Royal Ballet Cinderella March/April 2023

[LinMM]

Am looking forward to seeing Hay as one of the step sisters tonight ( though may be 25th the other date I’m going) 

After seeing Acri as a stepsister I’d like to see him given more acting roles now as been in the Company for some time and although is a good “jumper” I’d like to see if he has more to bring out. 

[MJW]

4 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Am looking forward to seeing Hay as one of the step sisters tonight ( though may be 25th the other date I’m going) 

After seeing Acri as a stepsister I’d like to see him given more acting roles now as been in the Company for some time and although is a good “jumper” I’d like to see if he has more to bring out. 

 

Same! Enjoy...

[Linnzi5]

20 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Am looking forward to seeing Hay as one of the step sisters tonight ( though may be 25th the other date I’m going) 

After seeing Acri as a stepsister I’d like to see him given more acting roles now as been in the Company for some time and although is a good “jumper” I’d like to see if he has more to bring out. 

Me too. I think Hay will be brilliant. He was originally listed for tonight, though the official cast sheet hasn't yet been published that I can see. I am looking forward to seeing how Fumi portrays Cinderella. I won't get as clear a view of her footwork as I did Marianela's at the cinema relay, but hope I get a decent view from where I will be. I'm also hoping I will be able to see the entrance down the staircase. At the cinema relay, I obviously got a good view, but gather the view can be restricted because of those on stage? I think that entrance must be one of the most challenging and terrifying for a ballerina! When Marianela made her entrance, I was literally holding my breath! 

[Sim]

If anyone wants to say hello tonight I will be sitting near the small staircase at a table in the Floral Hall in both intervals with my daughter.  I will be wearing a green dress with black pattern on it.  

[LinMM]

Hopefully will finally be able to say hello!! I’m with friends tonight but not sitting in same part of house so perhaps will look out in the first interval as usually meet one friend in the second. 
Im wearing a black jumper and army Green spotted looking jeans 😳

Am on train now up to London. 
 

[LinMM]

Linnzi5 I thought Yasmine made this entrance and walk look truly stunning but it felt much more real in theatre somehow and yes holding breath is about right not easy to relax watching this!! 
My only little “complaint” about the cinema broadcast is that when the camera homes in on a particular artist which is also nice but you can miss other things going on! I think I missed some of Acri’s stepsister antics whilst Gary was dancing as when in the theatre could see whole stage.
It was lovely seeing how intricate the footwork was more close up and Marienela  was superb. There’s no way I would be able to dance some of those steps at speed without tripping over my own feet!! 

[bangorballetboy]

20 minutes ago, Linnzi5 said:

Me too. I think Hay will be brilliant. He was originally listed for tonight, though the official cast sheet hasn't yet been published that I can see. 

 

It's out now and Mr Hay is on the list

[LinMM]

Can’t wait!!! 

[Jane S]

I saw the cinema showing and after what I'd read here about the lighting effects etc I felt we were only getting a very diminished idea of what was happening - also some things which seemed quite bizarre on the screen - the pumpkin bit especially - I have to assume worked better in the theatre.

 

Enjoyed it otherwise but I'd describe the dancing as excellent but not wonderful - I do both like and admire Nunez but my benchmark here is Sibley who dances Ashton as if it were the most wonderful thing in the world.

 

Liked Acri but I think the sisters are way over the top these days, and I hate, hate the whole Napoleon and Wellington bit.

 

Maybe the filming missed it but I didn't see any sign of character in the Jester - brilliant technically, and very musical, I thought, but he seemed to have no relationship at all with the Prince - could just have been hired in for the evening from some jester agency. A fault of the staging, not the dancer - maybe someone like James Hay will restore some of the nuances.

 

There were enough people there for us not  feel lonely but still a disappointing turn out - but I heard someone saying to one of the staff as we left "It should have been  packed out!" - so maybe people will spread the word before Sleeping Beauty.

 

 

[Linnzi5]

I see Liam Boswell is the jester tonight. Has anyone seen him in the role yet? I am

looking forward to see him!

[alison]

He's very good

[Alice Shortcake]

The showing at York Picturehouse wasn't sold out but it was by far the biggest audience I've ever seen at a ballet/theatre live relay.

 

I enjoyed the show tremendously but a couple of things didn't really work for me. As several people have mentioned, the pumpkin coach non-transformation was deeply unmagical, and it seemed odd that the Fairies of the Seasons came all the way from Fairyland but didn't bother to give Cinderella the gifts that help to create her going-to-the-ball look.

 

Oddly, the only costume I wasn't keen on - other than the unholy daffodil/Easter chick hybrid outfit sported by Spring's attendant - was the Fairy Godmother's. There were moments when I had the weird feeling that the Lilac Fairy from "Sleeping Beauty" was making a guest appearance!

[JennyTaylor]

Tonight utterly glorious. More to come later, but the best balanced cast so far

[Linnzi5]

1 minute ago, JennyTaylor said:

Tonight utterly glorious. More to come later, but the best balanced cast so far

Yes. I have to admit I am enjoying this cast very much! I also think the whole ballet is much better live at ROH. I am not finding the step-sisters so over the top and there doesn’t seem as much of them, as there are no close-ups like there were at the relay. The scene with the fairies was so pretty - the relay just couldn’t show the scenery and lighting to its full advantage, I suppose.
 

Loving Fumi. Cinderella and the prince’s PDD was just sublime! i just felt so emotional!
 

I didn’t see the old woman/ fairy godmother transformation switch - I thought it was done very well, as was Cinderella reverting to her rags. I loved the coach and felt the transformation worked much better live. So far, I am loving this. Act III soon, then a proper review later. I am so impressed so far!

[Balletbloke]

5 hours ago, Sim said:

If anyone wants to say hello tonight I will be sitting near the small staircase at a table in the Floral Hall in both intervals with my daughter.  I will be wearing a green dress with black pattern on it.  

Nice to meet you both!

[Lizbie1]

Loved it!

[BeauxArts]

Beautiful and stellar performance from Fumi and William this evening. They are a very special partnership. 

[MildConcern]

My first (and probably last) performance of this run of Cinderella this evening. Overall I enjoyed acts 2 and 3 but I am in no haste to return.

 

Production - I quite liked the set design. Changing Act 2 to a garden setting was rather effective. I didn’t have any problem with sight lines and the fairy godmother transformation was pretty seamless from where I was sitting (amphi front row centre left). The fairy costumes are awful, aside from godmother. Spring and Summer in particular resemble energy drinks. The light display at the start and the projections throughout were rather nice.

 

Composition - Cinderella remains very low ranked in my ballet preferences and this production does nothing to elevate that. After the initial 10 minutes of the stepsisters, I would’ve happily cut the majority of the rest of their scenes - very few chuckles at their antics from those around me (indeed, a father close to me groaned and buried his head in his hands when they appeared at the start of Act 2). I can’t imagine the jokes improve on second viewing. The prince is woefully underused as others have said. Act 1 is far too long and easily the weakest dramatically. I rather wonder at the seasonal fairies - to me, they don’t provide enough narrative to justify their inclusion across all 3 Acts. I love Prokofiev symphonically, but this score is quite hard work.

 

Performances - Kaneko and Bracewell a wonderful partnership as usual. Bracewell left me wishing that we did get to see the princely race across the world - anything to get him more stage time. Fumi’s Act 2 was wonderfully vibrant. I did believe their love story, which is half the battle with Cinders. I was more than surprised to find a lump in my throat during their pdd, which is rather telling! Gartside was a hoot and Hay a bit overpowered - though I don’t know if that is just the nature of the dynamic of those two parts? Certainly all laughs near me were gotten by Gartside.  Hamilton very nice as godmother. 
 

 

Edited April 14, 2023 by MildConcern

[Linnzi5]

Wow! Wow!  So many things to say! I absolutely loved acts II and III, particularly. Will post more thoughts later, but the chemistry between Fumi and Will and their brilliant acting actually made me believe the two characters were in so in love. I felt really touched by their performances. ❤️

[Sim]

48 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

Loved it!

So did I!  A fabulous evening, and for me the best ensemble performance of the run so far.  Will and Fumi are stellar, and just on another level.  Off to have a glass of wine to still my beating heart….more thoughts tomorrow.  
 

Thanks to all the forum members who came to say hello: @Nogoat @Mummykool @JohnS @JennyTaylor @Richard LH and @Balletbloke    So lovely to see you all!  

[Sim]

1 hour ago, Balletbloke said:

Nice to meet you both!

Likewise!  Thanks so much for popping by.  😀

[LinMM]

I did come and look for you but couldn’t find you! In the first interval. 
I think I must have the wrong staircase and there are three….there’s the one up from the main entrance, the one which goes down to the “new”

cafe and a new one I’d not taken in before which may go up to the crush room? As that was the smallest one I waited near there but no sign of anyone in a green and black dress! Then I bumped into one of my dancing teachers from City Lit so chatted with him for rest of the interval….hopefully another time. 

[Linnzi5]

30 minutes ago, Sim said:

So did I!  A fabulous evening, and for me the best ensemble performance of the run so far.  Will and Fumi are stellar, and just on another level.  Off to have a glass of wine to still my beating heart….more thoughts tomorrow.  
 

Thanks to all the forum members who came to say hello: @Nogoat @Mummykool @JohnS @JennyTaylor @Richard LH and @Balletbloke    So lovely to see you all!  

I had my husband with me, but am coming to the Corybantic Games etc, last night, alone, so would love to meet up with anyone in the intervals then. 

Edited April 14, 2023 by Linnzi5

[Linnzi5]

35 minutes ago, Sim said:

 Off to have a glass of wine to still my beating heart….more thoughts tomorrow.  
 

I'm having a cup of tea! Yes. You hit the nail on the head - be still, my beating heart! I am actually a little overwhelmed by this evening! ❤️

Edited April 14, 2023 by Linnzi5

[LinMM]

Back to performance…Fumi is the one for me! Lovely dancing from both her and Bracewell but what I liked about her performance is she carried the softness of the Cinders character in Act one over into the second Act which made the love story much more believable. Her dancing was razor sharp in Act two but also somehow gentle. Fumi is now my “go to” dancer I feel she is just gorgeous …and those feet!! Bracewell was a wonderfully supportive and human Prince suitably besotted with his Cinderella which added that extra dimension not picked up in other performances so far for me  so made the Act 2 pas de deux genuinely moving. 
I thought Hay and Gartside worked really well together a nice balance but it’s still that delightfully flirty Acri who has won the day for me regards the sisters lol!! 
I rather like the pumpkin “into” carriage sequence …I thought it was quite magical ….as the carriage appeared from nowhere with the symbolic burst of the pumpkin. So enough magic for me. 
Yes it could be a mistake to have the fairy godmother dressed in lilac colour …lovely as the costume was…..as that does have such strong connotations with Sleeping Beauty….perhaps a soft turquoise would work for this Im not sure!! 
I don’t mind the Prince turning up so soon either in Act 3 as there are quite a few round the world ballet scenes in other ballets so it would get too drawn out with anything else added and is long enough as it is!  Don’t want to be sitting there till 11pm!! Though of course can’t have too much of Fumi and William 🌹🌹
 

[Linnzi5]

So. Now I am sitting all showered (I always feel I need to remove some of the grime from the tube!) and have got my cuppa. My thoughts. I think I will split this into three posts. Or everyone will fall asleep reading this - well, most probably will anyway! 😂

 

My overwhelming feeling was one of pure joy. I left the ROH feeling elated, emotional and just sighing in delight. It is so difficult to compare this performance to the cinema relay. I don't actually think some of the camera shots for the relay were fair to the ballet and I am so glad I booked to see this at ROH.

 

The scenery was stunning - I loved the transformations and they seemed really slick to me - maybe my eyesight isn't as good as it should be or maybe things have just improved. I'd be interested to hear what those who have seen this at ROH before think.

 

I loved the coach and all the lighting effects.The scene in the kitchen with the fairy godmother and fairies was magical - the hues of coloured lighting did not translate as well on the relay. I loved the costumes. I sat in the middle of the stalls, and they looked lovely to me. 

 

So far, so good. On to the different acts. Act I was not my favourite to start with. It is a little slow. Fumi was a lovely, wistful Cinderella. She seemed a little sadder than Marianela's, though the character's kindness shone through. I can't say I thought she was nervous and I really thought she danced delicately and emotively. She looked like she had an excellent grasp of the choreography to me, but I am no expert. 

 

The step-sisters. I really liked these two. Firstly, they were not as OTT as the cast on Wednesday. Bennet Gartside was entertaining and funny and James Hay was brilliant! I thought he made the character shine and his dancing was great. I thought he and Gartside really worked well together. One of the reasons I liked them better was that I didn't feel they dominated as much - while they fooled around/danced there were other characters around too for me to look at. At the relay, the focus was on them and it made it seem as if they were the only ones in their scenes. From where I was sitting, they looked great and everyone in the stalls around me giggled quite a lot.

 

The fairies were lovely. I'm always pleased to see Yuhui dance, and she was autumn on Wednesday. Isabella Gasparini was lovely as Spring, as was Mica Bradbury as summer. Hannah Grennell made a lovely winter. I do find the little children a little strange, especially the dandelion (?) but I can't complain about that. Melissa Hamilton was excellent. I really liked her fairy godmother and I felt the fairies really worked well together. I just loved the carriage at the end of Act I - it looked magical as it sped off to the ball. 

[Suffolkgal]

I just felt there was pure joy in the House tonight. There is something about that pair, an unalloyed pleasure and trust, and a shared ability to transmit feeling way beyond the stage. Actual gasps from the audience at times, but great warmth.

 

up in row m of the amphi the effects are lovely. Hilarious that no one wonders why four enormous mice are pulling the carriage. Don’t understand the mini flower fairies at all and to me the wee ones looked a bit discomfited. I like the score but it is challenging and jerky but beautifully played. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the orchestra receive such a reception.

 

I missed most of the curtain calls as half the people around me got up to leave and stood there rather than hauling their derrieres down the stairs. 
 

but a lovely show - one final thought. This really isn’t a spring ballet. So much of it is pure Christmas! Worth the schlepp up from the wilds - I’m not home yet!

[Richard LH]

1 hour ago, Sim said:

So did I!  A fabulous evening, and for me the best ensemble performance of the run so far.  Will and Fumi are stellar, and just on another level.  Off to have a glass of wine to still my beating heart….more thoughts tomorrow.  
 

Thanks to all the forum members who came to say hello: @Nogoat @Mummykool @JohnS @JennyTaylor @Richard LH and @Balletbloke    So lovely to see you all!  

Lovely to meet you Sim and those other Forum members..also great to meet @JohnS again. What a great night!

[Linnzi5]

Act II I liked better than the cinema relay. Because of the nature of the relay and the close-ups, I didn't realise the prince was around so much - chatting and greeting guests and that somehow made him more human to me. His interactions with the jester really helped me see more of a connection between the two. Now this may have happened on Wednesday at ROH, but these things were not apparent on the relay at the cinema. I really liked Liam Boswell's jester. He had more character somehow. He just really appealed to me. He is obviously a great dancer, but I preferred his characterisation - it had more dimension, I felt. I did feel anxious when Cinderella walked down the stairs  - but should not have! Fumi was so confident! I thought that scene was beautiful. Will and Fumi were just divine together. I was blown away by them together. I love them dancing together anyway, but really felt they elevated the PDD to a new level. Their solos were excellent, of course, but they shone when together. They drew me into the story and made me feel so much. I am still a little overwhelmed. Someone recently said they are the new Cojocaru and Kobborg - yes, I really think they could be. 

 

I liked the two suitors better than the relay cast - just personal preference, I think.

 

The transformation into Cinderella in rags (well, not as smart an outfit as her ball tutu!) worked well for me. I obviously worked out where Fumi went to, but felt it was so well done. I think I clapped so hard at the end of Act II that I deafened those around me. It was just heaven! 

[Rob S]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Linnzi5]

8 minutes ago, Suffolkgal said:

I just felt there was pure joy in the House tonight. There is something about that pair, an unalloyed pleasure and trust, and a shared ability to transmit feeling way beyond the stage. Actual gasps from the audience at times, but great warmth.

Yes. There was pure joy in the House tonight, I agree. The audience was brilliant. There really is something about that pair. There were many gasps from audience members around me too. At the end of the PDD, people were gushing about it and genuinely seemed touched and elated. I just sat in my seat feeling so happy. I can't really explain it at the moment, but Fumi and Will just have a magic quality together.

[Linnzi5]

1 minute ago, Rob S said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful photos! Thank you!  

[alison]

43 minutes ago, Suffolkgal said:

Hilarious that no one wonders why four enormous mice are pulling the carriage.

 

Well, now you mention it - I've thought every time so far "I thought the magic was supposed to transform the local animals into people?"