Royal Ballet Cinderella March/April 2023

[Richard LH]

17 hours ago, Emeralds said:

The new character of Fairy Godmother in disguise confused rather than advanced the plot. Far from being a crone, she looks glamorous, like a fashionable model dressed up for a trendy Halloween party.

Whilst certainly not the (over-exaggeratedly?) bent crone  see in earlier iterations,   I wouldn't  describe   the current portrayal as "glamorous". Certainly mysterious and with magical potential though, and I think  there is now a fuller dimension to the  role which works well. 

[Lizbie1]

In summary!

 

Gripes first:

Like most people, I don't like the Act 1 fairy costumes, mostly because they're ugly and the length looks wrong.

The Act 3 transformation is weirdly noisy compared to Act 1.

I don't like the bouffant hair for many of the men and I have a strong aversion to (in this case Cinderella's father's) coloured spectacles, they're creepy.

Kaneko's Act 3 tutu stood too proud - though I thought all the others were fine. (The stars' tutus, which have had some criticism, looked similar in shape to those in the early film I've seen. Presumably they were good enough for Ashton.)

 

Things others have reacted strongly against which don't bother me:

The bright lights at the start: some children around me loved this bit. If the lights bother you (and they didn't me) just look away.

I thought the children accompanying the season fairies looked jolly. I even liked the dandelion!

The pumpkin "trick" was very effective IMO.

I was trying to work out how many people would have been affected by the Cinderella entrance sightline issue. Have they made changes? If not, I'm surprised if it's a problem for many people, though of course everyone should be able to see this moment clearly.

Someone said the overhead lift down the stairs looked dangerous (sorry, can't remember who). Has anyone come a cropper? I can think of more dangerous things (e.g. the notorious slide in the Manon bedroom pdd - has that been modified?).

Wellington and Napoleon were OK even on repeated viewing and got plenty of laughs from around me.

 

I saw three pairings and they were all wonderful in different ways so I'm not going to add to what's alread been said about them. Among the other parts, Annette Buvoli really stood out, as did the Gartside/Hay sisters. (I realise I'm not breaking new ground here!) I also thought the corps looked pin-sharp.

 

There have been some negative comparisons to Disney and Frozen and Wicked. I've never knowingly seen a Disney film (charmed life) and you'd have to pay me to watch Frozen or Wicked, but here's the thing: the general public like Disney and Frozen and Wicked. If we want them to start liking ballet too, it's not a bad idea to meet them some of the way.

 

Anyway I loved it and am sad that I can't see any more performances this run.

[Fonty]

I see nobody has replied to my query about the step sisters doing the Fred step.  I know I am not that technical, so I must have imagined it.  

[Jane S]

No, you didn't imagine it - the Ashton sister and the Dancing Master do it, don't they?

[aliceinwoolfland]

I know very little about ballet so this is basically just the opinion of an uninformed casual ballet-goer, but lots of people on here have commented on Hayward being a natural Ashtonian yet she appears to have had issues mastering the choreography, to the point where people have noticed mistakes during multiple performances. I've seen her in other roles and was blown away, so I get that she has the magical lyricism and lightness that lend themselves so well to ballet, but isn't part of being an 'Ashtonian' dancer being able to execute the steps with few or no mistakes? I know that the grumpy dance critic (Telegraph? Times? I can't remember) was dismissing Nunez and holding Hayward up as the greatest Cinderella before she'd danced the role, but I think she needs time to grow into it. 

[Sim]

20 minutes ago, Jane S said:

No, you didn't imagine it - the Ashton sister and the Dancing Master do it, don't they?

Yes they do.  

[Fonty]

52 minutes ago, Jane S said:

No, you didn't imagine it - the Ashton sister and the Dancing Master do it, don't they?

 

I thought they were, but I wasn't sure.   

 

[Linnzi5]

Interesting discussion on the old woman/FG costume. I thought it was really pretty and whoever said it looked like Carabosse's (sorry, I can't remember who said that) dress I agree with - it definitely reminded me of that. My main annoyance with that scene has nothing to do with the costume. I was really cross that one of the step-sisters took the money meant for the old lady! 😂 I did like the costume. I also did think it was a bit unusual from what traditionally I would expect the disguised FG to wear but I loved the lacy/insect-like wings, though they did get stuck in the door on the live relay and I could see a human hand pushing them through! It looked a difficult costume to walk in though and I felt for the actress wearing it. Is it what I thought the disguised FG would wear? I don't think it is. It looked a magical and fantastical costume which I liked. 

[FionaM]

On 15/04/2023 at 16:26, capybara said:

Lots more to say after one more cast but, in the midst of a super cast this afternoon, I GIVE YOU (drum roll) DAICHI IKARASHI AS NAPOLEON.

 

What a star!

yes!   I thought he was totally brilliant on 29/3.  Hilarious without being overdone.  I was giggling for his entire appearance.  

[emmarose]

2 hours ago, Fonty said:

I see nobody has replied to my query about the step sisters doing the Fred step.  I know I am not that technical, so I must have imagined it.  

 

I didn't see your question, but yes, they were doing the Fred step, repeated over and over when they dance as a foursome.

[Linnzi5]

1 hour ago, aliceinwoolfland said:

I know very little about ballet so this is basically just the opinion of an uninformed casual ballet-goer, but lots of people on here have commented on Hayward being a natural Ashtonian yet she appears to have had issues mastering the choreography, to the point where people have noticed mistakes during multiple performances. I've seen her in other roles and was blown away, so I get that she has the magical lyricism and lightness that lend themselves so well to ballet, but isn't part of being an 'Ashtonian' dancer being able to execute the steps with few or no mistakes? I know that the grumpy dance critic (Telegraph? Times? I can't remember) was dismissing Nunez and holding Hayward up as the greatest Cinderella before she'd danced the role, but I think she needs time to grow into it. 

Interesting comments. I haven't seen Francesca Hayward dance Cinderella, so I can't comment on her ability to perform the choreography. I am also not sure what classes one as an 'Ashtonian' dancer - maybe someone in the know here can explain what the qualities needed to be one exactly are? I know about the upper body movements, but who gets to decide someone is a good example of an Ashtonian dancer? Opinions differ so much everywhere and surely it's subjective?

 

I did see her in Swan Lake, (not Ashton, I know). From what she herself has said, she found this an immensely challenging role. I really liked her dancing in it. She was oozing with sensuality as Odile and was a sensitive Odette in my opinion - she is a marvellous actress, in my opinion. I could see she struggled with a few bits and with the stamina needed for that demanding ballet but I still really liked what she did with the role and would see her again. She is a lovely dancer but doesn't stand out above anyone else, for me. There are so many wonderful principals at RB and each have different strengths and weaknesses. I could say who my favourites are, but not who is 'the best'. at any one thing or overall.

 

I love Marianela Nunez. She is such a bringer of joy. She has not only a brilliant technique,  is very musical, and lyrical,  but has a subtle and understated element to her dancing - she makes everything look so easy!  I thought the critic was unfair in what he said. That being said, I preferred Fumi Kaneko in the PDD because of the chemistry with her partner and that is just my personal opinion and what I felt from that pairing. I am sure I would love the other Cinderellas too and am sorry I could not have seen them all. Each must bring unique elements and interpretations to their roles.

[Ondine]

Hello. Long time lurker here, thought possibly it was time to occasionally join in!  There will be typos, be warned. I''m a terrible proof reader.

 

I've only seen the cinema live relay of this production, but I have watched and read pretty much everything I could find online about it. I'm holding my breath that it could be a Christmas TV special, you never know!

 

All rather random, but here goes.

 

I enjoyed it, I thought it utterly surreal and magical and dreamlike though I appreciate the cinema relay didn't do all the stage effects justice.   A great deal of it was illogical if we were looking for a straightforward 'narrative ballet' but it isn't Giselle so I enjoyed it for what it is.  The pumpkin transformation was better than when it used to be chucked off into the wings by Fairy Godmother. The ball in the garden was bizarre, I'd have preferred a ballroom, but hey ho. Why were all the dressers etc waiting for the return of the sisters?  Why were the sisters wearing their vests?  Why did the season fairies not bring seasonal gifts to aid Cinders transformation from rags to glory? I could go on, but perhaps there is some logical explanation for these and more which I've not thought of.  However, given the illogical nature of so much else (fairies accompanying Cinders to the ball, along with dancing stars in tutus?) perhaps best not to overthink it.

 

I liked the first act fairy costumes, up close on the cinema you could see how they were on top of leotards and presumably supposed to be gossamer, another detail was that none of the season fairies wore tights and shoe satin was dulled in order to look liike bare feet. I don't really understand why they changed into tutus for the ball.  The child attendants cossies were certainly a mixed 'bunch', I note the children were Junior Associates rather than RBS students. I wonder why, easier to get parents to transport them?

 

Cinders 'rags'... well. Most peculiar. But it's theatre and fairy tale and not real life.

 

No use wishing for more 'prince' or less 'sisters', it is Ashton and 75 years old and best not muck around with the choreography. Other classics have had so many alterations from various adapters to suit changing times and improvements in male technique it isn't really fair to compare it with others and wish for more.  It was really a vehicle for Fonteyn though Shearer took over after Fonteyn was injured.  Michael Somes was very good at posing manfully, being princely, and hoisting his partner around, and Ashton no doubt choreographed with his 1948 abilities and qualities in mind.  We have moved on since.

 

Yes to the Fred step, though it was over by the time it impinged that it was. Sometimes it's only a glimpse isn't it, a scent, as at the end of that Fonteyn gala where Ashton joined her on stage for the final few bars of Salut d'Amour?

 

Also yes I'm sure that the strange comedic 'trot' was very much a knowing reference to Fred and Adele Astaire's 'oompah trot' of which no doubt Ashton would have been well aware.  After all the 'Fred step' he nicked from Pavlova!  Look at the northern clog dancing in Fille!

 

"One of the steps, incorporated into most of their shows, was the “oompah trot” or the runaround, where Adele and Fred, side by side, would ape riding in huge circles on an imaginary bicycle. Audiences went wild for this particular antic, especially in London, where the bright-eyed, exuberant Americans were welcomed even more enthusiastically than in their own country" 

   https://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/fred-and-adele-astaire/

 

Times change.

 

Stepsisters of course owe so much to panto dames, and the great joke would have been that Ashton and Helpmann played them.  Modern audiences probably have little idea of the interwoven history of all this.

 

Quite an interesting brief bio of Ashton here which details the breadth of his theatrical choreographic experience

https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/artists/frederick-ashton

 

I wonder if the pre transformation Godmother was meant to be more of a peddlar than starving old crone? The gift of violets I see as symbolic. "The violet can signify "Modesty" and "Humility" and is often looked upon as a sign of innocence..."  Also of course it symbolises remembrance, appropriate for Cinderella who is grieving for her dead mother.  And the 'transformed' FG wears violet.

 

Cinders gives bread in return, sourdough hand baked by herself and all she had?

 

Perhaps it's meant as simple escapist entertainment with nice frocks and dancing, and we are overthinking it all. The dancing was glorious. It's not Hamlet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rob S]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jan McNulty]

Hello @Ondine and welcome to the Forum!

 

We hope you will continue to join in.

[Dawnstar]

8 minutes ago, Rob S said:

 

 

 

Nice to see Liam Boswell getting flowers. Have there been many flowers for the Princes so far in the run? I was expecting there would be, now flowers for men are allowed, but at the 3 performances I've been to there's been none.

[OnePigeon]

17 minutes ago, Ondine said:

 

 

Also yes I'm sure that the strange comedic 'trot' was very much a knowing reference to Fred and Adele Astaire's 'oompah trot' of which no doubt Ashton would have been well aware.  After all the 'Fred step' he nicked from Pavlova!  Look at the northern clog dancing in Fille!

 

"One of the steps, incorporated into most of their shows, was the “oompah trot” or the runaround, where Adele and Fred, side by side, would ape riding in huge circles on an imaginary bicycle. Audiences went wild for this particular antic, especially in London, where the bright-eyed, exuberant Americans were welcomed even more enthusiastically than in their own country" 

   https://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/fred-and-adele-astaire/

 

Hi Ondine!  Yes, I’ve always assumed this was Ashton’s homage to the Fred and Adele oompah trot too.  For anyone unfamiliar with it, it can be seen in the Astaire film A Damsel in Distress during the Stiff Upper Lip number with the comedians George Burns and Gracie Allen.

[MJW]

1 minute ago, Dawnstar said:

 

Nice to see Liam Boswell getting flowers. Have there been many flowers for the Princes so far in the run? I was expecting there would be, now flowers for men are allowed, but at the 3 performances I've been to there's been none.

 

Certainly well deserved if his performance on Friday evening is anything to go by.

[Ondine]

Thank you! I'll try to be coherent. Cannot promise. I'm afraid getting to the ROH in person not very feasible for me these days but I have some knowledge of technique and ballet history so I'll chip in where I can.

 

I did almost travel to the Alhambra in Penrith for the Encore today ...  😉 comfy seats. But didn't. 

 

And thanks too for those wonderful photos Rob S.  So close you can smell the sweat and melting point shoe glue.  Astonishingly good and lovely.

 

The cossies... all brand spanky new and close up you can see the expertise which goes into making them, much of that lost viewing from the Royal Box I'm sure.  They haven't been in the washing machine a thousand times. And oh so much better than that ghastly affair for the Lilac Fairy in SB.

 

In these days of cinema relays you'd not get away with paper doylies as used in that famous 1946 'ration book' Covent Garden production of Sleeping Beauty,  when real lace was impossible to find.

 

Also BTW I loved Fairy Godmother's tiara.  I thought Festival of Britain.

 

Not so sure about the Nora Batty cut off stocking arm thingys close up but I can see they serve a purpose.

 

 

 

[JohnS]

There was much to enjoy in the cinema encore and Marianela Nunez and Vadim Muntagirov danced wonderfully. Fabulous to see Fumi Kaneko’s Fairy Godmother and such a stellar line up of Fairies. Delighted that Taisuke Nakao was the Jester.

 

Unfortunately I think there are a couple of buts.
 

I thought the Step Sisters overplayed their role and would much have preferred Bennet Gartside/Jame Hay or Christina Orestis/Kristen McNally. 

 

I’m afraid I was very surprised by Marienela Nunez’s triumphant reaction when she returned to her father’s side after fitting the slippers. I thought all other Cinderellas at this point have shown their anxiety and vulnerability, not fully believing that all will end well and waiting for the Prince to choose them. I found Marienela Nunez’s reaction undid much of the magic of her dancing and is why I much prefer to see dancers who fully inhabit the role and where an odd technical slip is of no consequence albeit it’s great when there aren’t any.

 

I very much enjoyed the interviews/extras during the introduction and intervals. Fabulous to see Laura Morera and Koen Kessels/Kate Shipway and very much looking forward to Laura’s debut.

[RHowarth]

With regards to the seasons' pages, weren't they always JAs? I'm sure Yasmine Naghdi was a JA when she was one, according to the book her mum wrote?

 

Edited to add: or was that MAs? I think Naghdi joined the RBS in year 8 and did Cinderella before that.

Edited April 16, 2023 by RHowarth

[RHowarth]

34 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

Nice to see Liam Boswell getting flowers. Have there been many flowers for the Princes so far in the run? I was expecting there would be, now flowers for men are allowed, but at the 3 performances I've been to there's been none.

Bracewell got some on Friday. Well deserved! 

[Ondine]

They possibly were always JAs, more 'spear carrying' than dancing really. And all those adoring relatives to fill seats. I'm saying nowt about the dandelion. 🤐

 

 

[capybara]

41 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

Nice to see Liam Boswell getting flowers. Have there been many flowers for the Princes so far in the run? I was expecting there would be, now flowers for men are allowed, but at the 3 performances I've been to there's been none.

 

Vadim had two bouquets on Wednesday (12th) and pulled out a white rose from one of them for Marianela (mirroring what she had done moments earlier). Nice!

 

[Sim]

45 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

Nice to see Liam Boswell getting flowers. Have there been many flowers for the Princes so far in the run? I was expecting there would be, now flowers for men are allowed, but at the 3 performances I've been to there's been none.

I gave a bouquet to Will on Friday night!  

[Linnzi5]

25 minutes ago, Ondine said:

Thank you! I'll try to be coherent. Cannot promise. I'm afraid getting to the ROH in person not very feasible for me these days but I have some knowledge of technique and ballet history so I'll chip in where I can.

 

I did almost travel to the Alhambra in Penrith for the Encore today ...  😉 comfy seats. But didn't. 

 

And thanks too for those wonderful photos Rob S.  So close you can smell the sweat and melting point shoe glue.  Astonishingly good and lovely.

 

The cossies... all brand spanky new and close up you can see the expertise which goes into making them, much of that lost viewing from the Royal Box I'm sure.  They haven't been in the washing machine a thousand times. And oh so much better than that ghastly affair for the Lilac Fairy in SB.

 

In these days of cinema relays you'd not get away with paper doylies as used in that famous 1946 'ration book' Covent Garden production of Sleeping Beauty,  when real lace was impossible to find.

 

Also BTW I loved Fairy Godmother's tiara.  I thought Festival of Britain.

 

Not so sure about the Nora Batty cut off stocking arm thingys close up but I can see they serve a purpose.

 

 

 

I look forward to your knowledge of technique and ballet history being shared. I need all the knowledge people are willing to share!

 

Yes, I thought those stockings on the arms looked a bit strange  on the inside of the arms- I am not a huge fan of that nude net look generally though.

[Linnzi5]

1 minute ago, Sim said:

I gave a bouquet to Will on Friday night!  

He looked so surprised and happy! I was so pleased for him!  Well done, Sim!  

 

[bridiem]

2 hours ago, Ondine said:

I enjoyed it, I thought it utterly surreal and magical and dreamlike

 

I've now seen 2 live performances and the encore screening this afternoon, and I think the words 'surreal and magical and dreamlike' are spot on. I still really didn't enjoy the stepsisters this afternoon, and I still found some of the costumes too garish; but by the middle of Act II, such concerns had been swept away by the thrillingly mysterious beauty of it all (which, thanks to the cinema viewing I could see more clearly than in the theatre) - choreography, music, sets, costumes, brilliant dancing, the utter strangeness of so much of it; the flickering light from the palace behind the garden, the strange foliage, the leaping jester, the jagged beauty of the stars, the fast, circular, off-kilter solos and pas de deux for Cinderella and the Prince, both in white at the heart of this storm of colour, the haunting, yearning, bittersweet music; and by the end, the resolution of the dream into a slow, glorious walk into paradise.

 

So, all questions fell away.

[alison]

6 hours ago, aliceinwoolfland said:

lots of people on here have commented on Hayward being a natural Ashtonian yet she appears to have had issues mastering the choreography, to the point where people have noticed mistakes during multiple performances. I've seen her in other roles and was blown away, so I get that she has the magical lyricism and lightness that lend themselves so well to ballet, but isn't part of being an 'Ashtonian' dancer being able to execute the steps with few or no mistakes?

 

Which is precisely what she did last night (and I'm not sure anyone actually claimed she had anything like "issues mastering the choreography", anyway?).  All she did was come out of the fast manège of turns which finishes her solo and, I think, catch her foot slightly or something as she changed into what I think was a tendu. That's not easy, I suspect: I notice that even Cojocaru had to adjust her balance or her foot at that point, although it's difficult to be sure exactly what, since she's in close-up at that moment.

 

Incidentally, looking at the Cojocaru/Kobborg recording, I notice that Hayward does that manege - and the chainé turns round the Prince later on - in the opposite direction to Cojocaru, and I think most, if not all, of the other Cinderellas I've seen thus far in this run.  Certainly in the opposite direction to what I saw Nuñez doing in the cinema broadcast a few nights previously.

[Lesley]

So envious to read this as the encore viewing at Finchley Road Vue broke down just before Cinderellas arrival and everyone had to have a refund!

 

[alison]

Oh no, what bad timing!  There *are* a few weekday Encores left, but those usually presuppose that you aren't working - or can take time off.

[alison]

On 15/04/2023 at 23:41, Linnzi5 said:

For me, I really first noticed how beautifully he [Bracewell] dances in Dances at a Gathering and that was just by pure chance. I think I've said before, that my eye is usually taken by the female dancer in the lovely tutu or dress. However, in his PDD with Francesca Hayward, my eyes were on him the whole way through. Francesca was absolutely lovely, but he just captivated me.

 

I loved both of them in that: Bracewell performed it in a similar way to the way Edward Watson used to do it, IIRC.

[alison]

(Read most of the last pages on my phone earlier, and wasn't able to respond properly til now, but haven't necessarily been able to find the posts I wanted to quote from)

 

13 hours ago, Sim said:

On my first couple of viewings I thought it was strange that the prince seemed to be waiting for Cinderella, as if he has invited her to the ball.  Now I think that the magic is in the air, the spell has been woven around him so he already knows that something lovely is going to happen and is anticipating it.

 

Perhaps you're right, Sim (although I'll admit that I didn't actually pick up on this until I saw Bracewell in the role).  Maybe it was my curtailed viewing angle for that performance, but I got the impression more of "how much longer is she going to be" rather than something a little more fairytale princely/magical.

 

12 hours ago, JohnS said:

I thought Saturday’s evening performance, Francesca Hayward’s cast’s last performance this run, one of those very special occasions. I’d seen the two earlier performances and very much enjoyed them. For the final performance everything gelled and it was a joy to be there. A fabulous atmosphere in the House and very pleasing to hear the intake of breath when people seeing the production for the first time delight in the magic.

 

[...]  I thought the entire cast excelled last night.

 

Yes, agree.  Not up there in the "magical" stakes alongside the Cojocaru/Kobborg one which for some reason wasn't committed to (commercial) DVD exactly, but probably the best I've seen overall thus far.

 

Various other comments on the production:

 

- Still don't like the "highlighter pen" colours of some of the season Fairies' outfits

 

- Am I confusing it with another production?  I thought at one point when she danced with the broom Cinderella got upset/frustrated at how unsatisfactory an inanimate object was and tossed it to the floor in disgust, but I haven't seen that this time around.

 

- I know we're in the middle of a cost of living crisis with high inflation, but surely the Father shouldn't be giving the "crone" banknotes?!

 

- I think the timing of the pumpkin transformation could be improved slightly - surely it should be:

- pumpkin rises into the air, explodes in a shower of glitter which starts to fall and then and only then is Cinderella in the carriage revealed, so it's as if the glitter turns into the carriage, so to speak?

 

- one point which I think should be emphasised for JaneS is that yes, "Napoleon" and "Wellington" are still there, but their costumes are echoed in similar ones for some of the male guests, so the historical allusions are not so obvious.

 

- I seem to be suffering from Prokofiev Cinderella earworms of various sorts, 24/7.  Help!!!  Totally impossible to get out of my head, it seems.

[Linnzi5]

6 hours ago, alison said:

Am I confusing it with another production?  I thought at one point when she danced with the broom Cinderella got upset/frustrated at how unsatisfactory an inanimate object was and tossed it to the floor in disgust, but I haven't seen that this time around.

 

No, That happened in the two performances I saw. In fact, if I remember correctly, when Marianela threw hers, the scarf came undone and then she expertly carried it back over to the fireplace - what a pro! I had presumed it wasn't meant to detach itself and after seeing Friday's performance, I could see that was the case.

6 hours ago, alison said:

- I know we're in the middle of a cost of living crisis with high inflation, but surely the Father shouldn't be giving the "crone" banknotes?!

I thought it should be coins.

6 hours ago, alison said:

I think the timing of the pumpkin transformation could be improved slightly - surely it should be:

- pumpkin rises into the air, explodes in a shower of glitter which starts to fall and then and only then is Cinderella in the carriage revealed, so it's as if the glitter turns into the carriage, so to speak?

 

That's a really good idea - I think that would have worked very well.

6 hours ago, alison said:

I seem to be suffering from Prokofiev Cinderella earworms of various sorts, 24/7.  Help!!!  Totally impossible to get out of my head, it seems.

Ditto. One bit of the music just has been in a constant loop in my head for days now! Often happens to me.