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Royal Ballet Cinderella March/April 2023


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Yes, those of us who aren't going are very much looking forward to hearing from those who do.  To judge by the related thread in News and Information, I expect this thread to be several pages long by tomorrow :) 

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Guest oncnp

And just FYI....if you are looking for cast sheets, the ROH website now has a link in the dropdown box under "Tickets and Events"

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Oncnp stated up thread that they weren’t selling them tonight because it’s a gala. Go figure.  Maybe they didn’t want the riff raff mixing with the posh folk!

 

Edit: actually Oncnp said it on the other Cinders thread.  😃

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13 minutes ago, Rob S said:

25 Years medal for Marianela this evening 🎖️ 

 

Oh, I didn't realise she had got to 25 years. I know she joined the RB very young but thought she still had a year or so to go.

 

The ROH has just tweeted a few production pics. Gives more of an idea of costume design but I still can't really envisage what the sets look like.

 

 

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Quite an evening. Marianela Nunez danced quite beautifully ..the affection with Vadim was palpable, their pas de deux put the world on pause. Very special. 

 

A beautiful production and surely a hit. Spectacular but not over the top. Excellent dancing throughout. 

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Beautiful and magical new production. For those who were concerned that it would be a modern take on the ballet have no fear! It felt like a ‘traditional’ ballet but made use of modern stage tech & lighting. 
 

Wonderful dancing throughout. Especially love Fumi and Yuhui & also Gary and Luca as the step sisters - very funny but not too much (if that makes sense!) 
 

Marianela and Vadim were wonderful, Marianela on a whole other level especially in Act 2. Can’t believe that she’s been with the company for 25 years and still dancing like that, how lucky we are to have her here in London. 

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18 minutes ago, MJW said:

 

What a perfect opportunity to present it 😊


I’m sorry, but I thought it (and the related celebrations) detracted from the purpose of the evening which was to launch the new production of Cinderella.

 

Of course, Marianela and her wonderful 25 years with the RB should be feted - but tonight didn’t feel the right moment to me (and the medal presentation was actually a few months early!).

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Absolutely loved this. The photos of the costumes in the Guardian last week didn’t really do them justice- the fairy godmother dress looks absolutely enchanting under full lights. Marianela was wonderful. Had an amazing time, will try to gather more thoughts later! 

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25 minutes ago, capybara said:


I’m sorry, but I thought it (and the related celebrations) detracted from the purpose of the evening which was to launch the new production of Cinderella.

 

Of course, Marianela and her wonderful 25 years with the RB should be feted - but tonight didn’t feel the right moment to me (and the medal presentation was actually a few months early!).

 

And IIRC correctly, she was awarded her 20-year one in early February (in Giselle)?

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Love the video!

 

I do wonder if it would have been nice to give the medal the night they did the cinema relay (and presumably dvd) to capture the moment for the future! But a minor quibble, congratulations to Marianela! I really hope we do get another 25 years of her!

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I had a whole range of reactions to tonight's performance. Number 1 was how absolutely thrilling the choreography is - strange, beautiful, innovative, blazing with imagination and romance - and a whole evening of it!! Number 2 was how absolutely thrilling the music is - strange, beautiful... etc! And Number 3 was how absolutely thrilling Nunez, Muntagirov, Kaneko and so many of the other dancers were. A complete feast of brilliance on so many levels.

 

I very much liked some of the designs, and some of the costumes were absolutely beautiful. But (and I'll probably be in a minority about this) I found some of both the designs and the costumes too much - too bright, too colourful, too tricksy, too heavy. As if there was no confidence that the choreography could stand on its own. But aspects of the production were indeed magical, and although some might find the ending OTT, I'm a sucker for a bit of glitter... 

 

I'm afraid I didn't enjoy the step-sisters at all. Maybe just me but I found them mostly completely unamusing and I greatly disliked their costumes. Perhaps I was in the wrong mood.

 

But really, a full evening of sensational Ashton choreography to such beautiful music is like a dream come true. I do agree with capybara that it was a mistake to distract attention from Cinderella onto Nunez alone at the end; she is undeniably magnificent, but this was a company night.

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9 minutes ago, Rob S said:

What a lovely evening, thank you so much to oncnp for the fantastic ticket ☺️👏

 

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And thank you Rob for the fantastic photos!  

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I thought it was a wonderful, enchanting evening. Lovely performances all round and I really like the costumes and designs, especially the last scene which I thought was absolutely gorgeous.  Compared with the Sleeping Beauty which was the last ballet I saw, it all seemed very fresh and new. Loved the music as well.

 

All in all, it was the perfect antidote to the rubbish day that I had had.

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I am so happy to see this beautiful ballet back on stage at Covent Garden. Both choreography and music are wonderful. There was a real buzz in the theatre.

 

It takes time to get used to a new look on ballet that's familiar - these are my first impressions: I really liked the sets for all acts, they were beautiful and I thought they worked well, bringing the right sense of magic, and were respectful and complementary to the choreography. Some of the costumes felt right, such as the stars and ballroom guests. Something about many of the other costumes and hairstyles kept bringing Johnny Depp/Disney/or a New Adventures production to mind. On first viewing, I am not a fan of the Season Fairy costumes in Act 1 and can't imagine I will change my mind. For me, these costumes robbed the choreography of it's dignity. The wings and head adornments looked too big and fussy. Some of the costumes were downright unflattering - I think Spring came off best (really well danced by Anna Rose O'Sullivan.)  The costumes for Zucchetti's ballet for four women (was it called Prima?) came to mind. 

 

Most important gripe - the Fairy Godmother's and Stars' wands look cheap.

 

Get rid of the light show at the beginning please and just let us enjoy the overture. The effect of the lights over the auditorium may be pretty, but not really worth it when the lights are shining directly into the audiences eyes to blind us momentarily. And this set the tone for a lot of the lighting -  too much: less is more. Also, the video projections were good in places and enhanced the action, but once again, less is more. Please trust the music and choreography for the magic - it's all there.

 

I really enjoyed the performances of Luca Acri and Gary Avis as the sisters. They were genuinely funny and not over top. Lots of laughs from the audience. What versatile performers they both are. 

 

It's a production well worth seeing, so if you haven't got tickets yet, please don't be put off by anything less than complementary I may written. Any new production needs time to settle down and get used to, for dancers and old audience members alike! My hope after seeing it tonight is that the set is kept for many years to come, but that some of the costumes and lighting are rethought and then we may have a production of Cinderella that last some 30 years or so.  And one final wish - can we have it back at Christmas please?

 

 

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I agree Darlex about the wands, which looked wrong....something waved by a toddler at a party. Also the male courtiers' hairstyle was indeed a bit Disney..I was wondering why I didn't like it. 

The lighting at the beginning could go..it doesn't signify. 

But I didn't dislike the fairy costumes .

 

The stepsisters' dresses were frightful but intentionally so surely. 

 

I have always felt we get a bit too much of the sisters in this ballet   - and think so still. Not a production issue. Avis and Acri were superb and carried it off..especially Gary Avis: what an actor. But still I got to the point of feeling they had delighted us long enough...

Overall

I had feared much more technical wizardry and was pleased that in fact restraint was shown. 

 

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The sets are all beautiful and in keeping, evoking fairy tale splendour. The pumpkin transformation is magical, the gold coach pulled by mice quite gorgeous (another outing for the milk float!)    

 

Oh and the audience behaved impeccably, managing periods of up to 40 minutes with no food or drink or phones... which  'enhanced my enjoyment' considerably.

 

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Guest oncnp
10 hours ago, Mary said:

 their pas de deux put the world on pause.....

 

What a beautiful phrase. And the Evening Standard agreed with you (in tomorrow's links)

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I thought it was an absolutely wonderful evening. For me, the orchestra were on excellent form and Prokofiev is very safe in their hands. You could feel the yearning, longing and sense of sadness in the score right from the overture, and it set the perfect tone for the evening. The midnight waltz is thrilling. I personally loved the step sisters. The only ‘niggle’ which I imagine is in the choreography/direction is that sometimes their presence can be overpowering, for example their disappointment at the shoe not fitting detracted from that important moment where Cinderella’s slipper DOES fit. But it’s only testament to their conviction and commitment to the role which shone through.  Whatever modern technology was at play, this production felt positively traditional. I loved the way the house gradually ‘pulls apart’. It felt genuinely exciting and magical. I can’t remember the last time I let out a massive ‘ahhhhhhhh’ at the end. There are ‘wishlist niggles’ where it would have been lovely to see her dress ‘transform’, which was a special moment I seem to remember in the Australian Ballet production. But overall I found it a joyous and captivating production that flashed in the blink of an eye. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it and am placing bets on this running over Christmas 24/25 

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