Woolf Works - Royal Ballet March 2023

[Cescablue]

And it seems that Frankie Hayward is reprising her role as Sally in the Ferri cast.  

[Josette]

I was ecstatic that the Nunez cast did the General Rehearsal this afternoon because I will see all three casts. It was beautiful. I haven’t see Nunez on stage since summer of 2019. 

[Cescablue]

Tonight's cast sheet is available. https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/40/woolf-works-by-wayne-mcgregor/cast-list/51374

[MildConcern]

Ferri, Avis, Naghdi, Bracewell - such a ridiculous spoil of delights. I also think Calvin Richardson will handsomely put his own spin on the role of Septimus, being very much in the 'style' of beloved Ed Watson. Very much looking forward to this evening!

[Cescablue]

7 minutes ago, MildConcern said:

Ferri, Avis, Naghdi, Bracewell - such a ridiculous spoil of delights. I also think Calvin Richardson will handsomely put his own spin on the role of Septimus, being very much in the 'style' of beloved Ed Watson. Very much looking forward to this evening!

I hope you have a wonderful time.  I was also thrilled to see Richardson and Sissens on the list - hoping the cast remains the same for the 11th March.

[LinMM]

Also cast Naghdi and Hayward and O’Sullivan! 
Also glad to see Richardson and Sissens on the list too with Bracewell. 

[Sim]

If anyone fancies saying hello tonight we will be sitting in the Floral Hall in the intervals at a table by the small staircase that leads to the old part of the House.  I am in black with dark hair and a light greenish pashmina. Hope to see some of you later. Either way…enjoy!

[Linnzi5]

3 hours ago, MildConcern said:

Ferri, Avis, Naghdi, Bracewell - such a ridiculous spoil of delights. I also think Calvin Richardson will handsomely put his own spin on the role of Septimus, being very much in the 'style' of beloved Ed Watson. Very much looking forward to this evening!

I am so glad I have booked to see this cast!!

[postie]

What a marvellous achievement by Mcgregor, Richter and their teams (before and now). I was slightly overcome this afternoon, and that was 20-minutes in.  Unique and beautiful and melancholic and so much ..  a magnificent feast for the senses and mind.

Edited March 1, 2023 by postie

[LinMM]

Sorry to have missed the Balletcoforum group! 
For various reasons was in the ROH most of the afternoon ( not at rehearsal though) but didn’t see message until after the show tonight. 
 

Can anybody who saw this last time tell me if they think the ending has been changed? 
My memory is that right at the end Ferri was sort of centre stage whilst the walking forward and backwards by other cast   was going on and then as they slowly disappeared into the background she slowly walked backwards on her own and sort of eventually melted down till she lay on the stage. I remember thinking this was actually very difficult to do so gracefully and seemlessly but tonight it ended with the pas de deux with Bracewell laying her down onto the stage before disappearing into the background too. So to me it has been changed slightly. 
There was nothing wrong with tonight’s ending but felt the original was more effective because she died on her own. 
No doubt I’ve remembered it incorrectly but wondered if anyone else thought this. 

[Rob S]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 2, 2023 by Rob S

[MildConcern]

My favourite night of the season yet, but I have been enamoured by Woolf Works since its premier.

 

Richardson lived up to every promise. Fumi razor sharp and haunting in Orlando. Naghdi really surprised me as young Dalloway. Bracewell a handsome debut.

 

But Alessandra Ferri... I was sat close enough in the stalls to see every flash of emotion in her eyes. The soul of this ballet. Totally remarkable. 

[Jorgeb]

45 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Sorry to have missed the Balletcoforum group! 
For various reasons was in the ROH most of the afternoon ( not at rehearsal though) but didn’t see message until after the show tonight. 
 

Can anybody who saw this last time tell me if they think the ending has been changed? 
My memory is that right at the end Ferri was sort of centre stage whilst the walking forward and backwards by other cast   was going on and then as they slowly disappeared into the background she slowly walked backwards on her own and sort of eventually melted down till she lay on the stage. I remember thinking this was actually very difficult to do so gracefully and seemlessly but tonight it ended with the pas de deux with Bracewell laying her down onto the stage before disappearing into the background too. So to me it has been changed slightly. 
There was nothing wrong with tonight’s ending but felt the original was more effective because she died on her own. 
No doubt I’ve remembered it incorrectly but wondered if anyone else thought this. 

I didn't see tonight's show, but I believe, based on the description, that the ending is the same as in 2017. It ended with the pas de deux with Bonelli laying Alessandra Ferri down onto the stage before disappearing into the background. While she is lying on the floor the lights go out.

[LinMM]

Thanks for that Jorgeb 

Perhaps I dreamt the alternative ending! 
Or perhaps it got changed at some point in the last run ….after I’d seen the initial performance!! 
I didn’t realise it was as long as six years ago since last time ….which makes Ferri even more amazing as she must be around 60 by now then. 
 

Lovely pics Rob S do you know who is with Fumi ( who was totally amazing tonight) 
 

Edited March 2, 2023 by LinMM

[bridiem]

Wonderful photos, Rob S! Thank you so much. A lovely reminder of an absolutely thrilling performance. Beautiful, moving, hypnotic, gripping. Alessandra Ferri is just extraordinary; her dancing is so fluid and so expressive and it's all done so quietly, with a kind of grave dignity. And her actual age lends a very moving reality to the themes of the work: past and future, youth and old age, the ebb and flow of life, reflection on the past both sad and joyful, and that in the midst of life we are in death. All the dancers were brilliant - completely committed physically and emotionally. I found the section in Becomings where they dance wildly into and out of and across circles of light unbearably moving; seeing all those beautiful young dancers, giving it their all, at the peak of their powers, but in the knowledge that 'Golden lads and girls all must\As chimney-sweepers, come to dust'. Woolf Works captures and expresses the beauty and the tragedy of life, the tears at the heart of things, and is a monumental achievement.
 

[bridiem]

4 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Thanks for that Jorgeb 

Perhaps I dreamt the alternative ending! 
Or perhaps it got changed at some point in the last run ….after I’d seen the initial performance!! 
I didn’t realise it was as long as six years ago since last time ….which makes Ferri even more amazing as she must be around 60 by now then. 
 

 

She turns 60 in May this year.

[Guest]

My conclusions from the General Rehearsal;

 

This must rank as one of Wayme Mcgregor and his accomplices finest achievements. The staging, lighting and laser effects are stunning as is the choreography and Max Richter's music. Not a fan of some of the costuming but that's probably me not grasping it's relevence.

 

Stand out performances for me were Ashley Dean (very fluent in I Now, I Then) and Melissa Hamilton's staggering physical gifts in Becomings. So much to admire generally.

 

The whole performance appeared very well rehearsed.

[stucha]

50 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Thanks for that Jorgeb 

Perhaps I dreamt the alternative ending! 
Or perhaps it got changed at some point in the last run ….after I’d seen the initial performance!! 
I didn’t realise it was as long as six years ago since last time ….which makes Ferri even more amazing as she must be around 60 by now then. 
 

Lovely pics Rob S do you know who is with Fumi ( who was totally amazing tonight) 
 

 

It is Nicol Edmonds

[Sim]

A fabulous night.  I Now, I Then was danced more beautifully than I had ever seen it before.  The pdd between Calvin Richardson and Joe Sissens was so heart-rending it almost reduced me to tears. And the emotions rendered by Miss Ferri were truly remarkable…the joy and pain of her looking back at her life resonated so deeply.  An astonishing performance, made even more heartfelt by the bounding youthful joy of Yasmine Naghdi and Francesca Hayward.  The contrast between the innocence of youth and the wistfulness of old age was very effective.  
 

The whole ballet is an emotional piece of work that really makes one think, just like Virginia Woolf’s novels do.   I did miss the dancers rising up from the back of the stage in The Waves, but I guess this is another casualty of the broken stage mechanism. A small quibble!  
 

A special mention for Fumi Kaneko in Becomings. She was mesmerising. She managed to bring a classical finesse to McGregor’s somewhat wild and fast-paced choreography and it was gorgeous.  Is there anything she can’t do?  

[capybara]

7 hours ago, Sim said:

  A special mention for Fumi Kaneko in Becomings. She was mesmerising. She managed to bring a classical finesse to McGregor’s somewhat wild and fast-paced choreography and it was gorgeous.  Is there anything she can’t do?  

No 😀

[Josette]

It was superb-every single

moment. I was front row center and was In tears by the time that Ferri and Avis were dancing together - such eloquence, and then the depth of the performances by Bracewell, Richardson, Sissens, Naghdi, everyone carried throughout. The energy and level of concentration  of the dancers in Orlando was breathtaking. And the final act was beautiful. I feel so grateful to have seen this with Ferri, whose performance was deeply felt and expressed. I first saw this ballet in Dance In Cinema several years ago in Los Angeles and was determined to see it in London. A brilliant evening. 

[alison]

8 hours ago, Sim said:

A special mention for Fumi Kaneko in Becomings. She was mesmerising. She managed to bring a classical finesse to McGregor’s somewhat wild and fast-paced choreography and it was gorgeous.  Is there anything she can’t do?  

 

If there is, I don't think anyone's found it yet  

[Agatha]

Thank you for the reviews. Now I am even more excited about seeing this cast on the 11th! 

[San Perregrino]

A sublime evening when everyone and everything came together in glorious harmony to create wondrous magic.

(A little less fog in Orlando perhaps (?) but maybe that’s my poor eyesight).

[Dawnstar]

@Rob S May I ask who the 3 dancers in the Tudor-ish costumes are? I'm sure I should recognise them but I don't at the moment, not helped by being on my phone rather than laptop.

[Rob S]

6 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

@Rob S May I ask who the 3 dancers in the Tudor-ish costumes are? I'm sure I should recognise them but I don't at the moment, not helped by being on my phone rather than laptop.

 

David Donnelly, Ashley Dean and Harry Churches

[Guest]

With trepidation;

 

https://slippedisc.com/2023/03/alastair-macaulay-this-royal-ballet-cannot-be-overlooked/

[Dawnstar]

16 minutes ago, Rob S said:

David Donnelly, Ashley Dean and Harry Churches

 

Thank you. I did tentatively think of Donnelly & Dean as possible identifications but I didn't think of Churches, who I also completely failed to recognise as one of the SB princes last month!

[LinMM]

Yes totally agree about the mist …less is more…chance to see the dancers properly. 
I did enjoy this last night….what a richness of dancers altogether….but  Ferri amazing in this role I love her almost understated performance but bringing so much pathos….one of those dancers whose career regretfully was sadly missed …I’m just beginning to forgive her now for going to US …but lucky old US to have her dancing on your shores …though realise the east and west coast are a long way apart!!! 
If anyone can do try and get to see Ferri in this role this run in case it’s another six years before the next. 
I really loved Sissens and Richardson together in the first Act they both brought something a little extra to these roles and lovely to see Gary Avis dancing to great affect. This act was just perfect last night. 
The dancing in the second act must be pretty exhausting to do but wonderful to watch and Fumi …omg she was just stunning last night among the other terrific performances.  The only thing is I just start to feel okay McGregor you’ve nailed this now about 6-7 mins before the end inspite of that extraordinary bit with the spotlights where I’m sure the dancers are all improvising at this point!! I feel the music definitely supports this Act along with some unusual lighting affects…..and now having seen Dante could see some similarities between this Act and the final Act of Dante. McGregor loves sending very fast spinning bodies off into space for sure. 
I did have to borrow a kind neighbours programme in the interval to double check that Max Richter had in fact written the whole of this score but yes he had!!  Maybe that’s what keeps the dancers going to the end …the driving and enveloping force of this music! 
The last Act was beautifully danced and particularly love the music in this part and the moving ending with wonderfully felt dancing from Ferri and Bracewell …even if it was different to how I remembered it six years ago!! 
 

Woolf Works is definitely McGregors masterpiece how could you not love his boots off when he came to take an almost shy curtain call at the end …..and that was surely  Max Richter too who came on just afterwards with him? A joy to see him for real too. 
So a really enjoyable evening last night. Am going again on the 21st when Nunez performs the main role…so the first time will have seen anyone other than Ferri …so will be interesting but Woolf works itself is definitely a stayer in the Rep for me. 
 

[Sim]

27 minutes ago, Robin Smith said:

With trepidation;

 

https://slippedisc.com/2023/03/alastair-macaulay-this-royal-ballet-cannot-be-overlooked/

No surprise there then.  

[zxDaveM]

agreed with the haze (mist) being excessive at the start - but they need a good amount to show off the fan lasers. Though I'd rather see all the dancers personally...

[Rob S]

58 minutes ago, LinMM said:

…..and that was surely  Max Richter too who came on just afterwards with him? A joy to see him for real too. 
 

 

I took a picture of him just in case, I googled him on the train and yes it was

[JNC]

In previous runs has it only being Ferri who has taken the role of Virginia? Just wondering as it seems unusual to have only one cast but equally given her expressiveness and skill as a dancer it appears there are big shoes to fill! (But I’m sure Osipova and Nunez are well up to the task to bring their own special take!)