Royal Ballet Casting for Autumn 2023-24

[alison]

1 hour ago, capybara said:

Sticking my neck out here but isn't it likely that the tall Lukas B Braensrod will be on alongside the slightly taller Reece Clarke?

 

twas on that basis that i booked the O'Sullivan/McRae cast

[Dawnstar]

1 hour ago, capybara said:

Sticking my neck out here but isn't it likely that the tall Lukas B Braensrod will be on alongside the slightly taller Reece Clarke?

 

That possibility had occurred to me as logical option. Though for Manon Clarke as Des Grieux is cast with Campbell as Lescaut (the end of Act I could be interesting!) so evidently Clarke as leading man isn't always cast with an almost as tall second man.

 

1 hour ago, PeterS said:

Just running down the list of available dancers raises a couple of questions:

1. Would the cinema screening of Don Q warrant a principal dancing the role of Mercedes?

2. Has Melissa Hamilton danced Mercedes in a previous run and/or might she be a candidate for later in the run?

3. Might Meaghan Grace Hinkis also be dancing Mercedes as she may have already been cast before having to step in to cover Takada as Kitri?

 

According to the ROH performance database Hamilton danced Queen of the Dryads in 2013 and 2014 and wasn't cast in any role in 2019 so hasn't done Mercedes. Hinkis in the previous 3 runs has danced Amour & one of Kitri's friends but again hasn't done Mercedes before. (Sorry, I probably spend too much time looking up the ROH performance database.)

[Linnzi5]

7 hours ago, capybara said:

The volume of unsold seats for the three performances of Don Q this Friday and Saturday is surely unprecedented, especially as the casts are of established stars.

If the ROH is indeed “able to fill the seats somehow”, they must have a bottomless pit of people and avenues to call on.

I hope they do, though, out of courtesy to the wonderful artists involved - including someone who, for me, is a bonus Espada on Saturday afternoon but doesn’t think he’s allowed to say!!!

 

I am intrigued! 

5 hours ago, PeterS said:

 And there will quite likely be a top of the range sporty Mercedes too 

I do hope so! 

5 hours ago, Sim said:

It is ridiculous that the two secondary roles are treated like state secrets, especially considering the slow ticket sales. I would have gone to one of the shows I didn’t have tickets for last week had I known the Espada more than a few hours in advance.  Why not just announce him and Mercedes at the same time as the leads?  I just don’t understand.   

Me neither. It's a strange choice. Why wouldn't I want to know who the main cast are before I book? I will never understand the secrecy! 

[art_enthusiast]

54 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

evidently Clarke as leading man isn't always cast with an almost as tall second man.

 

Yep, I noticed that when he was in Romeo and Juliet in 2022, not sure who his Mercutio was at the time but not sure they were completely matched in height... I recall that for the Mayerling Hungarian Officers last year, he was the tallest one quite a few times and the heights didn't always match! Which is definitely fine by me, I'm not sure how it might impact dancing technically speaking.

[capybara]

14 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

 

Yep, I noticed that when he was in Romeo and Juliet in 2022, not sure who his Mercutio was at the time but not sure they were completely matched in height... I recall that for the Mayerling Hungarian Officers last year, he was the tallest one quite a few times and the heights didn't always match! Which is definitely fine by me, I'm not sure how it might impact dancing technically speaking.

 

I think that, in Don Q, it works better if there is a 'sort of' height match. A tall Espada with a shorter Basilio can detract from the latter, especially if the Espada is a 'knock out'. A shortish Espada can lack the necessary impact alongside a taller Basilio.  IIRC both of these scenarios did occur during the last run.

 

So, if there is a plentiful  supply of Espadas, why wouldn't ensuring a 'good match' be one of the factors in deciding on casting?

 

[MJW]

9 hours ago, JNC said:

I’ve received a 25% off code for the cellist mixed bill. Only applicable on the top 5 price bands (!) and only on select dates (20, 21, 23 October). 
 

For context I’m not a friend, and I haven’t booked any performances of this bill - a combination of I’m not that interested in it, prices, and not living in London anymore. This was sent to me a few days ago but I only saw it now.

 

I guess sales are slow. I hope they learn from this that there is a pricing limit. Slightly annoyingly from this point Don Quixote seems to have sold reasonably well, although I note a stubborn unsold block of the £67 (!!) side amphitheatre tickets for many performances, which is quite obvious as to why…the Nunez and Osipova performances are really the only sell outs. 
 

edited to say I’ve just actually checked the prices for the cellist bill and they seem (dare I say) fair so it’s likely the programming that is why this is selling so terribly. It’s quite a short bill (only two works). Perhaps if they did Anemoi plus some Balanchine, or the Cellist plus maybe some MacGregor (instead of Dante Project), and or some Robbins as well it would have had broader appeal. 

 

It's quite hard to see the logic behind the programming of the Dante Project and the Anemoi/The Cellist. Whilst there are only a few ballets that could be certain to sell well (Nutcracker and Swan Lake for example), given these three pieces were performed relatively recently, why not programme works that haven't been (for whatever reason). Whist there would be no guarantee of widespread appeal, they would at least have the advantage of novelty value.

 

Personally, a re-run of the Asphodel Meadows/Two Pigeons double bill from a few years back would be perfect.

 

On a separate but related point, I'd be very interested to know what proportion of the audience are "regulars" (Friends or otherwise) and how many are new or infrequent visitors. Presumably the latter are higher proportion for something like the Nutcracker.

[capybara]

11 minutes ago, MJW said:

It's quite hard to see the logic behind the programming of the Dante Project and the Anemoi/The Cellist. Whilst there are only a few ballets that could be certain to sell well (Nutcracker and Swan Lake for example), given these three pieces were performed relatively recently, why not programme works that haven't been (for whatever reason). Whist there would be no guarantee of widespread appeal, they would at least have the advantage of novelty value.

I think that, where new works are concerned, a commonly found element of the contractual arrangement with the choreographer is related to a second run.

[San Perregrino]

23 minutes ago, MJW said:

how many are new or infrequent visitors. Presumably the latter are higher proportion for something like the Nutcracker

 

there seem to be many families and others including myself for whom The Nutcracker is a Christmas tradition and who return year after year and generation after generation.  i suspect this is why it sells so quickly and so early once booking has opened.  the opening bars of the overture are enough to convince me that all is well in the world for at least the next 2 hours.

Edited October 10, 2023 by PeterS

[MJW]

35 minutes ago, capybara said:

I think that, where new works are concerned, a commonly found element of the contractual arrangement with the choreographer is related to a second run.

 

Well they've managed not to perform Medusa (which I quite liked) or the Unknown Soldier again! 

 

I have no issue with the Dante Project, Anemoi or The Cellist being performed again, just not quite so soon after their first performances, nor all in the same season.

[Silke H]

6 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

By the way, does anyone know what the correct pronunciation is for Anemoi? A-ne-moy? A-ne-mwah (last syllable like the French moi)? Something else? I thought I had better check in advance given I was blithely pronouncing Les Noces the wrong way & had no idea until a pre-performance chat with @LinMM when she pronounced it completely differently!

 

As per Valentino Zucchetti when asked about it during an Insight when it was first staged it is pronounced Anemi (like me or tea) but he said that he anticipated everyone to pronounce it Anemoy.

[MoVR]

59 minutes ago, Silke H said:

 

As per Valentino Zucchetti when asked about it during an Insight when it was first staged it is pronounced Anemi (like me or tea) but he said that he anticipated everyone to pronounce it Anemoy.

I'm pretty sure in Ancient Greek classes we used to say A-ne-moy, but, due to changing pronounciation rules over the years, in Modern Greek it would in fact be pronounced A-ne-mi. So I guess both could be correct :))

[LinMM]

MJW I would love that combination Asphodel Meadows/ Two Pigeons!!! 
 

As have never been to see Anemoi and did not know it’s Greek connection I would have pronounced it 

a-ne-mwah! As often when you see a word that looks foreign you look for the nearest language you can relate it to and that “moi” at the end immediately seems French to me so that’s what I would have gone for. 

In Brighton there is a place where the A.23 meets the sea in town and it’s called The Old Steine. I pronounced it the German way “Sty-ne” for ages because it looks like the German word for “stone” until somebody told me it’s pronounced “steen” 

[Linnzi5]

10 hours ago, PeterS said:

 

there seem to be many families and others including myself for whom The Nutcracker is a Christmas tradition and who return year after year and generation after generation.  i suspect this is why it sells so quickly and so early once booking has opened.  the opening bars of the overture are enough to convince me that all is well in the world for at least the next 2 hours.

Yes. It's a tradition for my family as well even though Nutcracker does not feature in my top five ballets.  Saying that, it wouldn't be Christmas without it and I know I have to book early as the tickets sell so quickly - so my family is definitely one in the ;regular attendees' bracket. I only go to one Nutcracker performance at ROH (it is expensive and I have seen it so many times) but each year I leave Covent Garden with a warm feeling and a big smile on my face. It appeals to many infrequent attendees of ballet I know and it's also a great ballet for children, I think - it's like an annual pilgrimage for many, so I do suspect there are a large number of regulars. Also, Christmas performances generally seem to be popular?

 

Having seen Nutcracker so many times, I have to admit that last year's performance I saw left me feeling quite uncharacteristically moved! I remember saying last year how it's a fluffy, magical ballet that really makes me feel good but doesn't really leave a big emotional impact on me and blow me, I watched it as if I were a small child seeing it for the first time! So I have booked the same cast for this year's outing. In will also go to the live cinema relay (I'll take my mum as she is no longer able to travel to London). I am really looking forward to it and I would be upset if it wasn't on every year (even though I like other ballets more) - it heralds the start of Christmas for me.

[Linnzi5]

7 hours ago, LinMM said:

MJW I would love that combination Asphodel Meadows/ Two Pigeons!!! 
 

As have never been to see Anemoi and did not know it’s Greek connection I would have pronounced it 

a-ne-mwah! As often when you see a word that looks foreign you look for the nearest language you can relate it to and that “moi” at the end immediately seems French to me so that’s what I would have gone for. 

In Brighton there is a place where the A.23 meets the sea in town and it’s called The Old Steine. I pronounced it the German way “Sty-ne” for ages because it looks like the German word for “stone” until somebody told me it’s pronounced “steen” 

Yes. In my ignorance, I would have thought there was a French connection. I'm sure my son would have corrected me, as he studied Ancient Greek! 

 

I admit I caved and booked to see Anemoi and The Cellist because I can go over half term (when I'm not working, not that me working stops me attending weekday performances usually) but mainly because of  the discount. I just booked the most convenient day as the cast for The Cellist wasn't even up! I hope I enjoy Anemoi - I have seen the Cellist and it wasn't a favourite, despite the wonderful music and performances, but I'm happy to give it another go. 

[Jan McNulty]

As a matter of interest for how long has the Nutcracker been a Royal Ballet tradition?

 

I always associated the Nutcracker tradition with LFB/ENB.

 

BRB's tradition dates back to the company's move to Birmingham in 1990 when SPW made it his gift to the city that had offered the company a new home.  Although I have seen the proscenium production at both The Lowry and in London it has never been a touring production in the way that ENB and Northern Ballet have toured their productions.  The Nutcracker has not been an NB tradition although it did so well in Leeds last year it is being performed again this year.

[San Perregrino]

33 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

As a matter of interest for how long has the Nutcracker been a Royal Ballet tradition?

To clarify, it’s been a tradition for me to go to the Royal Ballet with a friend or friends as a Christmas outing for 15-20 years now. More recently that has been The Nutcracker ‘on repeat’ but has included other seasonal bills such as Coppélia, Tales of Beatrix Potter & Les Patineurs. 

[LinMM]

My first Nutcracker was definitely LFB back in early 70’s. Back then they performed it every year at the Royal Festival Hall but can’t remember when they moved to Colisseum. 
That was in the years when I used to help dress the Corps de Ballet and it used to fascinate me how certain musicians would scurry in after the interval and just about reach seats in time to play when they were needed!! 

[Emeralds]

22 hours ago, capybara said:

 

The other advantage in 'mixing and matching' the pairings is that audience members who might not be familiar with other RB dancers would thereby get to know them, appreciate how good they are too and book specifically for them going forward.

In that respect, the Kaneko/Muntagirov pairing for Manon is great news. But an opportunity is being missed by having a guest (Bolle, who certainly does not need further exposure at the expense of the home team) dancing with Nunez in Manon.

I must say I was slightly disappointed to see the exact same pairing for Nunez in Manon- Roberto Bolle has been cast as her Des Grieux twice (in 2019 and in 2018) so it would have been exciting to see a new partnership, eg perhaps Ryoichi Hirano as Des Grieux (he has the partnering skill,  elegance and acting abilities for the role; it would be so nice for him not to be typecast as Lescaut forever) and a debut for another dancer as Lescaut, eg David Donnelly or Nicol Edmonds. But maybe it was Nunez's choice when it came to casting of her partner?

 

Actually if they were going to invite Bolle as a guest artist, Dante would be a great fit for him, and we know he certainly enjoys performing McGregor works! It would have livened up the box office to share the performances out between him and 2 other Dantes and 3 different Beatrices. In the meantime, there are still those Don Qs and Anemoi/Cellists to shift......

[Emeralds]

5 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

As a matter of interest for how long has the Nutcracker been a Royal Ballet tradition?

 

I always associated the Nutcracker tradition with LFB/ENB.

 

BRB's tradition dates back to the company's move to Birmingham in 1990 when SPW made it his gift to the city that had offered the company a new home.  Although I have seen the proscenium production at both The Lowry and in London it has never been a touring production in the way that ENB and Northern Ballet have toured their productions.  The Nutcracker has not been an NB tradition although it did so well in Leeds last year it is being performed again this year.

I'm won't bore everyone by going back before the 1980s but RB never used to do it yearly- from what I read and archive records it always took turns with Ashton's Cinderella or some other cheery full length ballet or double bill. Anthony Dowell certainly liked programming Cinderella at Christmas quite a lot  During Monica Mason's time,  Cinderella would be programmed in spring or summer as well as Christmas and Nutcracker became more and more frequently a Christmas show (ie from being danced every 2-3 years to being danced at Christmas most years).

 

Since Cinderella  got "semi retired" from 2012 to 2022, Nutcracker under Kevin O'Hare's leadership has been every year except Christmas 2014 (Don Q + Alice's Adventures in Wonderland- quite a lot of injuries as both ballets are heavy on dancing for the leads, box office  good but not sold out like Nutcracker), and Christmas 2019 (Sleeping Beauty+ Coppelia - box office excellent for Sleeping B, good but not sold out for Coppelia). I remember London Festival Ballet/ENB performing Nutcracker every year, just like in America, ever since I've  been old enough to read about ballet, and  that it's been their tradition for as long as the company has been a company. 

[art_enthusiast]

26 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

so it would have been exciting to see a new partnership, eg perhaps Ryoichi Hirano as Des Grieux (he has the partnering skill,  elegance and acting abilities for the role; it would be so nice for him not to be typecast as Lescaut forever) and a debut for another dancer as Lescaut

Totally agree, I loved Ryoichi Hirano as Prince Rudolf in Mayerling last year, so would be very interested in seeing him as Des Grieux.

 

Likewise Roberto Bolle as Dante would be intriguing!

 

Another note - I think that Melissa Hamilton had 2 shows of Mary Vetsera last year, so curious as to why she isn’t getting 2 Manon shows!

[capybara]

19 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

Another note - I think that Melissa Hamilton had 2 shows of Mary Vetsera last year, so curious as to why she isn’t getting 2 Manon shows!

Not enough shows to go round! Two Principals - Mayara Magri and Anna Rose O’Sullivan - do not get to dance Manon in 2024. 

[Dawnstar]

59 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

I must say I was slightly disappointed to see the exact same pairing for Nunez in Manon- Roberto Bolle has been cast as her Des Grieux twice (in 2019 and in 2018) so it would have been exciting to see a new partnership, eg perhaps Ryoichi Hirano as Des Grieux (he has the partnering skill,  elegance and acting abilities for the role; it would be so nice for him not to be typecast as Lescaut forever) and a debut for another dancer as Lescaut, eg David Donnelly or Nicol Edmonds. But maybe it was Nunez's choice when it came to casting of her partner?

 

Given Hirano recently turned 40, if he's not done Des Grieux yet is he likely to ever do the role? I would suspect not. I like your Lescaut casting suggestions. There's only one Lescaut debut, Sissens, this time round, isn't there? I would have expected more, considering it'll have been nearly 3 and a half years since the last run.

 

29 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

Another note - I think that Melissa Hamilton had 2 shows of Mary Vetsera last year, so curious as to why she isn’t getting 2 Manon shows!

 

I'm just glad she's getting one, considering she didn't get a single public show in 2019, only a schools matinee. I'll have waited nearly 4 years to see her as Manon, having wanted to since seeing her as Juliet in April 2019.

[Paco]

6 hours ago, Emeralds said:

Actually if they were going to invite Bolle as a guest artist, Dante would be a great fit for him, and we know he certainly enjoys performing McGregor works! It would have livened up the box office

Yes that would have been a very interesting casting, I totally imagine him in that character (more a "partner" role than purely a dancing role)

[Silke H]

An "injured" Miss Osipova has been spotted guesting in Abu Dhabi:  R&J with Reece Clarke

[capybara]

2 hours ago, Silke H said:

An "injured" Miss Osipova has been spotted guesting in Abu Dhabi:  R&J with Reece Clarke

 

Words fail me - even though no version of R&J of which I am aware makes the physical and technical demands on the ballerina that Don Q does. [Tempted to say more but not in print!]

 

Her own show is scheduled for tomorrow: https://abudhabiculture.ae/en/cultural-calendar/music-and-concerts/abu-dhabi-classics-2023

 

Edited October 11, 2023 by capybara

[Paco]

Regarding Bolle, I find normal that he is in RB casts. For me he is almost part of the RB family. He has been dancing many times with the company, and was even in the DVD of Sylvia. He regularly invites Principals and First soloists of the RB to perform in his galas in Italy and elsewhere (even the January 1rst TV show on RAI1) and really seems to enjoy dancing with them and making them participate to his projects. As such he gives me the impression that the rehearsal studios of the ROH are, in some way, his second home. And the audience ovations when he performs here also show to what extent he is most welcome at the ROH.

 

Years ago, in the 2017-2019 period, Marianela Nunez often posted on social media, with lots of enthusiasm, that she was loving dancing with him, and I would not be surprised that it was her choice to ask KOH to feature him in the Manon run of 2019.

I attended the 2019 run and was really impressed by the very special partnership between her and Bolle, it was something very different than with other partners. I would not say "better", just "different". One can't deny that there is really an extraordinary fit in their partnership and I really understand that KOH has once again scheduled performances with them together.

 

Moreover, globally I like very much that the ROH give us the chance to see dancers who still have amazing technical and physical conditions at 50+: Acosta last July, Bolle several times, Ferri  in M&A and Woolf Works...

[Richard LH]

On 10/10/2023 at 10:43, capybara said:

The volume of unsold seats for the three performances of Don Q this Friday and Saturday is surely unprecedented, especially as the casts are of established stars.

I find it  strange that there are far fewer seats showing available for O'Sullivan/McRae next week, on the evening of Tuesday 17th Oct, than for their performance tomorrow evening (Friday). 

Similarly strange is that there are very few seats available for Kaneko/Bracewell on Friday evening 03 November at 7:30, yet plenty available still for their performance at this Saturday's Matinee.

Any possible explanations?   

[San Perregrino]

11 hours ago, Silke H said:

An "injured" Miss Osipova has been spotted guesting in Abu Dhabi:  R&J with Reece Clarke

I received a email saying that Miss Osipova was injured and had to withdraw from her ROH Kitri performances on 4th and 7th October. Hopefully she will dance on 11th and 17th November. Natalia Osipova is one of the world’s greatest and most unique dancers. She is one of the few dancers one could watch night after night and never get bored. Her not being able to dance Kitri was a great disappointment to all of us who had tickets.
I have no information as to the nature and seriousness of her injury.  However, your use of “injured” suggests scepticism on your part.  
Please consider that:
1. An injury sustained at any time can prevent the rehearsal and preparation of a role meaning that, though fitness has been regained by a performance date, the published performances cannot proceed. Advance notice of Miss Osipova’s replacement was sent which would suggest the injury was sustained in or before the rehearsal period and that she was already in recovery, but unfortunately not recovered enough, when her performances were scheduled.

2. The nature/seriousness of an injury informs and dictates the recovery time and so, though not able to dance ‘on the night’, a dancer could be fit to dance a few days later either at the ROH or elsewhere.

eg. A muscle pull is quicker to recover from than a tear or break.

3. As has been mentioned by another member, different roles have different demands and so a dancer could be ‘fit’ to dance one part eg Juliet and not another eg Kitri. 
 

 

[San Perregrino]

25 minutes ago, Richard LH said:

Any possible explanations?   

Is there a clash with the Rugby or Cricket World Cups? or indeed another event. 

[zxDaveM]

1 minute ago, PeterS said:

Is there a clash with the Rugby or Cricket World Cups? or indeed another event. 

 

RWC quarter finals this Saturday (I'm having to miss (well, record) Wales' match to catch Fumi and Yasmine's double header), the the semi-finals the weekend after, final the weekend after that (Oct 28th). Can't see how they'd affect ticket sales though. Can't think of any other events that could do so either

[bangorballetboy]

31 minutes ago, Richard LH said:

I find it  strange that there are far fewer seats showing available for O'Sullivan/McRae next week, on the evening of Tuesday 17th Oct, than for their performance tomorrow evening (Friday). 

...

Any possible explanations?   

 

To pick up on a previous thread of thought on this forum, it is Lise Davidsen at Wigmore Hall on Friday!

[annamk]

Or England v Australia football friendly on Friday ....... 

[Guest oncnp]

10 minutes ago, PeterS said:

I However, your use of “injured” suggests scepticism on your part.  

 

Given her history, skepticism may not be unfounded. 

 

Russian ballerina Natalia Osipova accused of faking illness to stay at Royal Opera House (thetimes.co.uk)