The Sleeping Beauty, Royal Ballet 2023

[zxDaveM]

46 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

perhaps you brought the California sun with you....in which case, thank you! 😊

 

it has been snowing in California this week!! 😳

[Josette]

It is about the same temperature here in London as in Los Angeles, and, yes, it did snow in some unexpected areas in California last weekend. This is my fourth trip to London since October of 2021, when I came for The Dante Project and Romeo and Juliet. I also came for Like Water for Chocolate and Mayerling. I enjoy reading everyone’s comments in this forum. 

[Emeralds]

18 hours ago, zxDaveM said:

 

it has been snowing in California this week!! 😳

Looks like we took their sun and gave them our snow in exchange! Poor things! 

[Emeralds]

18 hours ago, Josette said:

It is about the same temperature here in London as in Los Angeles, and, yes, it did snow in some unexpected areas in California last weekend. This is my fourth trip to London since October of 2021, when I came for The Dante Project and Romeo and Juliet. I also came for Like Water for Chocolate and Mayerling. I enjoy reading everyone’s comments in this forum. 

Fab! Was going to recommend to you some restaurants, sights and events if you haven’t visited recently, but it sounds like you’re fully up to date! 👍 If you like plays and have time for another show, Medea (with Sophie Okonedo and Ben Daniels) at the new Soho Place Theatre near Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road Tube has had great reviews from critics and friends of mine who’ve seen it.

[alison]

Bah!  Yet again I get to miss Julia Roscoe's Lilac Fairy   She's been on at all the matinees where I've been to the evening performance, and now she's doing the evening when I'm going to the matinee!

[Sim]

29 minutes ago, alison said:

Bah!  Yet again I get to miss Julia Roscoe's Lilac Fairy   She's been on at all the matinees where I've been to the evening performance, and now she's doing the evening when I'm going to the matinee!

I’m glad I will finally get to see her as I have missed all of her performances thus far.  As I am doing the double tomorrow I raised my chances!  

[MJW]

Hope everyone enjoys today's matinee; unfortunately due to a heavy cold I'm not able to attend but at least I was able to see Fumi and William at the general in January. Hopefully I will be recovered for Woolf Works next Saturday!

[Sim]

44 minutes ago, MJW said:

Hope everyone enjoys today's matinee; unfortunately due to a heavy cold I'm not able to attend but at least I was able to see Fumi and William at the general in January. Hopefully I will be recovered for Woolf Works next Saturday!

I hope you’re feeling better very soon. This cold is going around. 🤧🤒

[MJW]

13 minutes ago, Sim said:

I hope you’re feeling better very soon. This cold is going around. 🤧🤒

 

Thank you! 

[Linnzi5]

1 hour ago, MJW said:

Hope everyone enjoys today's matinee; unfortunately due to a heavy cold I'm not able to attend but at least I was able to see Fumi and William at the general in January. Hopefully I will be recovered for Woolf Works next Saturday!

I am so sorry. I hope you feel better soon  

 

[JanetW]

Hello everyone,

I am very excited to be coming to London to attend the performance this afternoon...I have loved ballet all my life, have gone since about 1974, but haven't seen anything since Covid.

I just wanted to say how very much I appreciate all your reviews and thoughts- they are so important to me and I love that this forum is so very good. X Janet 💓

 

[JohnS]

Today’s matinee cast sheet:

https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/40/the-sleeping-beauty-by-marius-petipa/cast-list/51377

Very much looking forward to double Sleeping Beauty.

[LinMM]

I’m stuck on a train at Haywards Heath at the moment!! Some signalling failure just hope I make it on time now as should have been at ROH by 12 but those plans scuppered! 
I hope it doesn’t turn into the nightmare journey home on Thursday night when was stuck at Kings Cross for an hour and a half for a Brighton train!! 
oh well at least I’m standing so they might be able to sneak me in!! 

[alison]

I'd say come and meet us, Janet w, but the trouble is we don't really have anywhere to meet at the moment, and the Intervals are so short. Hope you enjoy, anyway.

[JanetW]

I would love to but yes, I couldn't see anyone in the interval...except a v quick hello to Sim..but thank you...it's lovely to know some of you are here ! Janet 🙂 

[art_enthusiast]

I got absolute chills - (and I rarely get them in Sleeping Beauty, more in Swan Lake) - watching Fumi doing the Rose Adagio today, just sublime.

[Linnzi5]

Will post my review later - am on the train home now. I absolutely loved it! 😍

[Linnzi5]

26 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

I got absolute chills - (and I rarely get them in Sleeping Beauty, more in Swan Lake) - watching Fumi doing the Rose Adagio today, just sublime.

I do prefer Swan Lake - it’s probably my favourite ballet, overall. However, yes, the Rose Adage was just gorgeous. Fumi danced it perfectly. I was so impressed!

[Linnzi5]

Obviously, I thought William Bracewell was the perfect prince - I just love anything he dances, but he was amazing! He partnered Fumi so beautifully and sensitively and his solos just had me spellbound. Audience seemed to love him too. 

[MaddieRose]

In St Pancras waiting for my train home and all I can say is wow! I loved Fumi and William, they were absolutely incredible! The whole performance was brilliant! 

[Suffolkgal]

That was just exquisite - joyful. Also on train home but from kings cross. Two lovely ladies I chatted to at the stage door. Very happy my calendar is signed! Very gracious at the stage door - william kept saying thank you so much for coming to everyone which I thought charming. Am very very happy 

[MaddieRose]

8 minutes ago, Suffolkgal said:

That was just exquisite - joyful. Also on train home but from kings cross. Two lovely ladies I chatted to at the stage door. Very happy my calendar is signed! Very gracious at the stage door - william kept saying thank you so much for coming to everyone which I thought charming. Am very very happy 

Oh that was lovely wasn’t it! I was the tall young lady with the walking stick, which I think may be the easiest way to describe myself 😂

[Texan]

54 minutes ago, Linnzi5 said:

Obviously, I thought William Bracewell was the perfect prince - I just love anything he dances, but he was amazing! He partnered Fumi so beautifully and sensitively and his solos just had me spellbound. Audience seemed to love him too. 

I flew in from Texas to see Fumi and Natalia this weekend. Next time, I will fly in to see Bracewell again (hopefully paired with Fumi).

Edited March 4, 2023 by Texan
spelling

[Linnzi5]

15 minutes ago, Suffolkgal said:

That was just exquisite - joyful. Also on train home but from kings cross. Two lovely ladies I chatted to at the stage door. Very happy my calendar is signed! Very gracious at the stage door - william kept saying thank you so much for coming to everyone which I thought charming. Am very very happy 

How lovely! Sounds like you had the perfect end to a beautiful day!

[JennyTaylor]

1 hour ago, Linnzi5 said:

Obviously, I thought William Bracewell was the perfect prince - I just love anything he dances, but he was amazing! He partnered Fumi so beautifully and sensitively and his solos just had me spellbound. Audience seemed to love him too. 

...and how about that lovely smile at the end of the Grand ppd.....  I too, loved every minute

[Suffolkgal]

It really was - hello MaddieRose we will know each other next time! And maybe will feel brave enough to approach others like Matty Ball! Mind you we did share a moment with Zenaida Yanowsky and she was obviously delighted with them! I do think this is an absolutely sumptuous production and it’s all so silly I think it needs that gloss. The RB does rise to that sort of treatment. Incredible to think they are all doing Woolf Works this week too! Daft moments when you must suspend any critical thought include: you’re 16 love, choose one of these crazy dudes. And we are in the woods hunting but let’s have a stately minuet. And gosh I’ve just woken up and he looks jolly nice so I’m going to marry him, ok? 

[Suffolkgal]

1 minute ago, JennyTaylor said:

...and how about that lovely smile at the end of the Grand ppd.....  I too, loved every minute

The smile is just lovely. I’ve got one on camera from the stage door

too!

[LinMM]

Princes are a bit divvy though. I seriously wanted to shout out “She’s behind you” when he seemed not to be able to see her in the bedroom!!! And then when he did hadn’t a clue as to what to do!! 🙄

[Linnzi5]

I had a brilliant time this afternoon. Though I like Sleeping Beauty, I don't find it one of the most moving ballets. However, today's offering was superb and I have a new found respect for it.

 

I found the prologue not to be as slow as I remembered. I thought the performances were really good. The fairies were competent - lovely to see Choe dancing. Also, Joseph Sissons was great - he always stands out for me.

 

Fumi Kaneko was just brilliant - how far she has come! She was graceful and joyful and technically perfect. Her Rose Adage was mesmerising and she made it look easy. For me, that's when you know someone is at the top of their game. If those balances look hard or the dancer lacks confidence, it does rather detract from that part of the performance for me. Fumi was just perfect. I thought Act I was lovely - the dancing was delightful from all.

 

Act II is a bit slower, but I particularly enjoyed William Bracewell's solo - as graceful and emotive as usual. I did think Gina Storm Jensen's Lilac Fairy was much improved from when I last saw her. Fumi Kaneko was brilliant in this act too.

 

Act III is probably my favourite. The wedding PDD was delightful - just so elegant and the smiles William Bracewell and Fumi Kaneko gave each other were so powerful - I think they dance so beautifully and sensitively together. Their solos were just brilliant. I loved Fumi's - full of character and elegance. William's was very powerful and exciting. The quick turns he did were at an incredible speed! The character dances were great! The Puss-In-Boots and White cat were most entertaining, as were Princess Florine and the Bluebird - excellent dancing, I thought. 

 

I walked out of ROH, with a big smile on my face and a warm heart. Well done to all!  

[Linnzi5]

1 hour ago, LinMM said:

Princes are a bit divvy though. I seriously wanted to shout out “She’s behind you” when he seemed not to be able to see her in the bedroom!!! And then when he did hadn’t a clue as to what to do!! 🙄

I love the bit where the prince hasn't quite worked out how to wake Aurora up. It's a bit of a 'doh' moment and it makes me smile  

[LinMM]

Made it by skin of teeth this afternoon thanks to a very handy taxi right outside City Thameslink station! 
Didn’t get “breakfast”  until after the Rose adagio act so the last Act a bit hard going standing today but had a terrific view that little row 35-28 of standing is really well worth it. 
Great performances today from Fumi and Bracewell. What a marathon the role is for the female dancer but Fumi showed no sign of strain a sparkling radiance throughout and dazzling with her eyes.  At least her Prince could impress her with his dancing even if not the quickest in the brains department 🙄

I did prefer the production where the Prince got a bit more into tackling the forest and then Carabosse and not standing by watching the Lilac Fairy do it all for him! 
I think I do prefer Carabosse played by a male as a general rule as the energy coming across can be that much stronger and more menacing …..I’m sure I saw McNally play it last time and she was exceptionally good but I believe this is a new role for Grennell so I’m sure she will get stronger as didn’t feel that angry fire and nasty revenge from her today she seemed much too kind to resist the Lilac Fairy’s Goodness! 

I really liked Mariko Sasaki as Florine and loved Joshua Junkers take on the male cat ….often a role I don’t notice too much (sorry dancers it is nearly 3 hours by then). 
But Fumi was the bright star today and am looking forward to seeing her with Bracewell again in Cinderella in April. 
Just a note that I felt the orchestra needed a bit of pace at times not so much going for playing at the race of knots or anything…. but a bit more drive/firmness …difficult to express what I mean so lighter in texture as felt heavy in places. 

But all in all a great afternoon in the theatre and nice to have a chat with friends afterwards ( who now off to Coppelia for more ballet!! 
Back on a very slow crawling train to Brighton now but at least it’s warm!! 



 

[Rob S]

 

 

 

 

 

[Linnzi5]

4 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Made it by skin of teeth this afternoon thanks to a very handy taxi right outside City Thameslink station! 
Didn’t get “breakfast”  until after the Rose adagio act so the last Act a bit hard going standing today but had a terrific view that little row 35-28 of standing is really well worth it. 
Great performances today from Fumi and Bracewell. What a marathon the role is for the female dancer but Fumi showed no sign of strain a sparkling radiance throughout and dazzling with her eyes.  At least her Prince could impress her with his dancing even if not the quickest in the brains department 🙄

I did prefer the production where the Prince got a bit more into tackling the forest and then Carabosse and not standing by watching the Lilac Fairy do it all for him! 
I think I do prefer Carabosse played by a male as a general rule as the energy coming across can be that much stronger and more menacing …..I’m sure I saw McNally play it last time and she was exceptionally good but I believe this is a new role for Grennell so I’m sure she will get stronger as didn’t feel that angry fire and nasty revenge from her today she seemed much too kind to resist the Lilac Fairy’s Goodness! 

I really liked Mariko Sasaki as Florine and loved Joshua Junkers take on the male cat ….often a role I don’t notice too much (sorry dancers it is nearly 3 hours by then). 
But Fumi was the bright star today and am looking forward to seeing her with Bracewell again in Cinderella in April. 
Just a note that I felt the orchestra needed a bit of pace at times not so much going for playing at the race of knots or anything…. but a bit more drive/firmness …difficult to express what I mean so lighter in texture as felt heavy in places. 

But all in all a great afternoon in the theatre and nice to have a chat with friends afterwards ( who now off to Coppelia for more ballet!! 
Back on a very slow crawling train to Brighton now but at least it’s warm!! 



 

Yes. Hannah Grennell's Carabosse didn't seem quite menacing enough for my taste, particularly when she first enters in the prologue, and that was the only very slight disappointment I had in the whole performance. Then again, I'm comparing her to McNally and she is just outstanding - the definitive Carabosse in my eyes (rather like Avis's Drosselmeyer).  It's difficult to live up to that, so I don't want to be unfair as this is a new role for Grennell and she looked amazing in the costume. I did miss the trap door though - I know it can't be mended at the moment, but that is such a wonderfully dramatic bit!