News - Birmingham Royal Ballet, Sleeping Beauty, Spring Tour 2024

[Dawnstar]

The Culture Whisper atricle in today's links previewing the Sadler's Wells run says that Cojocaru will be partnered by Maslen. Checking BRB's website, the casting has been amended on there. Presumably Dingman is injured?

[capybara]

3 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

The Culture Whisper atricle in today's links previewing the Sadler's Wells run says that Cojocaru will be partnered by Maslen. Checking BRB's website, the casting has been amended on there. Presumably Dingman is injured?

Yes - Matthias Dingman has made it clear on IG that he is injured and has wished his fellow dancers the best.

[Emeralds]

I can't remember which performances Momoko Hirata and Mathias Dingman were scheduled to dance in Plymouth and Bristol if any, but if they were, both have been taken off and Hirata is now next scheduled to dance only in London in April- at the Saturday matinee with Chou as her new partner, with her original Florimund, Maslen,  now due to dance with Cojocaru on Thursday and Saturday evening. 

 

That actually works well for me as I'd been puzzling over how to see Chou as Florimund outside London (while fitting in RB MacMillan and real life somewhere as well!) so that has somehow all slotted into place. I see BRB have also confirmed that Yasiel Hodelín Bello is recovered from injury and is back dancing the remainder of his performances with Céline Gittens. 

 

Wishing Mathias Dingman a speedy and complete recovery. 

Edited March 16 by Emeralds

[Tony Newcombe]

I know I have mentioned it earlier on this thread, but do go and see Yu Kurihara and Lachlan Monaghan on the first night. Yu is a really special Aurora.  She is also dancing the Lilac Fairy and the Fairy of Joy(I.e Lilac Fairy variation) in this production.

[alison]

I totally agree about Yu. Unfortunately, her show clashes with the cinema relay of the RB swan lake.

[Jan McNulty]

21 minutes ago, alison said:

I totally agree about Yu. Unfortunately, her show clashes with the cinema relay of the RB swan lake.

 

That shouldn't be any sort of an issue - Yu and Lachlan every time!!

[Dawnstar]

I would have liked to see Monaghan but I'd already booked for the Thursday to see Cojocaru before the rest of the casting was announced so as Kurihara & Monaghan are only dancing on the Wednesday then that's a no go, as I think SB 2 nights running would be too much.

[Jan McNulty]

5 hours ago, capybara said:

Yes - Matthias Dingman has made it clear on IG that he is injured and has wished his fellow dancers the best.

 

Link to Mathias Dingman's Instagram post:

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/C4baCOKodXp/

[Emeralds]

2 hours ago, Tony Newcombe said:

I know I have mentioned it earlier on this thread, but do go and see Yu Kurihara and Lachlan Monaghan on the first night. Yu is a really special Aurora.  She is also dancing the Lilac Fairy and the Fairy of Joy(I.e Lilac Fairy variation) in this production.

Unfortunately the first night and Thursday night I simply can't do- if I still want to have a heartbeat by Saturday and beyond! Paradoxically I have actually seen Cojocaru as Aurora before, so if Kurihara and Monaghan had been assigned Saturday night instead of Cojocaru and Maslen (or Dingman) I would have been more than happy to book Yu & Lachlan.....and fit Max and Mathias in somewhere sometime. I know box office takings for Sleeping Beauty in Birmingham (together with RB's ticket sales last Feb for SB) have struggled but hopefully they'll fare better in London, Plymouth and Bristol. I really hope this doesn't discourage Acosta and BRB from touring this beautiful production of SB again soon. Hopefully Yu and Lachlan will also be in one of the performances I booked, even if not as Aurora and Florimund. 

Edited March 16 by Emeralds

[alison]

2 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

That shouldn't be any sort of an issue - Yu and Lachlan every time!!

 

Strangely, there are some on this forum who I don't think would agree with you  

[CCL]

I’m going to the opening night at SW. I was really impressed with Yu when I saw her dancing as Cinderella in 2021 so I’m expecting her to be an equally lovely Aurora. I haven’t seen enough of Lachlan so I’m really looking forward to seeing him as the Prince. 

[Dawnstar]

I'm disappointed to read this, as I booked primarily because I've not seen Cojocaru as Aurora & thought this might well be the last chance. I'm now wondering whether to stick to going on the Thursday or to see if Sadler's Wells would let me swap to Wednesday for Monaghan, who I like. Does anyone who knows the production have an opinion on whether it's worth trying to swap dates in order to see my preferred Prince or not, given some of the reviews have said the Prince doesn't seem to get that much to do?

[lady emily]

35 minutes ago, San Perregrino said:

BRB regrets to announce that due to unforeseen personal circumstances, Alina Cojocaru will not be performing with the Company at Sadler’s Wells theatre on 25th & 27th April as previously announced. Updated casting for our Sadler’s Wells shows is available on our website.

 

The Sleeping Beauty

Sadler's Wells

Thursday 25 April 2024

Aurora*Miki Mizutani

Prince*Max Maslen

ConductorPaul Murphy

* Change from the originally advertised casting

 

The Sleeping Beauty

Sadler's Wells

Saturday 27 April 2024

Aurora*Yu Kurihara

Prince*Lachlan Monaghan

ConductorPaul Murphy

* Change from the originally advertised casting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Really sad about this. I had considered it probably one of, if not the, last time I would see her dance a full-length classical ballet. 

 

[Sim]

34 minutes ago, lady emily said:

 

Really sad about this. I had considered it probably one of, if not the, last time I would see her dance a full-length classical ballet. 

 

This will be so disappointing to everyone who bought tickets especially to see her.  I almost did, but then couldn't go. 

[JNC]

34 minutes ago, lady emily said:

 

Really sad about this. I had considered it probably one of, if not the, last time I would see her dance a full-length classical ballet. 

 

Ditto, I booked a specific trip to London for this. Her Royal Ballet DVD is my favourite recorded performance of the role. 

[FionaM]

1 hour ago, Peanut68 said:

Just seen this….

BRB regrets to announce that due to unforeseen personal circumstances, Alina Cojocaru will not be performing with the Company at Sadler’s Wells theatre on 25th & 27th April as previously announced. Updated casting for our Sadler’s Wells shows is available on our website.

 

Were these all the performances she was scheduled to dance with BRB? Great shame & I do hope all is well with Alina. 

And do hope she is still planning to dance with London City Ballet in September….

 

Anyone here know more? 

 

yes, Alina was only scheduled to perform these two dates.   Both dates now changed.  
 

‘Unforeseen personal circumstances’ covers a wide range of possibilities.  I’m not going to speculate.  
 

I too am disappointed.  
 

I now have a conundrum as I’m already booked to see the replacement cast in Bristol.  Is it worth travelling to London to see same cast a week later.  🤔 

Edited April 5 by FionaM
Add paragraph

[Emeralds]

So basically it's now: 

Miki Mizutani and Max Maslen covering Thursday night

Yu Kurihara and Lachlan Monaghan covering Saturday night.

 

I am happy with the new casting- it works out well with the other cast I bought tickets for, and no repeats. 

 

Oh I do hope everything is OK with Alina and it's nothing terrible. The company announcement sounds like it's serious matters but not injury and illness.  Hope all is well for her and her family. 

 

From what I remember of it (and my VHS recording of the production till it got worn out!) the Prince does get a good amount of dancing - similar to the RB production, @Dawnstar. Don't suppose you are able to take in two performances? I think you might like this version. Sadler's Wells needs advance notice to exchange dates  - more than 24hours, plus an exchange  fee (they will waive the fee if you exchange with -and pay the excess for-  a pricier ticket though). 

Edited April 5 by Emeralds

[Emeralds]

9 minutes ago, FionaM said:

yes, Alina was only scheduled to perform these two dates.   Both dates now changed.  
 

‘Unforeseen personal circumstances’ covers a wide range of possibilities.  I’m not going to speculate.  
 

I too am disappointed.  
 

I now have a conundrum as I’m already booked to see the replacement cast in Bristol.  Is it worth travelling to London to see same cast a week later.  🤔 

Depends on how much you end up liking the cast, FionaM  🙂   

 

One week gives you enough time to decide and exchange the Sadler's Wells ticket as long as you decide very soon after watching the Bristol performance. The other option is, if you are free on a different date and there are good tickets left, maybe changing the Bristol performance to see another cast- which is easier? 

[Emeralds]

1 hour ago, Peanut68 said:

Were these all the performances she was scheduled to dance with BRB? Great shame & I do hope all is well with Alina. 

And do hope she is still planning to dance with London City Ballet in September….

 

Anyone here know more? 

 

Thanks for the update Peanut68. I'm not an Instagram or X/twitter user although I can see the public posts on an online search.There's no mention of the BRB cancellation  on her public Instagram posts,  but she still has her post about her Taiwan appearances on 4 and 5 May up on Instagram.

 

Hence  I assume everything after April is currently OK to go ahead, unless she simply hasn't gotten around to announcing other cancellations. It looks hopeful for now that she will appear with LCB. Yes, she only had 2 dates with BRB. 

Edited April 5 by Emeralds

[lady emily]

35 minutes ago, JNC said:

Ditto, I booked a specific trip to London for this. Her Royal Ballet DVD is my favourite recorded performance of the role. 

 

Me too. I probably will still go but had arranged specifically to see her. Her Royal Ballet DVD of the Sleeping Beauty is what got me into ballet in the first place. I used to watch it on repeat! 

[Emeralds]

Hope all is ok with Alina- wishing her well. (Got slightly confused by these posts as didn't realise at first that there were two parallel discussions about this on 2 threads!) I'm very happy with my replacement cast and glad that Max Maslen will still have one performance, with Miki Mizutani 

[Beryl H]

Yes, I would like to see BRB's Sleeping Beauty but it was the thought of seeing Alina that really made me book. Luckily SW has the same Credit system as the ROH.

 

 

[Tony Newcombe]

Replaced by Miki Mizutani and Yu Kurihara. No problems for me. Another chance to see these two wonderful dancers. Yu will dancing opening and closing night performances

[SheilaC]

Sorry I got confused in my last post, saying that Yu was dancing both performances. I had originally included a reference to Miki dancing on the Thursday but then thought I'd got it wrong and changed the post. Whilst Yu is regarded by the company as their most promising female dancer, Mika is already a true ballerina, wonderful when she danced with Cesar in his last performance of Sleeping Beauty and exceptional with him in Giselle some years back.

I do hope forum members won't cancel their tickets. The BRB production is very good and very well danced at all levels- and ticket prices at the Wells are arguably better value than at the ROH!

[Rob S]

1 hour ago, SheilaC said:

 

I do hope forum members won't cancel their tickets.

 

You mean there's a way we can?

[Emeralds]

34 minutes ago, Rob S said:

 

You mean there's a way we can?

SAT'S official policy is no refunds and any exchanges must be at least 24 hours' notice and also incurs a fee per ticket, unless you exchange for a more expensive ticket, paying the difference. Very very rarely they have agreed to attempt a refund when the whole run is sold out and it's more than 24 hours' notice (as there's obviously nothing you can exchange for); the booking fee and building levy are not refunded in that situation. If the ticket doesn't  resell they will not refund you. (So your rhetorical - I presume! - question is correct, @Rob S). It's  currently far from sold out. 

Edited April 5 by Emeralds

[Bluebird]

40 minutes ago, Rob S said:

 

You mean there's a way we can?

If you return your ticket at least 24 hours before the show, they will give you a credit voucher for the value of your ticket (minus an admin fee).

[Mary]

It's a shame, but I will still be going and in fact going to two performances taking different people. Looking forward to a beautiful production and seeing some dancers new to me, perhaps.

It is not often there is anything on at Sadlers I want to see these days !

 

[Dawnstar]

4 hours ago, Emeralds said:

From what I remember of it (and my VHS recording of the production till it got worn out!) the Prince does get a good amount of dancing - similar to the RB production, @Dawnstar. Don't suppose you are able to take in two performances? I think you might like this version. Sadler's Wells needs advance notice to exchange dates  - more than 24hours, plus an exchange  fee (they will waive the fee if you exchange with -and pay the excess for-  a pricier ticket though). 

 

Thanks for the info. No, I don't want to go to 2 performances when it would be 2 nights running. It looks like I would have to pay for a pricier ticket as the price for an equivalent front stalls ticket appear to have gone up by £10 since I booked.

 

2 hours ago, SheilaC said:

Sorry I got confused in my last post, saying that Yu was dancing both performances. I had originally included a reference to Miki dancing on the Thursday but then thought I'd got it wrong and changed the post. Whilst Yu is regarded by the company as their most promising female dancer, Mika is already a true ballerina, wonderful when she danced with Cesar in his last performance of Sleeping Beauty and exceptional with him in Giselle some years back.

I do hope forum members won't cancel their tickets. The BRB production is very good and very well danced at all levels- and ticket prices at the Wells are arguably better value than at the ROH!

 

I don't want to return my ticket, just potentially to exchange it. I don't think I've ever seen Kurihara dance though I did see Mizutani alongside Monaghan in Don Q. So it would be an easy decision if Mizutani & Monaghan were paired together this time but as it is I have to choose between a Prince I really like with an Aurora I've not seen compared to an Aurora I like with a Prince I've only seen in one or two smaller roles. Hmmm.....

[alison]

I've moved a lot of posts relating to Cojocaru's withdrawal from several other threads to this one. Consequently, the order may seem a bit strange.

[alison]

I'm sorry to miss Cojocaru, but the consolation is that I can at least get to see Yu Kurihara now.  I shall very much look forward to seeing how she's developed in the role since her already-excellent debut performances.  If it wasn't for the fact that I don't think I can face late nights three days running I'd be hugely tempted to go and see Mizutani too, because she had to withdraw from her scheduled performance in Birmingham when I went.

[Peanut68]

6 hours ago, Emeralds said:

Thanks for the update Peanut68. I'm not an Instagram or X/twitter user although I can see the public posts on an online search.There's no mention of the BRB cancellation  on her public Instagram posts,  but she still has her post about her Taiwan appearances on 4 and 5 May up on Instagram.

 

Hence  I assume everything after April is currently OK to go ahead, unless she simply hasn't gotten around to announcing other cancellations. It looks hopeful for now that she will appear with LCB. Yes, she only had 2 dates with BRB. 

I saw the info on a regular email newsletter from BRB…

[Emeralds]

Sorry about my typo above: it should ready SWT (Sadler's Wells Theatre) and not SAT. I was always told (even last year) by the box office staff that there was no credit voucher system like the one at ROH - maybe things have changed now. (The website today does confirm they can offer a voucher certificate.)