RB Sleeping Beauty - May/June 2023

[Nogoat]

Osipova/Clarke 22nd May
Naghdi/Ball         24th May - Cinema
Osipova/Clarke 29th May

 

I'm glad I decided to write just the one post about the three Sleeping beauty performances I've seen, as it was interesting to try to rationalise my three reactions (all positive!) to two different casts and three differing spectacles.

 

Anyone who's managed to wade through my posts will know I regard Osipova as the foremost dance-actress of her generation, - and perhaps of all the ballerinas I'd seen before she stormed onto the scene some 20 years ago.

And on an imaginary spectrum ranging from 'pure technique' to what might be termed 'non-verbal communication' (I'll avoid the word 'mime' as it has a special meaning in ballet), Osipova strikes what is for me the perfect balance.

And here are two other generalisations I found it useful to make; dance-acting is a zero-sum game in which a shift towards one end of the spectrum will necessarily diminish the other, and ballet technique is practised and converges on an agreed ideal, whereas acting evolves and diverges to reflect individual creativity. 

 

On the basis of the above, Naghdi and Osipova are two highly watchable, but different, ballet phenomena.

Osipova is more of a dance-actress than Naghdi, with the corollary that Naghdi's technique is more precise.

And, with Naghdi's emphasis on technique, her performances are much more predictable compared to the impulsive streak of Osipova's creativity.

 

For a classical ballet such as Sleeping Beauty, some may favour performances that concentrate on technique (especially as Aurora does not need a strong character in order to carry the ballet), whereas others may prefer a narrative ballet to feature a central character expressed through more than dance.

Thankfully, ballet is a broad enough church to cater to all shades of the spectrum, and the Royal has the talent to deliver them.

 

As others have mentioned, Osipova's characterisations are always a work-in-progress, though the ones that she has performed the most (Giselle, Don Q) have probably reached a relatively stable plateau.

For her Aurora in Act 1 of Sleeping Beauty, Osipova has sometimes placed her emphasis on the consequences of a care-free young girl unexpectedly thrust towards adulthood by the match-making arrangements of her parents. She treats the Rose Adagio as a literal 'ordeal' on the part of the young princess, played out in front of the court - which is a clever approach as the dancing itself is regarded by ballerinas as an ordeal in itself, played out in front of the audience. Dancer and character merge to such an extent that the 'anxiety' and 'relief' expressed by Osipova's Aurora during and at the end of the adagio has been interpreted by some as that of Osipova herself, when in fact she generally stays in character even for the applause.

It was this interpretation I was expecting in her first outing a week ago, but she seemed to play Aurora as a much more confident, worldly-wise Aurora - unfazed by her father's match-making and so eager to get her hands on the princes she was straining left and right to look at them around her father.

So it was surprising and somewhat unsettling to find that some of that previously-seen 'anxiety' seemed to be evident in her expressions and approach to the adagio. Like others have said, it is quite possible that Osipova was still suffering slightly from the after-effects of the illness she had the week before.

 

In contrast, Osipova was back to her normal superb self last night, and gave a wonderfully rendered, confident Act 1 Aurora executed at quite a brisk pace. At the end of one sequence there was a huge, beaming Aurora/Osipova smile (reminiscent of one of those exaggerated 'smug' smiley emoticons) that spoke volumes - here was a character/dancer in control and having the utmost fun!
And her timing was exquisite - for example, her casting down of the roses, and the roses then hitting the floor, were both perfectly on the beat (it takes two to tango, and her 'partner' at that moment was, of course, Jonathan Lo). There are really two orchestras at play in a ballet - one aural in the pit and one visual on the stage - and when the two are playing in perfect harmony the whole is greater than the sum of the parts!

(Last night Reece Clarke was also on superb form, timing-wise. His Act 3 solo was on-the-note throughout, and the way he carried himself at the end for the applause silently conveyed just how completely chuffed he was with it!)

 

Osipova has form when playing denizens of the supernatural and the ethereal; she has the most amazing ability to bridge the gulf between the real world and the worlds of spirits and the imagination. She instantiates the insubstantial, and in realising them she imbues them with an unsettling potency.

In the Act 2 dream sequence, she was less of a vision and more of a manifestation and, as such, the interplay between her and her prince was tangible rather than hallucinatory; the way she used her whole body to reach out to Clarke to implore, to attract, even to woo him was powerful and even very slightly scary! And, to make the whole scene seem even more other-worldly, she did the whole thing with her eyes all but closed. 
And whenever anyone brings up the subject of lack of consent for the prince to kiss the sleeping Aurora (which, admittedly, isn't very often nowadays!) I suggest they see Osipova's interpretation; such is her real presence in the dream sequence (unlike the barely physical, wispy approach of others) that they're effectively on their successful first date - so I have no qualms about what happens on their second date when he pops round to her house following her 'invitation'! 

 

And their professional partnership seems to be developing nicely as well, with hugs at the curtain calls for both performances. She also had a great rapport with the audience, particularly last night. She was obviously pleased with herself and with us, for as she and Clarke left the stage for the last time, she blew us a lovely kiss.

 

I went to the cinema broadcast expecting Naghdi to concentrate on her technique at the (to me inevitable) expense of her acting. And, yes, her technique and musicality were amazing and a joy to behold! And to do all of that under the collective gaze of nigh on a thousand cinemas was incredible.
Cinema broadcasts can provide extreme close-ups that to some extent help compensate for other deficiencies they have, but this can be a two-edged sword when the context is lost. For example, Matt Ball's quizzical reaction to the 'fairy boat' leaving the stage was shown without that context being apparent, which led to quite a knowledgeable person in the cinema questioning what he was disapproving of. Hopefully the performance will be released to Blu-ray and these little wrinkles can be ironed out - it certainly deserves to be.
 

[AYSHEL]

Was at the 29 May evening performance with Natalia Osipova and Reece Clarke. I must say it was one of the most exciting Beauty performances I have seen in many a year. Osipova was inspired, she was on fire. The variety of plastique between the youthful Act 1 Aurora – with a beautifully secure Rose Adage, and the Vision Scene where her softness really took over combined with real lyricism was breathtaking. I have not seen an Aurora of this stature since the early 1990s with the then Kirov, now Maryinsky ballerinas. The partnership with Reece Clarke is quite marvelous. Despite the difference in height they work brilliantly together as a united team. His contribution was supremely elegant but exciting in his Act 3 solo. Osipova’s Aurora in Act 1 dramatically interacts with the four suitors with a certain level of coquetry of a young girl, in response to the Queen’s earlier decree to choose from the four. Her very girlish reactions were easily readable due to her consummate acting skills. The softness exhibited in the vision scene was a complete contrast, very much in the spirit of Russian ballet vision scenes. Her solo had a pure classical clarity which immediately drew the eye. What a great ballerina she is – and how lucky we are in London to have her grace our stage.

As far as the rest of the cast is concerned one must mention the Princess Florine and Bluebird pas de deux with the adorable Yuhui Choe and Joonhyuk Jun as a genuinely exciting and aerially clean Bluebird. They drew a well-deserved ovation from the public. Even though Choe avoided a couple of the tricky elements of the choreography in her solo it was a true exercise on exemplary lyricism and a joy to watch.

 

[Ivy Lin]

I saw the cinemacast and wanted to say that despite Yasmine Naghdi's sterling technique, I thought she exuded too much of a queenly regal quality for Aurora. She never seemed very girlish. 

[MJW]

Lovely reviews from @Nogoat and @Geoff W which also helps pass the time and whilst waiting for my hospital appointment!

[JohnS]

A hugely enjoyable double Sleeping Beauty yesterday.
 

Delighted to have seen Sarah Lamb’s Aurora again. She projects a welcome aura of serenity about her despite some uncharacteristic unsteadiness in the matinee performance so I’m pleased that I saw earlier performances when she was more secure. Ryoichi Hirano makes an impressive Prince Florimund. Fabulous to see Olivia Cowley back on stage and making the most of Carabosse. I can only echo the words of a very young member of the audience on Carabosse’s dramatic departure at the end of the Prelude: “Oh no, she’s gone.” The fairies are of course lovely but it’s Carabosse who makes the dramatic impact. I liked Gina Storm-Jensen’s Lilac Fairy but still find her solo a bit tentative.

 

I thought the evening performance with Natalia Osipova and Reece Clarke very fine. But I do find Osipova’s Act 1 a bit out of character with what I look for in Aurora. To me in the Rose Adage she looked more like a cat playing with four mice who at any stage could swallow one whole if the fancy took her, an extraordinarily knowing 16 year old. It certainly made for a bravura performance and one I very much enjoyed seeing. Reece Clarke was excellent, fabulous dancing and partnering. Elizabeth McGorian made for another telling Carabosse. I’m so pleased to have seen a couple of her performances and had chance to say thank you at the Stage Door. Nadia Mullova-Barley was very impressive as Lilac Fairy - I’d seen her debut and her solo was much more secure, complementing her strong stage presence. All the supporting dancing was of a very high standard. Fabulous to see Yuhui Choe and Joonhyuk Jun as Princess Florine/Bluebird and Liam Boswell and Luca Acri were hugely impressive Cavaliers.

Edited May 30, 2023 by JohnS
Apologies - pressed post in error.

[Jan McNulty]

5 minutes ago, MJW said:

Lovely reviews from @Nogoat and @Geoff W which also helps pass the time and whilst waiting for my hospital appointment!

 

I hope you are OK and it's nothing too serious @MJW.

[MJW]

39 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

I hope you are OK and it's nothing too serious @MJW.

Thank you for asking! It was just my fourth (!) follow up after having an impacted wisdom tooth removed in 2021. Due to a very rare situation I have to have a bone scan every six months. If you wonder why the NHS has no money it’s been spent in me!

[Jan McNulty]

Gosh, at least they are looking after you going forward.    Well the NHS has spent a lot on me too this year.  Thank goodness for our NHS but I think between us we have bankrupted it!

[MJW]

32 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

Gosh, at least they are looking after you going forward.    Well the NHS has spent a lot on me too this year.  Thank goodness for our NHS but I think between us we have bankrupted it!

 

I know! My scans alone (which have to be done at the private hospital next door as they have the specialist scanner) must cost a small fortune. I keep hoping they say its all fine and don't need to see me again but provided my scans today are clear they have said I will have to go back again in a year!

[Jan McNulty]

17 minutes ago, MJW said:

 

I know! My scans alone (which have to be done at the private hospital next door as they have the specialist scanner) must cost a small fortune. I keep hoping they say its all fine and don't need to see me again but provided my scans today are clear they have said I will have to go back again in a year!

 

Fingers crossed!

[LinMM]

Wisdom teeth always seem to be a bit of a nightmare …I had trouble with both of mine including the first one the dentist having to go and fetch another dentist to help remove it!!!!

The second one got infected afterwards but anyway nothing as serious as you MJW!! Hope you get the all clear soon. 
I have heard of people having four of them and having them all out in one go….yikes seems a bit extreme one at a time was enough!

 

A friend who saw the matinee yesterday has said he thought both  Sarah Lamb and Hirano were slightly under par yesterday but he had also seen her previously and said she was marvellous so perhaps just under the weather yesterday or perhaps they hadn’t been able to rehearse much together since the previous performance. Sarah Lamb is usually pretty reliable so can be forgiven for the odd less than perfect performance 

He said it was still very good but just not as good as before and he sensed something might be up. 

 

[bridiem]

1 hour ago, Jan McNulty said:

Gosh, at least they are looking after you going forward.    Well the NHS has spent a lot on me too this year.  Thank goodness for our NHS but I think between us we have bankrupted it!

 

I hope you're OK too, Jan. As far as I'm concerned whatever the NHS has spent on members of this forum is money well spent!! 

[Linnzi5]

3 hours ago, MJW said:

Thank you for asking! It was just my fourth (!) follow up after having an impacted wisdom tooth removed in 2021. Due to a very rare situation I have to have a bone scan every six months. If you wonder why the NHS has no money it’s been spent in me!

Arrgh! Wisdom teeth are not very wise! Or is it that our bodies are not wise for not needing them as much as in previous generations? Mine were impacted, which resulted in surgery. I then had an allergic reaction to a drug given during the surgery. Not a nice experience. I feel your pain and hope all is ok  

[Jan McNulty]

2 hours ago, bridiem said:

 

I hope you're OK too, Jan. As far as I'm concerned whatever the NHS has spent on members of this forum is money well spent!! 

 

I am getting better every day and am more or less back to normal thanks to the NHS.

 

Thanks bridie.

[MJW]

23 minutes ago, Linnzi5 said:

Arrgh! Wisdom teeth are not very wise! Or is it that our bodies are not wise for not needing them as much as in previous generations? Mine were impacted, which resulted in surgery. I then had an allergic reaction to a drug given during the surgery. Not a nice experience. I feel your pain and hope all is ok  

 

Thank you!

[Sophoife]

10 hours ago, LinMM said:

Wisdom teeth always seem to be a bit of a nightmare…

I have heard of people having four of them and having them all out in one go….yikes seems a bit extreme one at a time was enough!

 

I had two infected and two impacted so had the lot out under a general anaesthetic about 35 years ago. Looked like a chipmunk for a week!

 

Antibiotics and stitches did the trick and I was lucky enough to have an incident-free recovery - apart from the stitches on one side working their way out and revealing themselves on a piece of bread I'd just bitten into - sitting next to former Australian cricket  great Bill Lawry at a posh function at the Melbourne Cricket Ground 😳

[capybara]

Sympathies to all - but maybe continue in Not Dance? 😊

[Ondine]

New on the ROH YT, three minutes (with Monica Mason)

Mayara Magri (Lilac Fairy) and Kristen McNally (Carabosse) showcase the intricacies of miming in The Royal Ballet's production of The Sleeping Beauty.

 

 

 

[Ondine]

Five minutes. Rehearsal clips and explanation

Why The Sleeping Beauty is a classic for The Royal Ballet

 

 

 

 

 

[Dawnstar]

I suspect the answer to this will be "No" but I'll try asking just in case. Does anyone know who's been dancing the rats in this run of SB?

[MoVR]

35 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

I suspect the answer to this will be "No" but I'll try asking just in case. Does anyone know who's been dancing the rats in this run of SB?

For what it's worth, I've seen rathead mirror selfies of this run by Harris Bell, James Large and Denilson Almeida. No clue who else, but I'm guessing almost all younger Artists know it? 

[alison]

Liam Boswell, that I know.

[Dawnstar]

Thanks. I was wondering about it after seeing the cinecast encore on Wednesday, given even with close ups it's impossible to identify any of the rats.

 

The mention in one of the interval feature of Helpmann having danced both the Prince & Carabosse in the same performance also made me wonder if any Princes, bored with having to hang around until Act II, have been tempted to ask to play a rat to give them something to do earlier!

[MoVR]

A short video on Olivia Cowley's Instagram features six of the rats sans costume, but they're scurrying away too fast to properly recognise them. 

[Ondine]

This one?

 

 

The Sleeping Beauty – The carriage of Carabosse, featuring Olivia Cowley... https://youtube.com/shorts

 

 

 

[MoVR]

That's the one. Did not know there was a slightly longer version, thanks

[Ondine]

Slighty off topic, but currently on YT there is a vid of Dowell as Carabosse in makeup which is strangely reminiscent of Dame Ninette. 😏

 

There is another from a TV film of Ashton and he is REALLY scary, with gruesome makeup. Hammer horror scary. Poor baby Aurora having THAT hanging over her crib!

 

The current glam versions are really quite tame. 

 

 

[Dawnstar]

13 hours ago, MoVR said:

A short video on Olivia Cowley's Instagram features six of the rats sans costume, but they're scurrying away too fast to properly recognise them. 

 

Having looked at it with frequent pauses, I'd make a tentative guess at Daichi Ikarashi, Harrison Lee & Giacomo Rovero but I'm not certain of even those 3 & have no clue on the others.

 

I'd love them to do an Insight stream of rehearsals for all the masked characters in SB: the rats, the cats & the wolf. I'd be very interested to know if the dancers do facial expression acting when rehearsing even though they'll be masked in performances.

[capybara]

52 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

I'd be very interested to know if the dancers do facial expression acting when rehearsing even though they'll be masked in performances.

 

I think that most dancers do do facial expressions even when they are going to be masked up.

I have seen ENB studio rehearsals where the Nutcracker Mouse Kings have been so expressive that it seemed a pity they were going to be covered up with an unchanging hairy face in performance.

[MoVR]

1 hour ago, Dawnstar said:

 

Having looked at it with frequent pauses, I'd make a tentative guess at Daichi Ikarashi, Harrison Lee & Giacomo Rovero but I'm not certain of even those 3 & have no clue on the others.

 

I'd love them to do an Insight stream of rehearsals for all the masked characters in SB: the rats, the cats & the wolf. I'd be very interested to know if the dancers do facial expression acting when rehearsing even though they'll be masked in performances.

I'm guessing, Martin Diaz is in there as well, and mostly because of the hairband situation, that the one in the front is Joonhyuk Jun and the one in the back could be Stanislaw Wegrzyn.

I'd say the rats and fellow masked creatures are an underappreciated part of this production

[cackles]

Stanislaw certainly did some performances in the first run as he posted a photo on his IG account  holding his "head" under his arm!

Edited June 6, 2023 by cackles
spellng correction

[Rob S]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[alison]

I'd forgotten it was the last one yesterday - I've been a bit distracted.  Can I just say kudos to the corps de ballet?  From Nutcracker through two runs of Sleeping Beauty *and* a month of Cinderella, they barely seem to have been off the stage the past 6 months.