ROH 23/24 season announced

[Ondine]

During the one-week residency, The Royal Ballet will perform some Ashton works on the mainstage of its home at the Covent Garden Opera House, while the Sarasota Ballet performs others in the smaller Lindbury Theater, which Webb said was similar in scale to the Sarasota Opera House.

Webb said he is planning two distinct triple-bill programs, but all performances will include Ashton’s “Valses nobles et sentimentales,” a piece that was considered lost until Sarasota Ballet revived it in 2012.

One program also will include “Dante Sonata” and “Sinfonietta,” while the other will include “Façade” and “Varri Capricci,” which The Sarasota Ballet first performed in 2019.

The two companies will join together for a gala performance in which Sarasota dancers will perform “Valses,” “Façade” and “Varri Capricci.”

After the residency, several Sarasota Ballet dancers will join The Royal Ballet for multiple performances of Ashton’s “The Walk to the Paradise Garden.”

 

I don't know if the scenery from Sarasota would be OK on the ROH stage? 

[Sim]

41 minutes ago, MAX said:

One female choreographer only in the main house ?  

 

I think Kevin O'Hare should make an effort, we are in 2023...

 

And not a single creation ?

 

I must say that I think it might be good for The Royal Ballet to think about having a new director, someone with fresh ideas and vision...  

I don't see why KoH should put a female choreographer into the main house just for the sake of it, no matter what year we're in.  Commissions are based on all kinds of factors, including finance, choreographers' availability, stage availability, etc.  There are no new commissions for the main stage, but there is a ballet company coming from the States, there are other companies from various parts of the world who will be represented in showcases in the Linbury, and plenty of other interesting things.  For the main stage, don't forget that the ROH and RB are still struggling after the millions lost during Covid, and now added to the cuts from ACE, they are not in a good place, so risks and experimentations will have to wait.  With dancers still on cut salaries, I think it would be very hard to justify spending hundreds of thousands on a new piece that may or may not sell.  As much of next season's programming shows, they need to ensure bums on seats for now.

[LinMM]

The problem is Sarasota is not London!!! (Population wise) 

Also “multiple performances” sounds like hundreds but presumably just means more than three 🙄

Edited April 26, 2023 by LinMM

[Emeralds]

I don’t remember DD being bad after one viewing, but admittedly it was the first time I had ever seen Ferri and Jefferies dance, so I might have been in the “I’ll watch them dance anything, anything at all” frame of mind! It also turned out to be the last time I ever saw Ferri dance until she came back to guest in Romeo and Juliet in 2003, so it sits in my memory as “hang on to this, it’s the only time [till 2003] you saw Ferri dance live”. 

 

Also, I’ve seen much, much less stellar creations since and am always keen to give MacMillan works a chance as he created so many masterpieces, so compared to a lot of things it wasn’t that bad. It might come down to everyone’s preferences. 

 

I do remember it having a lot of mime and the pas de deux and solos were not the kind that would rival Manon or Romeo and Juliet, and it was, as a whole, slightly outshone by Firebird and Facade, the other two ballets on the bill- apart from the fact that Ferri wasn’t in those two ballets. And Jefferies didn’t get to shine much in the ballet compared to something like Requiem or Gloria- Wozzeck spent a lot of time being “captured” and not able to dance. For me it would hinge on who dances Marie, and to a smaller extent who is cast as Wozzeck. Did anyone here see Wayne Eagling (the original Wozzeck) in the role? 

[Ondine]

With dancers still on cut salaries, I think it would be very hard to justify spending hundreds of thousands on a new piece that may or may not sell.  As much of next season's programming shows, they need to ensure bums on seats for now.

 

Cinderella cannot have been cheap, even if it is a shared production.   Playing safe with Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Don Q to bring in the cash is a wise move really.

 

 

[Jan McNulty]

54 minutes ago, Fonty said:

 

That was BRB's design, wasn't it?  I really hated those costumes, the male ones reminded me of Dick Van Dyke dancing with penguins in Mary Poppins, and who thought cladding the women in marigold washing up gloves was a good idea?  And don't get me started on the new scenery with what looked like a row of plastic trees and a huge gob stopper of a sun in the background.  

 

However, I am delighted with the triple bills.  I don't know Different Drummer, I've never seen it.  

 

Yes it was - and I'm glad the men's costumes reminded someone else of DvD in the penguin scene in Mary Poppins!

 

The redesigned set, IIRC, was also widely panned when BRB last did it.

[Sim]

1 minute ago, Ondine said:

With dancers still on cut salaries, I think it would be very hard to justify spending hundreds of thousands on a new piece that may or may not sell.  As much of next season's programming shows, they need to ensure bums on seats for now.

 

Cinderella cannot have been cheap, even if it is a shared production.   Playing safe with Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Don Q to bring in the cash is a wise move really.

 

 

No it wasn't, but the choreography was already in place so they didn't have to pay for a choreographer.  They have also been planning this for years, way before Covid happened.  And, they got very generous amounts of sponsorship and donations...this ballet wasn't much of a risk as people already know it, or at least know the story.  The fact that ticket sales started off slowly was because of the pricing...houses are pretty much sold out now.  

 

Yes, they needed those three big ballets next season.

[Emeralds]

33 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 

Now you mention it, wasn't there an Ashton ('heritage'!) bill in the Linbury not long ago? IIRC I couldn't get a ticket for that... oh dear. Now I'm worried.

Sorry to worry you, bridiem! Just fingers and computer/phone/whatever you use at the ready when your booking period opens!  I think I could be in a worse position to you- I am garden variety general booking!  No priority, no plus, no nothing. 😅

 

Was the Ashton Linbury bill the one with Monotones? I think I remember thinking, oh, no problem, it’s ok if it’s sold out, they’ll bring it back. But harder to bring Sarasota Ballet back all the way from America.....

Edited April 26, 2023 by Emeralds

[Stephenwolf]

4 hours ago, FionaE said:

I see I’ll be spending a lot on Fumi Kaneko in this coming year … outstanding in Don Q, Swan Lake, Winters Tale, Dante and no doubt Manon too.  
 

I hope Lauren Cuthbertson will be back for Winter’s Tale.  But who will play Leontes asides from Ryo Hirano.  I may be wrong … is he the only dancer not retired to have performed it?  William Bracewell?  Vadim?  Matthew Ball? Calvin?  Steven McRae?  I can’t wait to hear!

I'm convinced that Fumi would be a brilliant Mercedes in Don Quixote! With Ryoichi Hirano as Espada. What a dream pairing that would be!

[zxDaveM]

58 minutes ago, MAX said:

And not a single creation ?

 

 

Does the New Choreography Festival mean nothing to you?

[Richard LH]

1 hour ago, emmarose said:

 

During COVID lockdowns there was an article that stated that a big percentage of their yearly earnings comes from Nutcracker season. I don't begrudge them The Nutcracker if it keeps the company running.

I don't begrudge them any number of Nutcrackers or Swan Lakes either, provided the dancers are happy and able to perform to  their usual high standard, and provided there is justification in  sales numbers. But it seems  that this has been at the expense of limiting other runs, such as the small number of performances allowed for the MacMillan and Ashton triples. That means there won't be many opportunities for different leads to be cast,  whether experienced  in the roles or as debuts, and/or to dance more than once.

[Richard LH]

11 minutes ago, Stephenwolf said:

I'm convinced that Fumi would be a brilliant Mercedes in Don Quixote! With Ryoichi Hirano as Espada. What a dream pairing that would be!

Sounds like a winning combination...Ryoichi is certainly the definitive Espada in my book.

[Emeralds]

59 minutes ago, MAX said:

One female choreographer only in the main house ?  

 

I think Kevin O'Hare should make an effort, we are in 2023...

 

And not a single creation ?

 

I must say that I think it might be good for The Royal Ballet to think about having a new director, someone with fresh ideas and vision...  

Max, there are new creations in the Linbury- not just visiting companies but also Royal Ballet. Smaller stage doesn’t mean inferior ballet- it just means ballet in a small space.  Lots of Balanchine, Ashton and Robbins masterpieces can be danced on a small stage too. 😉 Do go and see Robert Binet’s new creation in February and Kristen McNally’s new work The Limit, both at the Linbury. There you go, two female choreographers and two new creations, and there may be more announced nearer the time of the new choreography festival next year. 

[Jan McNulty]

3 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

Max, there are new creations in the Linbury- not just visiting companies but also Royal Ballet. Smaller stage doesn’t mean inferior ballet- it just means ballet in a small space.  Lots of Balanchine, Ashton and Robbins masterpieces can be danced on a small stage too. 😉 Do go and see Robert Binet’s new creation in February and Kristen McNally’s new work The Limit, both at the Linbury. There you go, two female choreographers and two new creations, and there may be more announced nearer the time of the new choreography festival next year. 

 

And, of course, some of Ashton's earlier works were created on stages the size of pocket handkerchieves so should look good on the smaller stage.

[Ondine]

Mercury was tiny.

[Angela Essex]

5 hours ago, Stephenwolf said:

I simply cannot wait for Don Quixote. I watched the 2013 version recently. It is stunning.

Same - I’m quite new to watching ballet, but am so excited about the prospect of being able to watch Marianela Nunez as Kitri. Thank you ROH! 

[capybara]

36 minutes ago, Stephenwolf said:

I'm convinced that Fumi would be a brilliant  Mercedes in Don Quixote! With Ryoichi Hirano as Espada. What a dream pairing that would be!

 

 But Fumi has already danced Kitri brilliantly (it was during the first run of the production that she injured herself on stage) so dancing Mercedes is probably unlikely.

 

 

Edited April 26, 2023 by capybara

[zxDaveM]

so - where's the casting 😉

[Mary]

Not that I'm getting ahead of myself but I've got it all planned short of ordering my interval drink for the June 2024 Ashton jamboree....

so looking forward!

 

 

[Fonty]

I am already anticipating the triple bills being sold out before I get a chance to buy tickets.   But as they are scheduled for the summer months, I shall probably be out of the country anyway. 

 

 However, I have never seen Don Quixote, so at least there will be something new for me to watch.  Believe or not, I am actually looking forward to seeing Swan Lake again, with dancers I haven't managed to catch before.  

[JNC]

53 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

Sorry to worry you, bridiem! Just fingers and computer/phone/whatever you use at the ready when your booking period opens!  I think I could be in a worse position to you- I am garden variety general booking!  No priority, no plus, no nothing. 😅

 

Was the Ashton Linbury bill the one with Monotones? I think I remember thinking, oh, no problem, it’s ok if it’s sold out, they’ll bring it back. But harder to bring Sarasota Ballet back all the way from America.....

As much as it pains me to say but I don’t think there will be many tickets come general booking. It is a shame they’re not programmed on the main stage.

@Fonty I don’t think the main stage triples will be sold out though!! What makes you think that?

 

the mixed bill with Montones was the Cunningham cenetary one I think?

Edited April 26, 2023 by JNC

[ellyb]

1 minute ago, JNC said:

As much as it pains me to say but I don’t think there will be many tickets come general booking. It is a shame they’re not programmed on the main stage.

 

the mixed bill with Montones was the Cunningham cenetary one I think?

 

Don't they hold some back for general release? Had a feeling they did for main stage though I may be mistaken.

[Richard LH]

22 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

so - where's the casting 😉

Yes indeed..does anyone know when the casting will be announced for the first booking period ?

[Richard LH]

25 minutes ago, capybara said:

 

 But Fumi has already danced Kitri brilliantly (it was during the first run of the production that she injured herself on stage) so dancing Mercedes is probably unlikely.

 

 

Mind you she seems well able to dance two different leading  roles in one ballet (as per Cinderella).

[ellyb]

1 minute ago, Richard LH said:

Yes indeed..does anyone know when the casting will be announced for the first booking period ?

Be a while yet, usually just before top tier sales open I think so late June. 

[emmarose]

2 minutes ago, Richard LH said:

Mind you she seems well able to dance two different leading  roles in one ballet (as per Cinderella).

 

Also in Beauty too. Fairies in lilac alongside the leading role seemed to be a big thing for her this season!

[Dawnstar]

I'm tentatively enthusiastic about most of the next ballet season but am awaiting pricing before being more enthusiastic. I really hope there aren't more price rises of the same magnitude as there were this season as if the prices get any higher I won't be able to afford to see much & certainly not the multiple casts I'm likely to want to see for some ballets. At least I ticked off half a dozen casts at the last Swan Lake revival and there aren't likely to be many debuts this time around so I'm hoping 2-3 performances will be sufficient for me. On the other hand having only seen 2 Don Q casts in 2019 there will probably be lots of casts I want to see in that. Manon I did see plenty of casts last time but it looks like there could be quite a few debuts so again I fear I'll want to see more casts than I can afford. Nutcracker I am resigned to only being able to see a couple of casts per season but as it's on almost every season I am gradually accumulating seen casts.

 

Of the more modern works, I didn't see Dante Project when it was new & am quite happy not to see it this time either! Winter's Tale I've not seen live but I was so-so on it when I saw the original cinecast back in 2014 so I imagine 1 or at most 2 viewings of that will suffice. Not sure if I want to see The Cellist again but I've not seen Anemoi so might have to go once to see that. I wonder if Cuthbertson will be back from maternity leave in time to reprise the title role of The Cellist?

 

As the only one of the Ashton works I've seen before is Rhapsody I'll be going to both the Ashton triple bills, though I hope the casting will be arranged so it's possible to see different Rhapsody & Dream casts across seeing both bills. I'm sure I'll be seeing the MacMillan triple bill too, though my heart did sink when I read that Different Drummer is based on Woyzeck. I wish it wasn't such a popular story for adaptations. I've been avoiding the opera for almost 20 years.

 

Add me to the list of people who really want to see Sarasota Ballet but are very much afraid that tickets will be impossible to get by the time public booking opens. Apropos booking, unless I've misread the website there only seem to be 3 booking periods next year rather than the usual 4. I can only find 2nd August, 11th January and 27th March as public booking dates.

[Emeralds]

2 minutes ago, JNC said:

As much as it pains me to say but I don’t think there will be many tickets come general booking. It is a shame they’re not programmed on the main stage.

@Fonty I don’t think the main stage triples will be sold out though!! What makes you think that?

 

the mixed bill with Montones was the Cunningham cenetary one I think?

I’m disappointed they’re not Main Stage too....in fact I had to check the calendar to make sure it wasn’t an error. But in the article Ian posted Iain Webb said Linbury also. Linbury does tend to sell super fast- the arithmetic is that 394 seats (that includes restricted view!) is basically not many seats to go round. Compared to Tiler Peck at Sadlers Wells which was a similar show in that those in the know were keen to go, that sold out 1568 seats on three nights - so Sarasota Ballet would need to dance 12 shows to provide enough tickets for a similar level of demand. And because Webb has said it’s not the same programme every show (apart from Valses Nobles eg Sentimentales), many people will be booking repeat visits......

 

I notice that the Main Stage is currently not booked for any performances on Tue 4 June and Sun 9 June. Wonder if Messrs Webb and O’Hare can be persuaded to relocate Sarasota Ballet on to the Main Stage for those two days - maybe even double show day with matinees??  I will go (even for a midweek matinee, if that’s the only way to get a ticket 😁)! Admittedly it is tricky moving a show back and forth between Main Stage and Linbury (don’t know if/think it’s ever been done?!) but I think the ticket shortage could be serious- worse than Glastonbury or Wimbledon!

 

 

[Bruce Wall]

3 hours ago, bridiem said:

'The Sarasota Ballet has grown over the past decade into one of America’s leading ballet
companies, garnering acclaim for its extensive repertory of Frederick Ashton’s works. Director
Iain Webb and Assistant Director Margaret Barbieri, former Royal Ballet dancers, bring to the
Linbury Theatre a selection of works, shown over two programmes, that pays tribute to Ashton’s
remarkable choreographic range and celebrates his legacy as Founder Choreographer of The

Royal Ballet and a pioneer of 20th-century ballet.'

 

To be honest, if I was director of the RB I'd be a bit embarrassed about this para. Granted there are 2 Ashton bills in the RB rep this year, but there are repetitions, and I feel it would be quite difficult to say that the RB really does what the Sarasota Ballet is enthusiastically described here as doing.

 

Seems that a certain reality - and, indeed, a concerted and well deserved slice of humble pie - has yet to be on the local menu - but that being said one is hugely grateful for the refreshing fare in Ashton's specific regard that has today been offered by all parties concerned.  At least it IS happening at long last.  

[Fonty]

@JNC  I meant the reasonably priced seats will probably go before I know what my plans are for the summer months.  I am sure I will be able to pick up a £200 (?)  seat in the stalls at short notice.

[Ondine]

Sarasota isn't a big company used to huge stages / theatres and so the rep is cut according to the cloth (smaller scale Ashton designed for smaller spaces) and scenery is too?  I doubt that things could be just moved from the smaller theatre to the larger.

[Lizbie1]

15 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

Apropos booking, unless I've misread the website there only seem to be 3 booking periods next year rather than the usual 4. I can only find 2nd August, 11th January and 27th March as public booking dates.

 

There's 4th October for Winter (including Manon) as well.

[Sim]

1 hour ago, Emeralds said:

😉 Do go and see Robert Binet’s new creation in February and Kristen McNally’s new work The Limit, both at the Linbury. There you go, two female choreographers and two new creations, and there may be more announced nearer the time of the new choreography festival next year. 

Errrrmmm...Robert Binet is male!!