alison Posted June 8, 2023 Share Posted June 8, 2023 The short run of this bill started tonight at the Birmingham Hippodrome. Brandon Lawrence will be making his last appearances with BRB during it. Tickets still available. Any thoughts / feedback here, please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 9, 2023 Author Share Posted June 9, 2023 While trying out booking earlier, I noticed that there now appear to be some generally-available discounts when booking online. There's a better Travelzoo offer, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 9, 2023 Author Share Posted June 9, 2023 For those who are going tonight or tomorrow, please note the following: "Road & Car Park Closures on Fri 9 & Sat 10 Jun Our B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival returns this week with events taking place in the streets and squares around the theatre over the weekend. Please note, the following road and car park closures may affect your visit: Level 3 of the Arcadian Car Park will be closed throughout Fri 9 & Sat 10 Jun and will reopen on Sun 11 Jun. Levels 1 & 2 will remain open throughout the weekend, but are likely to be very busy. Thorp Street will be closed to traffic from 6am on Sat 10 Jun. The road closure includes Thorp Street (from Horse Fair junction) and Hurst Street (to Smallbrook Queensway junction). The road will reopen by 10pm. The Gallan Car Park and on street parking bays on Thorp Street will not be accessible throughout the day on Sat 10 June. Inge Street & Hurst Street standard and disabled parking bays will not be affected by the festival. For alternative car parking, we suggest Edgbaston Street Car Park at Bullring & Grand Central, Dudley Street Car Park or please take a look at parkopedia.co.uk for information on smaller car parks in Southside. Birmingham City Centre is likely to be very busy over the weekend, so we suggest you leave as much travel time as possible to get to the theatre." 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted June 10, 2023 Share Posted June 10, 2023 On 08/06/2023 at 21:26, alison said: The short run of this bill started tonight at the Birmingham Hippodrome. Brandon Lawrence will be making his last appearances with BRB during it. Tickets still available. Any thoughts / feedback here, please. My only thought is that Birmingham has the better programme this weekend! Would travel up to attend it (heatwave and all- but actually the theatre is so close to various hotels and the train station that it’s easier) but unfortunately cannot clone myself to be in two places at once. Very envious of the Birmingham audiences for all three shows! 😊 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaM Posted June 10, 2023 Share Posted June 10, 2023 tickets still available … last minute purchase ✔️ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted June 10, 2023 Share Posted June 10, 2023 So wish…. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted June 10, 2023 Share Posted June 10, 2023 Just boarded the train at Euston for Brum. I am pretty sure that this will be the uplifting experience I want at the end of the season. But it will be tinged with sadness saying goodbye to Brandon. 😢 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 10, 2023 Author Share Posted June 10, 2023 Are you doing the matinee, Sim? If so, see you there! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Dancer Posted June 10, 2023 Share Posted June 10, 2023 On the slow train down to Birmingham and looking forward to the evening performance. I have lashed out on a hotel room so I can properly enjoy the evening. I shall also miss Brandon. Definitely needing to add a trip to Geneva to my 2024 travel plans! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jude Posted June 10, 2023 Share Posted June 10, 2023 Thursday evenings’s performance was a delight. To my untutored eye the dancing was excellent with a wide variety of solos, duets and ensemble pieces, and 3 ballets that provided variety, points for discussion and showed how good BRB are. A very special evening sitting in the second row of the circle for just £37. A pity there’s no train service back to Oxford after 10pm; driving into Birmingham is not much fun! Enjoyed the BRB triple bill more than I’m expecting to enjoy next Saturday evening at the ROH. 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted June 10, 2023 Share Posted June 10, 2023 Hello @Jude and welcome out of the lurking shadows! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 10, 2023 Author Share Posted June 10, 2023 Hope nobody else is trying to get back to London tonight: lineside fire has messed up all Euston trains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted June 10, 2023 Share Posted June 10, 2023 2 minutes ago, alison said: Hope nobody else is trying to get back to London tonight: lineside fire has messed up all Euston trains. Maybe it’s a sign for you to stay to watch Brandon’s three-ballet turn, Alison! Have a safe journey, whatever you decide to do. It’s certainly weather for fires and buckled/overheated tracks causing delays (that happened to me over the Bank Holiday weekend). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 10, 2023 Author Share Posted June 10, 2023 Thanks, emeralds, but unfortunately the alternative option to Avanti left me no choice but to give it a miss 😞 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted June 10, 2023 Share Posted June 10, 2023 2 hours ago, alison said: Hope nobody else is trying to get back to London tonight: lineside fire has messed up all Euston trains. My daughter was unable to get to Birmingham because of it, so she is missing Brandon’s final performance. I am so angry. So is she. 🤬 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted June 10, 2023 Share Posted June 10, 2023 6 hours ago, Tango Dancer said: On the slow train down to Birmingham and looking forward to the evening performance. I have lashed out on a hotel room so I can properly enjoy the evening. I shall also miss Brandon. Definitely needing to add a trip to Geneva to my 2024 travel plans! He will be in Zurich! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Dancer Posted June 10, 2023 Share Posted June 10, 2023 1 hour ago, Sim said: He will be in Zurich! Sorry Freudian slip, I'm in Geneva next week so I have Geneva on the brain. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Dancer Posted June 10, 2023 Share Posted June 10, 2023 Well that was really lovely. So glad I came. Orchestra and ballet on great form. Apollo was lovely, clean lines from all the muses with Celine Gittens a standout for her beautiful port de bras and grace. Brandon was outstanding as always. I liked Interlinked better than I expected. I saw the pas de deux with Brandon and Tzu -Chao at the BRB gala earlier in the year and it didn't do much for me in isolation. Watching the whole thing made it all fit together better and allowed it to be viewed as a whole. I still don't like the sludgy brown and beige dresses. Nice design but depressing colours. From the back of the upper circle it's impossible to identify who anyone is. I'd go for bright jewel tones myself so it's clearer . So I can't give individual comments. Everyone was very good though and the choreography and music really went together well. Still Life was great. The opening with Reina as the Great Auk was fantastic and she seemed to really connect with all her partners. Tzu-Chao was great as the Rat, he brings so much panache to everything. Karla Doorbars turn as the flea was brilliantly funny and well executed. Brandon was good as the Zebra and Matthias led the end section brilliantly with Sofia Linares (who impressed me at the gala and again tonight) and Rosanna Ely (also good). Overall a great send-off for Brandon who was deluged with flowers. I really enjoyed it all. 15 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted June 10, 2023 Share Posted June 10, 2023 Thank you for review Tango… so wish I’d been able to go! anyone got any curtain call photos? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 10, 2023 Author Share Posted June 10, 2023 2 hours ago, Sim said: My daughter was unable to get to Birmingham because of it, so she is missing Brandon’s final performance. I am so angry. So is she. 🤬 I'm so sorry for her, and for you. But assuming it wasn't arson, I'm afraid such things do happen when it's hot and there's been no rain for weeks I had to go home via Marylebone (only arrived about 30 minutes ago - from an attempted departure at 5.45) - I thought it was probably more sensible than trying to mix-and-match trains, given the problems on other networks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ondine Posted June 10, 2023 Share Posted June 10, 2023 Lineside fire apparently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryrosesatonapin Posted June 11, 2023 Share Posted June 11, 2023 We went to the Friday evening performance and thoroughly enjoyed it. What a well-curated triple bill: all three complimented each other. I hadn't seen the middle work, 'Interlinked', before, and expected to like it the least. How wrong I was. The theme of this abstract work was tolerance, respect, equality, working together - qualities so beautifully expressed as only dance could do. The Giselle-like skirts worn by both men and women were dyed to individually match the diverse dancers' skin tones and I thought looked gorgeous. The synergy between music (beautiful, by Australian composer Luke Howard) and movement was just perfect and both I and my companion felt truly and unexpectedly moved. 'Apollo' starred Mathias Dingman who looked suitably handsome and godlike, although his landings were a little noisy. 'Still Life' has aged well - having been somewhat avant-garde in its message in 1988 when we were less aware of the destruction of the rainforest and endangered species. It manages to be fun and thought-provoking at the same time and was danced with aplomb. Well done BRB for another fantastic evening, which was clearly enjoyed by the immensely responsive audience. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted June 11, 2023 Share Posted June 11, 2023 Dance Europe posted a small video of last night's curtain call with Brandon being presented with bouquets and a flower shower. I'm so sorry I couldn't be there but my friend cheered on my behalf. Zurich calls... https://www.instagram.com/p/CtU38CZIdfT/ 9 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted June 11, 2023 Share Posted June 11, 2023 17 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said: Dance Europe posted a small video of last night's curtain call with Brandon being presented with bouquets and a flower shower. I'm so sorry I couldn't be there but my friend cheered on my behalf. Zurich calls... https://www.instagram.com/p/CtU38CZIdfT/ And didn’t Brandon look amazing in the 🦓 costume - towering above everyone? A lovely ‘send-off’. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneMarriott Posted June 11, 2023 Share Posted June 11, 2023 Lovely evening in Birmingham yesterday - a well-balanced triple bill. I didn't know what to expect from Interlinked but to my surprise I loved it. I think it would come under the heading of "easy watching" rather than anything thought-provoking although the blurring of the gender lines is pretty topical just now. Loved Penguin Cafe - main reason for being there because we hadn't seen it for a long time and don't know if it will be performed again any time soon. Brandon Lawrence made a superb Zebra and it was a good choice for his final performance with the company. My favourite was the flea, though. Without wishing to upset any diehard Balanchine lovers, I was surprised not really to enjoy Apollo. I have loved it in the past but last night I thought it looked outdated and even stilted. No disrespect to the dancers who were lovely, just the choreography seemed a bit past its sell-by date. (Puts on tin hat and ducks behind sofa). In my defence it was the first item on the bill and the drive through Birmingham to get to the Hippodrome was trying to say the least. And the drive out of Brum after the performance was even worse! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ondine Posted June 11, 2023 Share Posted June 11, 2023 (edited) 50 minutes ago, AnneMarriott said: I was surprised not really to enjoy Apollo. Brave! However, yes I can see where you're coming from with Apollo. There are some ballets I think best treated as period pieces, with a huge place in ballet history, and appreciated in that context? 50 minutes ago, AnneMarriott said: "easy watching" It's exactly what we need at times isn't it? Not everything has to be thought provoking, innovative , challenging and the rest. Plain old enjoyment has a great deal to recommend it. BRB has photo albums of the triple bill. https://www.brb.org.uk/stories/apollo-in-photos https://www.brb.org.uk/stories/interlinked-in-photos https://www.brb.org.uk/stories/still-life-at-the-penguin-café-in-photos And this 'Still Life' Triple Bill: Vox Pops https://www.brb.org.uk/stories/still-life-triple-bill-vox-pops Edited June 11, 2023 by Ondine 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted June 11, 2023 Share Posted June 11, 2023 Poor @Sim and your poor daughter! Hope she managed to get there by an alternate route in time to catch Interlinked- or even Penguin Cafe? (I have once made it to just the third ballet when there was a similar emergency.... still worth getting there for the performers.) Hope you have recovered from the long journey, @alison....what a trek! Virtual tea and biscuits for you all after the ordeal. I wouldn’t have liked to go through the stress of all that. ☕️☕️☕️🍪🍪🍪 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Perregrino Posted June 11, 2023 Share Posted June 11, 2023 15 hours ago, Sim said: My daughter was unable to get to Birmingham because of it, so she is missing Brandon’s final performance. I am so angry. So is she. 🤬 You’re not alone in your misery, the trains in and out of Waterloo were in total chaos yesterday evening. (Fortunately I had another travel option to switch to 😥) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted June 11, 2023 Share Posted June 11, 2023 24 minutes ago, Emeralds said: Poor @Sim and your poor daughter! Hope she managed to get there by an alternate route in time to catch Interlinked- or even Penguin Cafe? (I have once made it to just the third ballet when there was a similar emergency.... still worth getting there for the performers.) Hope you have recovered from the long journey, @alison....what a trek! Virtual tea and biscuits for you all after the ordeal. I wouldn’t have liked to go through the stress of all that. ☕️☕️☕️🍪🍪🍪 Sadly she didn’t make it. 🤬🤬😢 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted June 11, 2023 Share Posted June 11, 2023 5 hours ago, capybara said: And didn’t Brandon look amazing in the 🦓 costume - towering above everyone? A lovely ‘send-off’. Wow, that zebra costume is amazing! I can now see why Brandon Lawrence said on his podcast that no-one would be able to tell if he was crying at the curtain call or not! I've never seen Still Life At The Penguin Cafe but would like to just for the costumes. 47 minutes ago, Sim said: Sadly she didn’t make it. 🤬🤬😢 How utterly infuriating for her. It's bad enough when one misses an "ordinary" performance due to train cancellations, let alone a special one like a farewell performance. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted June 11, 2023 Share Posted June 11, 2023 Oh Sim! 😢 Ok. Family holiday in Zurich (when the ballet is on) next year? My friend who lives there tells me there is a lot to see and do, and there are often cheap deals on flights and hotels. 😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted June 11, 2023 Share Posted June 11, 2023 26 minutes ago, Emeralds said: Oh Sim! 😢 Ok. Family holiday in Zurich (when the ballet is on) next year? My friend who lives there tells me there is a lot to see and do, and there are often cheap deals on flights and hotels. 😊 Yes to all of the above, Emeralds! I lived in Geneva for a few years so have been to Zurich a few times. Very different from Brum!! 😂 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaM Posted June 11, 2023 Share Posted June 11, 2023 Loved this triple bill … I also had travel dramas due to the enormous thunderstorm deluge, hailstones and all whilst driving to get there. And then the festival in Brum creating extra traffic on the roads. I was 5 minutes late for Apollo (having allowed extra 1.5 hours!). Congratulations to Hippodrome staff, as I was shown to the (vacant) wheelchair spaces at the rear of the stalls until I could get to my actual seat at the interval. Good solution 👍 It was a treat to see Brandon featured in all the ballets. Celine Gittens was a standout in Apollo, never seen it so joyous … and that was the overall feeling from the night. I really enjoyed Interlinked by Juliano Nunes with the similar costumes on male and female dancers. Loved the interplay between them in different sized groups, duets, trios and the whole ensemble. A wide variety of good ballet moves to super music showing emotional content, even though there is no narrative. If this is ‘neoclassical’ ballet today, then I am in! I’ve always enjoyed ‘Still Life’ and the flea is also my favourite scene though it is all entertaining. I found the music on Spotify to accompany my drive home. I’m not sure the message about climate change affecting species on Earth gets across unless you have read the programme. A fabulous celebration of ballet and of Brandon Lawrence. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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