ROYAL BALLET TRIPLE (McGregor/Wheeldon/MacMillan)

[JohnS]

I’ve found the Triple Bill more engaging for each of the three performances I’ve seen (the first being the General Rehearsal) and am very much looking forward to tonight’s whole bill.

 

I’m quite sure there’ll be an impressive send off for Laura, including the flower throw.

 

I’m rather surprised it’s a 7:30 start rather than 7:00, particularly given Laura’s send off, and it will be a shame that some audience members will understandably be checking the time and needing to get transport home.

[Dawnstar]

3 minutes ago, JohnS said:

I'm rather surprised it’s a 7:30 start rather than 7:00, particularly given Laura’s send off, and it will be a shame that some audience members will understandably be checking the time and needing to get transport home.

 

I too would have preferred 7pm. I'm resigned to getting home late because I'm not about to miss any of her send off given that's the only reason I'm going. However I can imagine audience members who aren't as interested or aren't aware of the occasion* might duck out at the start of the curtain calls for transport reasons.

 

*Have cast sheets for past final performances mentioned that it's a dancer's farewell? I can't recall. Tonight's doesn't anyway.

[Dawnstar]

3 hours ago, MargaretN7 said:

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 

 

The cast list was wrong. Melissa Hamilton was on tonight. I see the online cast list has now been corrected but the printed ones at the ROH are still wrong. I couldn't spot Ashley Dean.

[JennyTaylor]

I’m here for Laura Morera and have now endured the new McGregor twice. For me,

it deserves its Untitled status as it has no structure, no story and no musicality. Apart from that the dancers are brilliant. I noticed the orchestra applauded themselves for a prolonged time, presumably for just getting through it. 

[JennyTaylor]

Much more interesting to see how many ex RB dancers I can spot here tonight 

 

[capybara]

7 minutes ago, JennyTaylor said:

. I noticed the orchestra applauded themselves for a prolonged time, presumably for just getting through it. 

I think they were applauding the player of an instrument which featured prominently in the ‘music’.

[JNC]

1 hour ago, Dawnstar said:

 

The cast list was wrong. Melissa Hamilton was on tonight. I see the online cast list has now been corrected but the printed ones at the ROH are still wrong. I couldn't spot Ashley Dean.

are they doing printed ones for the special occasion?

 

I hope everyone has enjoyed (are enjoying!) Laura’s performance and look forward to reading all about it. 

[JennyTaylor]

2 hours ago, capybara said:

I think they were applauding the player of an instrument which featured prominently in the ‘music’.

No, this was after the first ballet, rather than the second

[Dawnstar]

1 hour ago, JNC said:

are they doing printed ones for the special occasion?

 

Afraid not. I meant the ones that are stationed around the foyers in holders.

 

I'll leave it to those more eloquent to properly describe Morera's farewell but I was pleased that she got the full works: flower throw, procession of bouquets from RB men present & past (inc. Bonelli & Cervera), speech from O'Hare, brief speech from her.

[Ianlond]

Well I very much enjoyed Untitled & really can’t see what’s getting everyone into such a fuss. True, the movement doesn’t always match the score but I do think they work well together & why should choreography directly reflect the music. Loved the backdrop & bright lighting! There were certainly quite a few Cunningham references & I thought it worked well as a whole. I was rather moved by the final Richardson/ Bracewell (I think) diet & solo. Certainly would like to see it again. In Corbyantic Games I could see the invention & actually liked the costumes! I wasn’t able to see it the first time round so am not sure how distracting the black straps were then but they seem fine now. Lovely to see two pieces that focus largely on dance throughout rather than an unnecessary story & I think the slightly ‘lighter’ feeling to the Wheeldon contrasted well with the McGregor. Sometimes I felt I was watching Wheeldon’s undoubted facility for creating sequences of movement but then at others was totally drawn in.
Anastasia Act 3 is hardly a rousing end to an evening, season or career but of course it gave Laura Morera a fitting send off - & how appropriate to be dancing with Bennett Gartside. However, as a work it does seem dated now (although, why should that matter?) & I’m certainly in no rush to see it again (or the three act version which, imo, isn’t great either). 

But the last word should be about Laura: what a versatile dancer (my personal favourite memory is dancing Symphonic Variations paired with Belinda Harley) & I know from personal experience how generous she will be as a coach in the next phase of her career! 
I’ll let others describe the farewell more fully but what a joy to see Ricardo on stage again! 

Edited June 17, 2023 by Ianlond

[Angela Essex]

3 hours ago, JennyTaylor said:

Much more interesting to see how many ex RB dancers I can spot here tonight 

 

Ooh who did you spot? I saw Dame Monica and Lesley Collier in the Grand Tier from my balcony seat.

 

I’ve only started watching ballet in recent years but I really enjoyed Untitled 2023. I found Anna Thirvaldsdottir’s score dramatic, unpredictable and exciting. The dancers were amazing - I’ve never seen dancers move like that before it was stunning. The piece really evoked a lot of emotions and I got lost in it making up my own narrative to it in my head. I hadn’t expected to like the minimalist costumes and set but I did - they were visually very striking.

 

Of the three pieces Corybantic games was my least favourite. I did love the costumes though. Really showed off the beautiful physiques of the dancers .

It was such a privilege to be there for Laura Morera’s final performance. I’ve never seen Anastasia before and it was was very hard going what with the stillborn baby and little boy being executed but Laura’s performance was visceral - acting on another level - like I’ve never seen before. 
 

The flower toss and retirement speech by KOH were very touching too - I had a tear in my eye. The crowd literally erupted afterwards and it was lovely to see so many fellow dancers including Vadim, Stephen McRae and Alex Campbell present Laura with flowers. A memorable evening indeed.

[capybara]

34 minutes ago, JennyTaylor said:

No, this was after the first ballet, rather than the second

Yes - that was what I was talking about. The player and the instrument were at the back and many turned towards him as he raised his arm in thanks.

Of course, the orchestra also applauded Sergei Levitin’s performance after Corybantic Games.

[Amelia]

On 15/06/2023 at 17:12, AnneL said:

Not forgetting that the 20th century also gave us Fokine, Massine, Nijinska, Petit, Tudor…. I could go on (and I am not suggesting this is an exclusive list,..............

I would like to add Yuri Grigorovich to this list.

[maryrosesatonapin]

I'm so glad I went to see Laura surrounded by genuine love from her colleagues and the audience. But when K O'H gave his speech I thought 'well if you appreciate her so much, why didn't you give her the parts she wanted and deserved?  She was even refused the ONE performance as Juliet that she requested. Shame on you!' 

 

I've not seen 'Untitled' before and will never see it again.  I wonder how much those costumes cost?  I overheard someone nearby mutter 'Blake's Seven'.   And I can understand why the artist who inspired the setting had to wait 80 years to sell a painting.  The overall effect suggested a touch of the emperor's new clothes IMO.

Corybantic Games I enjoyed and it was danced so beautifully by all.

Anastasia had moments where Laura could show her brilliance, moments which sparkled amidst a lot of non-dancing accompanied by weird noises.  As others have said, not MacMillan at his best.

A word for Bennet Gartside  though - he was rather wonderful!

 

And now to bed, hopefully not to dream of numbers one or three of the triple bill.

[bridiem]

I found this a very odd, unbalanced and unsatisfying programme. Both Untitled, 2023 and Corybantic Games seem to me to be entirely concerned with what they look like, with absolutely nothing real to say; all surface. Whereas Anastasia explodes with meaning in the most dramatic, detailed and expressionist manner possible. To my surprise I actually found myself impressed by Anastasia Act III all over again; I think it's a serious work with something serious to say. The dancers were brilliant in all three works and I was especially impressed by Annette Buvoli and Mayara Magri in CG. (But I also realised how much I still miss both Beatriz Stix-Brunell and Tierney Heap.)

 

Laura Morera was brilliant and got a wonderful send-off, but I do wish her final performance had been in something that showcased her wonderful dancing.

 

Excellent to finally meet Sim and other forum members in the first interval!

[Rob S]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to oncnp for the fantastic seat this evening🙂

 

 

 

Edited June 18, 2023 by Rob S

[Sim]

@Rob S could you kindly post the Laura photos in the thread about her farewell?  Thanks so much!  

[alison]

Waiting to see whether tonight's performance will also be the last by certain other of the company's dancers.  I guess we shall find out in due course.

[Emeralds]

5 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

 

The cast list was wrong. Melissa Hamilton was on tonight. I see the online cast list has now been corrected but the printed ones at the ROH are still wrong. I couldn't spot Ashley Dean.

I think the printed cast list at the ROH was trolling us! I nearly fainted when I couldn’t spot Melissa Hamilton’s name in Untitled 2023 and the list looking like there were too few dancers (no Ashley Dean nor Anna Rose O’Sullivan either who’d shared the same role). Unsure of whether she had been replaced or what was going on, I walked to my seat feeling utterly miserable, to much concern from my friend. I was so relieved when I spotted Hamilton in her role  (the one briefly seen in the trailer) and spotted Dean (I think). I agree with what @JohnS observed about the slicked down (or gelled down) hair.....it made Calvin Richardson, Leo Dixon, William Bracewell and Harris Bell all look alike if you were seated further back. Will post a bit more tomorrow (home extremely late after a very delayed last train).

[LinMM]

Does anybody know the name of the dancer in the last pic above on the extreme right hand end of line? 

[Missfrankiecat]

Thankyou to @Rob S for posting those beautiful photographs of Laura, especially receiving her bouquets from the men.  It was such a wonderful send-off surrounded by many affectionate friends and colleagues and seen by a very enthusiastic audience.  We were seated by a young dancer from the Birmingham Royal who had been given a last minute ticket, as had others, for last night's performance, and it was obvious that many young dancers were in the audience last night.

[Amanda Liu]

32 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Does anybody know the name of the dancer in the last pic above on the extreme right hand end of line? 

Sumina Sasaki

[Fonty]

While I don't mind the costumes for Untitled, I still think they are unflattering, especially for the ladies.  The leg style on the leotards makes them look long in the body and short in the leg.  Something that female ballet dancers most certainly are not!

[Angela Essex]

7 hours ago, alison said:

Waiting to see whether tonight's performance will also be the last by certain other of the company's dancers.  I guess we shall find out in due course.

Ooh who were you thinking of?

[Linnzi5]

It's interesting how watching a second performance of the same cast can be quite a different experience.

 

I found Untitled 23 generally boring after Fumi and Will's PDD - I think I could watch those two dancing any old rubbish and still love them and what they do! Anyway, of course, all the dancers were brilliant - the standard was excellent. I still liked the lighting and stage design but felt less enthusiastic about the costumes tonight. I still don't like the music - it reminded me of background music to a suspenseful sci-fi movie. I did switch off a bit and again, felt it went on too long. A little bit of editing, some different music and less unlinked/stand alone choreography (though some was impressive in terms of the demand on the dancers,  it seemed to serve no purpose and they appeared as random moves that did not complement  the music) and it may have been more to my taste - or maybe not, who knows? My parting thought was,  especially with the critics' positive reviews, is this a bit like The Emperor's New Clothes - some think it is innovative and fashionable so nobody dares say otherwise for fear of looking foolish that they 'don't see it'? Of course, that is my view and as I said earlier, just not to my taste in terms of it is not emotive dancing that affects me. 

 

I like Corybantic Games. Matthew Ball and William Bracewell were the stars for me, though all performances were excellent. I preferred Anna Rose O'Sullivan and Luca Acri to the couple dancing last night (Meaghan Grace Hinkis and Taisuke Nakao) but otherwise thought Annette Buvoli and Mayari Magri also were particularly good. I still don't have an issue with the costumes - though agree that the ladies' knickers are not the most elegant part of the costumes! I would definitely go and see it again. Why did I like CG better than Untitled? Because the choreography and music made sense together. I felt that there was a connection. The dancing was emotive and entertaining in different parts. I like Bernstein and enjoyed it with the choreography. As a wise person I chatted to in the interval last night said to me, 'Untitled 2023 being performed before Corybantic Games was good for Wheeldon.' Never has a truer word been spoken, as CG came across as having a purpose to me, can't say the same for Untitled.

 

I was very surprised by my reaction to Anastasia Act III. I really did not like it on opening night. I enjoyed it much more last night. The score didn't even worry me. Laura Morera was amazing - she gave it her everything.I felt so honoured to be watching her last performance at ROH. The tributes to her were lovely - especially receiving a bouquet from the male principles and important figures in her dancing career. I liked the nod to Liam Scarlett - I don't pretend to know what happened and I will not judge, but his loss was both a human tragedy and one to the dancing world. He was very important to Laura and I am so pleased he was mentioned.

 

It was also wonderful to meet so many forum members - thank you for welcoming me! @Sim @bridiem @Scheherezade @bangorballetboy @JohnS @Bluebird - apologies if I have forgotten anyone. Thanks to @Sim for pointing out some of the famous dancers around me. I seriously would never have noticed! 🤣

[maryrosesatonapin]

19 minutes ago, Linnzi5 said:

I liked the nod to Liam Scarlett - I don't pretend to know what happened and I will not judge, but his loss was both a human tragedy and one to the dancing world. He was very important to Laura and I am so pleased he was mentioned.

 

I was surprised and pleased to hear his name - after all, he really appreciated Laura and it must have been devastating for her when he died.  In an interview earlier this year she asked if his works would be performed again soon and the answer was 'no'.  A very sad loss.

[JohnS]

I couldn’t help but notice the contrast between Laura being asked to oversea MacMillan’s works and the heartfelt acknowledgment of the importance of Liam Scarlett to Laura Morera and how creative that relationship had been but sadly no suggestion that Laura should be overseeing his work for the Royal Ballet.

 

As I’ve said earlier, I find it difficult to understand what’s going on as the Royal Ballet is happy to revive Liam Scarlett’s production of Swan Lake and sells DVDs of Frankenstein etc and I do wonder whether to ask Alex Beard/Kevin O’Hare for an answer.

[Guest oncnp]

11 minutes ago, JohnS said:

As I’ve said earlier, I find it difficult to understand what’s going on as the Royal Ballet is happy to revive Liam Scarlett’s production of Swan Lake and sells DVDs of Frankenstein etc and I do wonder whether to ask Alex Beard/Kevin O’Hare for an answer.

 

The decision might be purely financial. Scarlett's Swan Lake is the current production and reportedly cost a fortune. They can't afford a new one at this point (even if they wanted one).  The same with the DVDs. If it makes money they will continue to sell them.

Edited June 18, 2023 by oncnp

[Missfrankiecat]

1 minute ago, oncnp said:

 

The decision might be purely financial. Swan Lake is the current production and reportedly cost a fortune. They can't afford a new one at this point (even if they wanted one).  The same with the DVDs. If it makes money they will continue to sell them.

Ultimately, they can get away with it without provoking negative comment too.  Swan Lake is never going to be primarily associated with Liam Scarlett in the eyes of the public/most commentators in the way of his original creations.

[Angela Essex]

11 hours ago, Emeralds said:

I think the printed cast list at the ROH was trolling us! I nearly fainted when I couldn’t spot Melissa Hamilton’s name in Untitled 2023 and the list looking like there were too few dancers (no Ashley Dean nor Anna Rose O’Sullivan either who’d shared the same role). Unsure of whether she had been replaced or what was going on, I walked to my seat feeling utterly miserable, to much concern from my friend. I was so relieved when I spotted Hamilton in her role  (the one briefly seen in the trailer) and spotted Dean (I think). I agree with what @JohnS observed about the slicked down (or gelled down) hair.....it made Calvin Richardson, Leo Dixon, William Bracewell and Harris Bell all look alike if you were seated further back. Will post a bit more tomorrow (home extremely late after a very delayed last train).

Yes I couldn’t tell which dancer was which with those hairstyles and costumes either 😭

[Scheherezade]

1 hour ago, oncnp said:

 

The decision might be purely financial. Scarlett's Swan Lake is the current production and reportedly cost a fortune. They can't afford a new one at this point (even if they wanted one).  The same with the DVDs. If it makes money they will continue to sell them.

I make no judgment as to whether or not this is correct but if it is, it is hypocritical in the extreme. 

[Scheherezade]

3 minutes ago, Angela Essex said:

Yes I couldn’t tell which dancer was which with those hairstyles and costumes either 😭

Me neither. 

[emmarose]

1 hour ago, Scheherezade said:

I make no judgment as to whether or not this is correct but if it is, it is hypocritical in the extreme. 

 

I have no idea either way, but that's what run through my mind, that Swan Lake had to cost a fortune and likewise, to do another one would be costly too, add in the they 'need' Swan Lake, it's a money maker, they weren't going to drop it and not run Swan Lake for the years it'll take to come up with another one or even go back (if possible).