ROYAL BALLET TRIPLE (McGregor/Wheeldon/MacMillan)

[JennyTaylor]

I have a big ask. I would like to know who all the other artists are in Anastasia. I am astonished that only 4 dancers are named on the cast sheet, when so many others appear.  I recognised Gina SJ in the Morera cast but was very frustrated not to be able recognise the others. Any information very happily received, before I go again tomorrow.   

[CatherineTheMediocre]

I saw the triple-bill last night.  The McGregor piece was the worst experience I’ve ever been subjected to at the ROH – it was excruciating.  Nearly 24 hours later and I’m still spitting feathers about it.

 

Never before have I been tempted to walk out DURING a performance.  But I persevered until the end, for some of the time with my thumbs rammed in my ears to see if watching the dance in (almost) silence was an improvement.  Yes it was, vastly, but 35 minutes was too long to suffer the physical pain of pinched ears so instead I had to suffer the auditory pain of listening to the ‘orchestral soundscape’ that bore absolutely no relation to the choreography.

 

To borrow Nogoat’s phrasing, there are times when movement and music meld into a synaesthetic high.  This McGregor piece is not one of them – in fact it does the exact opposite: the disconnect between soundscape and dance actually detracts from watching the dance.  For me, the level of incongruity was intolerable.  As soon as the dancing stopped I shot out of the auditorium, spitting expletives, and headed to the bar like a heat-seeking missile, for an anaesthetising glass of wine (and I never normally drink at performances).

 

Corybantic Games was in a similar vein of music-not-matching-choreography but it was less intolerable and I only needed a consoling ice-cream in the second interval to get over it.

 

The start of Anastasia didn’t put me in a much better mood, but after the characterisation started there was actually a point when I realised that I had been so absorbed in what I was seeing that I had stopped registering what I was hearing.  Despite the bleak subject matter, Anastasia was the saving grace of the night and I left feeling not entirely dispirited.

 

Fair enough, people’s tastes are subjective and we can’t like everything we see.  I’ve spent over 20 years visiting the ROH and, cumulatively, have spent many an hour disengaged with what was happening on stage (ironically mostly during classical repertoire, especially Ashton) and instead passing the time looking around the auditorium/at the orchestra/at the ceiling and just generally thinking about something else.  But last night was something else altogether - it was painful.

[art_enthusiast]

53 minutes ago, JennyTaylor said:

I recognised Gina SJ in the Morera cast but was very frustrated not to be able recognise the others. 

 

I think it was Hannah Grennell in the Osipova cast dancing the same role. 

They should really have published more names on the cast sheet.

[Fonty]

17 minutes ago, CatherineTheMediocre said:

Fair enough, people’s tastes are subjective and we can’t like everything we see.  I’ve spent over 20 years visiting the ROH and, cumulatively, have spent many an hour disengaged with what was happening on stage (ironically mostly during classical repertoire, especially Ashton) and instead passing the time looking around the auditorium/at the orchestra/at the ceiling and just generally thinking about something else.  

 

Makes me wonder what you actually enjoy watching!

[Rob S]

1 hour ago, JennyTaylor said:

I have a big ask. I would like to know who all the other artists are in Anastasia. I am astonished that only 4 dancers are named on the cast sheet, when so many others appear.  I recognised Gina SJ in the Morera cast but was very frustrated not to be able recognise the others. Any information very happily received, before I go again tomorrow.   

 

The nurses tend to be Sophie Allnatt, Ginevra Zambon, Bomin KIm and Sae Maeda with Christina Arestis or Elizabeth McGorian as matron.

The well dressed women are Katharina Nikelski, Maddison Pritchard, Hanna Park, Nadia Mullova Barley, Sumina Sasaki, Yu Hang,

 

Cart pushers are Ella Newton Severgnini, Marianna Tsembenhoi, Viola Pantuso

 

Soldiers include, Harrison Lee, Brayden Gallucci, James Large, Joonhyuk Jun, Stanislaw Wegrzyn, Aiden O'Brien (when he's not Tsar), Liam Boswell, Harris Bell , Giacomo Rovero

 

Tsars are Tomas Mock and Aiden O'Brien.

Tsarinas are Annette Buvoli and Isabel Lubach

 

Sisters are Ashley Dean, Isabella Gasparini, Mica Bradbury, Hannah Grennell, Gina Storm Jensen

Edited June 16, 2023 by Rob S

[alison]

Interesting to note how differently Anastasia's family is cast compared with the three-acter. But they still deserve to be credited.

[JohnS]

Many thanks @Rob S - that’s astonishingly detailed.

[JennyTaylor]

1 hour ago, Rob S said:

 

The nurses tend to be Sophie Allnatt, Ginevra Zambon, Bomin KIm and Sae Maeda with Christina Arestis or Elizabeth McGorian as matron.

The well dressed women are Katharina Nikelski, Maddison Pritchard, Hanna Park, Nadia Mullova Barley, Sumina Sasaki, Yu Hang,

 

Cart pushers are Ella Newton Severgnini, Marianna Tsembenhoi, Viola Pantuso

 

Soldiers include, Harrison Lee, Brayden Gallucci, James Large, Joonhyuk Jun, Stanislaw Wegrzyn, Aiden O'Brien (when he's not Tsar), Liam Boswell, Harris Bell , Giacomo Rovero

 

Tsars are Tomas Mock and Aiden O'Brien.

Tsarinas are Annette Buvoli and Isabel Lubach

 

Sisters are Ashley Dean, Isabella Gasparini, Mica Bradbury, Hannah Grennell, Gina Storm Jensen

Oh my goodness @Rob S what a star you are!  I now need to print this so I have a cast list to which I can refer.  It's appalling that these artists are not publicly recognised.  

[capybara]

12 minutes ago, JennyTaylor said:

Oh my goodness @Rob S what a star you are!  I now need to print this so I have a cast list to which I can refer.  It's appalling that these artists are not publicly recognised.  

Agree. In this instance the whole cast could be named. Maybe the RB was wary of a possible need for substitutions.

[emmarose]

4 hours ago, PeterS said:

 

 

my memory didn’t serve in that case, apologies. Still it was nice to see Vadim have a go at something new to the RB and so new to me.

 

It really was. All four men I thought danced the piece beautifully. It was one of my highlights from the night. 

[Sue J]

Marianela has appeared in Infra and Limen, and was especially moving in Infra. I am pretty sure she was originally down to be in Woolf Works,  but didn't appear on the nights l was there. I agree that somehow Vadim and McGregor don't sit easily together,  but speaking as a huge fan of both of them, l'd love to see what they could come up with. Maybe Dante. I can't imagine who can possibly step into that role after Edward Watson.  And after Mayerling, we know Vadim can do anything!

[annamk]

I think it would be amazing if Ratmansky were to create something on Vadim. 

[Emeralds]

20 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

 

Interesting, so that's a personal preference then? 

 

I was wondering if Marianela Núñez does much McGregor - apart from her Woolf Works performance this year of course.

I know she wasn't in the Dante Project cast, but I was wondering if those who didn't appear in it last time might be cast this time round. 

Marianela Nuñez created roles in Infra, Limen, Multiverse, Carbon Life and Tetractys- not just the first cast but also creating the roles in collaboration with McGregor. Actually she is among the best interpreters of his works, able to give character and personality to what might seem to be “only movement” roles. (She also subsequently danced Chroma, and she made her debut in Woolf Works this year.)

[Sim]

I would love to say hello/goodbye to any forum members this evening so do please come and say hi if you would like to.  There will be a few of us sitting in the Floral Hall by the small stairs leading down to the old part of the House in both intervals.  

[Emeralds]

On 15/06/2023 at 18:14, capybara said:

I could be wrong but I don’t think anything has been created using Vadim since he joined the RB. With ENB he was one of a group in Men Y Men and possibly had a pas de deux made on him.
Interestingly, the other night when he was talking to The London Ballet Circle about his new book FROM SMALL STEPS TO BIG LEAPS, he seemed very keen to work with a choreographer.

I believe (hearsay) that Benjamin Ella is developing a piece with RB artists, initially for a gala in Japan but to be danced subsequently by Northern Ballet.

 

 

You’re correct, capybara. Vadim joined RB in 2014, and while he has danced Wheeldon’s works (Within the Golden Hour first cast following its transfer from San Francisco Ballet, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Winter’s Tale, For Four), he wasn't picked for Corybantic Games and Like Water for Chocolate, which Wheeldon created in 2018 and last year respectively (apologies for repeating this-I think Vadim dodged a bullet not being in CG).

 

I guess Valentino Zucchetti might have created Prima with Vadim had the ballet included men, but it seemed to me that Prima being for just four ballerinas was meant to complement For Four being solely for four men in the Diamonds mixed bill. Hopefully Valentino is planning a third creation for RB which can include Vadim and other male principals. 😊

[Linnzi5]

1 hour ago, Sim said:

I would love to say hello/goodbye to any forum members this evening so do please come and say hi if you would like to.  There will be a few of us sitting in the Floral Hall by the small stairs leading down to the old part of the House in both intervals.  

I'd love to come and say hello. I have no idea where the Floral Hall is though.  I've googled to try and find out and am none the wiser! I'll be sitting in the stalls, can you give me a rough idea of where I need to go from there? I have no sense of direction at all, I'm embarrassed to say!!

[MJW]

8 minutes ago, Linnzi5 said:

I'd love to come and say hello. I have no idea where the Floral Hall is though.  I've googled to try and find out and am none the wiser! I'll be sitting in the stalls, can you give me a rough idea of where I need to go from there? I have no sense of direction at all, I'm embarrassed to say!!

 

When leaving the stalls go towards the main entrance and then up the carpeted stairs and the entrance is the first landing. Or go up the stairs in the cafe area and again its the first landing.

[San Perregrino]

26 minutes ago, Linnzi5 said:

I'd love to come and say hello. I have no idea where the Floral Hall is though.  I've googled to try and find out and am none the wiser! I'll be sitting in the stalls, can you give me a rough idea of where I need to go from there? I have no sense of direction at all, I'm embarrassed to say!!

It’s the Paul Hamlyn hall

[LinMM]

The carpeted stairs are easier to climb than the steeper ones from the cafe …..something for the older folks amongst us to consider lol ….and they lead off the main foyer nearer to the stalls area. 
I got muddled with a sign to the Paul Hamlyn Hall which turns out to be the same as the Floral Hall….I think!!! 

[Ondine]

13 hours ago, emmarose said:

It really was. All four men I thought danced the piece beautifully. It was one of my highlights from the night. 

 

A snippet of For Four

 

 

[Dawnstar]

I'm not exactly looking forward to this evening as it is but now I've just discovered that Great Northern have cancelled the last fast train back from London to Cambridge so I'll have to get a slow train & won't get home until about 1am. I seem to be cursed with train problems when seeing Morera's performances: after her Giselle it took me 4 hours to get home due to a power cut half way & after her Cinderella I missed the last train before rail replacement buses kicked in & didn't get home until 2.50am. Maybe once she retires my trains will be better behaved!!

[emmarose]

9 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

I'm not exactly looking forward to this evening as it is but now I've just discovered that Great Northern have cancelled the last fast train back from London to Cambridge so I'll have to get a slow train & won't get home until about 1am. I seem to be cursed with train problems when seeing Morera's performances: after her Giselle it took me 4 hours to get home due to a power cut half way & after her Cinderella I missed the last train before rail replacement buses kicked in & didn't get home until 2.50am. Maybe once she retires my trains will be better behaved!!

 

I hope it'll all be worth it and you enjoy tonight.

[emmarose]

1 hour ago, Ondine said:

 

A snippet of For Four

 

 

 

Thank you, this was lovely.

I remember on the night thinking that Marci really suited the style, and seeing this back just confirms it.

[Dawnstar]

16 minutes ago, emmarose said:

I hope it'll all be worth it and you enjoy tonight.

 

Thanks but I'm afraid I'm not really expecting to enjoy the dancing much, as I don't think much if any of it will be to my taste. I'm only going because of it being Morera's last London performance. I've not yet seen a female Principal retirement performance, though I have seen 3 male Principal ones (Kish, Soares & Bonelli).

Edited June 17, 2023 by Dawnstar

[Sim]

2 hours ago, PeterS said:

It’s the Paul Hamlyn hall

Yes, but still known to we old-timers as the Floral Hall!!    You can't miss it Linn....it's the huge glass hall that leads out onto the terrace.  There is a small set of stairs that leads to the old part of the House, and we will be sitting at a table near those stairs.  I have dark hair and will be wearing a lilac patterned dress.  Hope to see you later!  

[Sim]

1 hour ago, Dawnstar said:

I'm not exactly looking forward to this evening as it is but now I've just discovered that Great Northern have cancelled the last fast train back from London to Cambridge so I'll have to get a slow train & won't get home until about 1am. I seem to be cursed with train problems when seeing Morera's performances: after her Giselle it took me 4 hours to get home due to a power cut half way & after her Cinderella I missed the last train before rail replacement buses kicked in & didn't get home until 2.50am. Maybe once she retires my trains will be better behaved!!

Best of luck Dawnstar;  hope to see you later. 

[Shade]

A great ballerina deserves a great send-off. Hope it’s fabulous 

[Dawnstar]

Am I right in thinking the ROH website did previously have the cast listed for tonight's Corybantic Games? (I know it didn't for Untitled 2023.) Because it's not there at the moment. I hope that doesn't mean they are having to do a last minute rearrange due to injuries or illness.

 

[art_enthusiast]

6 hours ago, Emeralds said:

Marianela Nuñez created roles in Infra, Limen, Multiverse, Carbon Life and Tetractys- not just the first cast but also creating the roles in collaboration with McGregor. 

 

Good to know, thanks for the info. I wasn't in the ballet sphere when any of these works were created, but I will try to catch Infra and Limen on ROH Stream.

[Bluebird]

50 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

Am I right in thinking the ROH website did previously have the cast listed for tonight's Corybantic Games? (I know it didn't for Untitled 2023.) Because it's not there at the moment. I hope that doesn't mean they are having to do a last minute rearrange due to injuries or illness.

 

It’s there now:

https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/40/new-wayne-mcgregor-corybantic-games-anastasia-act-iii/cast-list/51734

[Dawnstar]

The Corybantic Games cast seems to be as expected, so false alarm on that. I'm not sure about the Untitled 2023 casting though, the list seems to be all over the place rather than being in alphabetic order as it was on the previous cast lists & there are only 17 dancers listed rather than 19. Oh well, as long as Morera is dancing that's the important thing!

Edited June 17, 2023 by Dawnstar
Typo

[MargaretN7]

Is Untitled, 2023 shrinking? I wasn't at Thursday's performance, but when I looked at the cast list there were only 18 listed, no Anna Rose who'd danced with Melissa on the first night, and no Ashley Dean who replaced her. Now, for the Saturday evening performance, it's 17, there's no Melissa either 

[emmarose]

3 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

 

Thanks but I'm afraid I'm not really expecting to enjoy the dancing much, as I don't think much if any of it will be to my taste. I'm only going because of it being Morera's last London performance. I've not yet seen a female Principal retirement performance, though I have seen 3 male Principal ones (Kish, Soares & Bonelli).

 

Well I hope it surprises you or at least Laura's send off is everything you wish it to be.

Will there be the flower toss?