pick out the Fred Step too.

[Tango Dancer]

1 hour ago, Sophoife said:

Thank you @emmarose! I'd forgotten that really charming video! Particularly Gary Avis just casually hands in pockets outside Chandos Lodge (how lucky he lives in Suffolk!).

 

 

Gary Avis looks great.  I also like Marianela and her decidedly unimpressed cat completely ignoring her.  You can see that's one feline that isn't joining in the pas de chat.  

[LinMM]

Ah thanks for that lovely video emmarose. I first learnt it at a lovely RAD workshop on Cinderella where we worked on a piece of choreography with a broom ( were given real theatrical ones) and then divided into pairs and did a bit from the Ugly sisters choreography which was great fun! 
I’ve been to Eye a couple of times some years back now as there was an interesting nursery there which has gone now unfortunately but had no idea Frederick Ashton had lived there!  

[Sim]

Tonight’s performance was just lovely.  Sae and Joseph thoroughly joyful, Will a gorgeously romantic consort and Fumi…stunning. She is so beautiful that it makes me weep…every time.  

[bangorballetboy]

Whilst I'm loathe to mention Cinderella again on a Nutcracker thread, I feel I have to say there are no "ugly sisters" in Ashton's Cinderella, they are "step sisters".

[LinMM]

Oh okay …just a habit of fairy tale speaking! Indeed Ashtons ‘sisters’ have a much gentler humour and not too caricatured as sometimes happens. 
But back to the Nutcracker….the one I had to miss 😥……….

[AllAboutTheJourney]

That Fred Step video is lovely - thanks for sharing!

 

Very excited to see some of the Nutcracker this evening. I've been working in the ROH cafe for some of the afternoon and it was lovely to see the schools' matinee come out - hundreds of excited kids. A fab school trip for them! 

[FionaM]

I too wish the grandparents were played by mature / retired dancers or else that part changed.  

[LinMM]

By the way Tango Dancer thanks for writing the Fred step down I did have a little go before the lovely video got posted! The pas de chat was the surprise I thought it ended slightly differently! 

[Silke H]

this evening's cast sheet suggests that we will be treated to Snowflakes also in Act II

😉

 

[RobR]

😀😀 you can’t have too many 

[emmarose]

I'm so pleased people enjoyed the video, I really thought it was a something a little special and lovely.

[Florine]

Does anyone else feel a distinct 'absence' of snowflakes in the post lockdown ROH Wright production? They seem to have diminished from 24 to 16. For me this makes a big difference in terms of evoking snow gathering momentum and drifting, and definitely loses a chunk of the magic.  This is the ROH stage that can easily take 24 corps ... There seems to be too much scenery and not enough dancers. Ditto the toy soldier's diminished numbers - disproportionate to the mice. 

[Geoff]

4 hours ago, Florine said:

Does anyone else feel a distinct 'absence' of snowflakes in the post lockdown ROH Wright production? They seem to have diminished from 24 to 16. For me this makes a big difference in terms of evoking snow gathering momentum and drifting, and definitely loses a chunk of the magic.  This is the ROH stage that can easily take 24 corps ... There seems to be too much scenery and not enough dancers. Ditto the toy soldier's diminished numbers - disproportionate to the mice. 

There is a lot wrong. However as the tenor of this thread is universal delight it seems churlish to mention anything negative. But one place to start might be the comments just made on Instagram by Alastair Macaulay (scroll down the comments here, his appear near the top, also in discussion with others):-

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CmGp8Kysc7A/

[EVWS]

I definitely agree about the lack of snowflakes - given the size of stage it does look very strange and lacks impact etc. I think I recall someone mentioning last year that KOH and the Royal Ballet thought that when they cut down the number of snowflakes for the Covid version of the production the scene looked better, and the choreographic patterns were more clear to the audience...to me it looks like, a light dusting of snow rather than proper snowfall/blizzard! 

 

But that's a minor niggle it what is a magical and fantastic production!! 

 

Just an observation as well but I've also noticed that all the Sugarplums have a different crown on than previous years - much more tiara like

[Jan McNulty]

39 minutes ago, Geoff said:

There is a lot wrong. However as the tenor of this thread is universal delight it seems churlish to mention anything negative. But one place to start might be the comments just made on Instagram by Alastair Macaulay (scroll down the comments here, his appear near the top, also in discussion with others):-

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CmGp8Kysc7A/

 

I can't find any comments by Alastair Macaulay.  Quite a few people commenting on the nude tights though!

[Sim]

21 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

I can't find any comments by Alastair Macaulay.  Quite a few people commenting on the nude tights though!

I couldn’t find anything either. If he made a nasty comment it might have been deleted?  Nice to see how much the ‘general public’ appreciated this, and learned so much. 

[Lizbie1]

The comments are still there.

[San Perregrino]

1 hour ago, Geoff said:

There is a lot wrong. However as the tenor of this thread is universal delight it seems churlish to mention anything negative. But one place to start might be the comments just made on Instagram by Alastair Macaulay (scroll down the comments here, his appear near the top, also in discussion with others):-

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CmGp8Kysc7A/

this link takes me to Gary Avis coaching the beautifully expressive Leo Dixon in the mime. Worth more than one watch so thank you.
Added comment: It took more than one viewing to find the comments thread. To sum it up it seems that one person’s meat is another’s poison. As a relative newbie to regular repeat ballet watching, I can only enjoy (or not) what is danced in front of me, I’m not able to compare with past productions and, perhaps thankfully so, as to compare seem to lead to despair if the comments are to be believed. Sometimes ignorance can be bliss.

Edited December 16, 2022 by PeterS