ROYAL BALLET TRIPLE (McGregor/Wheeldon/MacMillan)

[Jane S]

12 hours ago, Emeralds said:

If it’s any help, Sylvia only had one cast (Fonteyn, Somes, Farron, Alexander Grant) for years- not just in the first run, but also the second, the third.....etc etc. No idea what they did to cover injury- logic suggests there were covers (understudies) who prepared by watching but imagine being the poor souls who learnt the tiring lead roles and never ever got to dance them! 

 

Do you maybe mean Ondine, Emeralds? Sylvia had several casts right from the start, but it was a couple of years before a second cast of Ondine went on.

[Linnzi5]

2 hours ago, LinMM said:

Well thank goodness the Untitled costumes are not the same as those of the music video they actually look quite nice and definitely preferable to the CG piece!! 
Did people find the music for Untitled bearable? 

It was rather insipid but not offensive to me. I don’t think it added anything. Nothing like as challenging to listen to as the Hearne from Dispatch Duet.
 

I did like the set and costumes (lighting too). Some of the performances were great - Joseph Sissens, Calvin Richardson, William Bracewell and Fumi Kaneko, to name a few. I just didn’t love it, I’m afraid. It went on and on and I saw my other half looking at his watch every minute! Yes, he absolutely hated it! 
 

Unlike the majority here, I don’t have a problem with the CG costumes. I don’t love the knickers, but I quite like the male costumes and the sheer skirts some of the performers wear are pretty. Do they add to the choreography? Probably not. But I really do like some of the male choreography, particularly. 
 

Anastasia Act III is not for me. I’d have preferred Laura Morera’s final UK performances to have been something else, I’m afraid. 
 

I was going to the final performance but am thinking about returning my ticket to ROH. Will decide nearer the time. 
 

 

[zxDaveM]

1 hour ago, Rob S said:

 

 

 

 

arr - I aaam your farrtherr

 

[Linnzi5]

2 hours ago, LinMM said:

Oh to be in Japan! 

I felt like that last year too! 

[Dawnstar]

36 minutes ago, Peanut68 said:

I for one am not tempted (not even by the 25% discounted tickets offer from ROH - I finally fell into their radar for offers!

 

Oh, I wish I did. I want to spend as little as possible on a ticket for next Saturday, while still being sat close enough to see Morera's acting.

[Guest oncnp]

1 minute ago, Dawnstar said:

 

Oh, I wish I did. I want to spend as little as possible on a ticket for next Saturday, while still being sat close enough to see Morera's acting.

 

Would a standing place work? I have a few I was going to return but you're welcome to one. 

[Dawnstar]

16 minutes ago, oncnp said:

Would a standing place work? I have a few I was going to return but you're welcome to one. 

 

Thank you very much for the offer but I'm afraid I don't think I want to risk standing for 3h, especially in this weather. The first time I ever tried standing anywhere, at the Globe, I blacked out & collapsed, so it's rather put me off trying standing tickets anywhere again.

Edited June 10, 2023 by Dawnstar

[Emeralds]

1 hour ago, Jane S said:

 

Do you maybe mean Ondine, Emeralds? Sylvia had several casts right from the start, but it was a couple of years before a second cast of Ondine went on.

Thanks, Jane S! Well spotted- I did mean Ondine in my mind (especially with Julia Farron in the cast as Berta) but not sure why my fingers typed out Sylvia! I blame the heat in a room that had the sun in all day! Thank you for spotting it. 👍

[Linnzi5]

Out of interest, the audience last night gave sustained applause for Untitled 2023, unlike for Dispatch Duet, where it was embarrassingly restrained for the performance I saw. From where I was - in the stalls -  people seemed enthusiastic. Even more so for CG - where the audience were very appreciative. A lot around us left before Anastasia- there were noticeable gaps, whereas for the first two works it was pretty much a full house in the stalls. In fact, some audience members behind me were quite loud in voicing their negative opinions about Anastasia. 

[MJW]

 

Telegraph's review (behind paywall)

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/dance/ballet/royal-ballet-review-wayne-mcgregor-untitled-2023-macmillan/

 

Untitled, 2023 ⭐⭐⭐

Corybantic Games ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anastasia, Act 3 ⭐⭐

Edited June 10, 2023 by MJW

[Jan McNulty]

2 minutes ago, MJW said:

 

Telegraph's review (behind paywall)

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/dance/ballet/royal-ballet-review-wayne-mcgregor-untitled-2023-macmillan/

 

Untitled, 2023 ⭐⭐⭐

Corybantic Games ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anastasia, Act 3 ⭐⭐

 

Of course, published reviews will be included in the Links tomorrow so that they are all together.

[capybara]

1 hour ago, bridiem said:

This makes it sound as if McGregor is the first choreographer ever to create abstract works with no literal meaning. I do think that the human body has endless expressive possibilities (in a way that I don't generally find to be the case with static abstract art, which may evoke different responses in the viewer without itself being expressive). Such possibilities have long been explored by choreographers.

But, at least in part, hasn’t McGregor got where he has because he can ‘talk the talk’?

And are the positions held by him and Chris Wheeldon jobs for life?

Don’t get me wrong, there are works from both of them which I admire hugely, especially when the casting is ‘spot on’, BUT ……..! 

[JohnS]

48 minutes ago, MJW said:

 

Telegraph's review (behind paywall)

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/dance/ballet/royal-ballet-review-wayne-mcgregor-untitled-2023-macmillan/

 

Untitled, 2023 ⭐⭐⭐

Corybantic Games ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anastasia, Act 3 ⭐⭐

Perhaps it’s worth mentioning that Mark Monahan writes about Christopher Wealden in the programme. 

[Ondine]

There’s something about the title of the new 35-minute work by Wayne McGregor that slightly sets the teeth on edge. Untitled, 2023: it feels archly self-negating, but also rather over-eager for the piece it represents to be regarded as a Work Of Art. Still, what’s in a name? And visual artists have, after all, been deploying the same trope for decades: why should they be entitled to all the untitled fun?

 

Mark Monahan here appears to have not much clue about the link between the title Untitled, 2023 and the fact McGregor stated it was his homage to Herrera and her work?

 

 

Enjoyable as McGregor’s piece is, Christopher Wheeldon’s returning Ancient Greece fantastia Corybantic Games (from 2018) still comes as something of a relief after it: for its easy, confident neo-classicism, its formal but playful beauty, its fantastic Britten score. I still detest the costumes, but look past them and – especially when it’s this eloquently delivered – there’s a wealth of subtly Aegean-tinged choreographic invention here, the Elgin Marbles-like clusters of dancers one highlight among many. (★★★★☆)

 

Er...  Leonard Bernstein surely?

 

 

 

 

[Lizbie1]

50 minutes ago, Ondine said:

There’s something about the title of the new 35-minute work by Wayne McGregor that slightly sets the teeth on edge. Untitled, 2023: it feels archly self-negating, but also rather over-eager for the piece it represents to be regarded as a Work Of Art. Still, what’s in a name? And visual artists have, after all, been deploying the same trope for decades: why should they be entitled to all the untitled fun?

 

Mark Monahan here appears to have not much clue about the link between the title Untitled, 2023 and the fact McGregor stated it was his homage to Herrera and her work?

 

I don't see that this is so? It just means (and I don't wish to open old wounds) that, like others here, he's not keen on naming a ballet thus. You don't have to be ignorant of Herrera's work or McGregor's source of inspiration to think that. (In fact I read it as him being fully aware of both.)

[bangorballetboy]

[Bruce Wall]

2 hours ago, capybara said:

 

And are the positions held by him and Chris Wheeldon jobs for life?

 

 

Seemingly so - or certainly as long as the current Director is in place which I assume is for the foreseeable future.  I remember at a BA meeting with O'Hare - i.e., his most recent one - his saying that such was the 'definite priority' for him.  I well recall those being the words he used.  

 

[Ondine]

8 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

I don't see that this is so? It just means (and I don't wish to open old wounds) that, like others here, he's not keen on naming a ballet thus. You don't have to be ignorant of Herrera's work or McGregor's source of inspiration to think that. (In fact I read it as him being fully aware of both.)

 

 

Did you? He seems only to mention her in passing as the set designer.

 

Wayne McGregor certainly knows how to keep people talking hey?

 

Maybe the title was tongue in cheek, who knows. Only Wayne McGregor, really.  Not sure it's worth any more angst. It is what it is. 😏  I'm more interested in other aspects of the work. Seems like a good one for triple bills with opportunities for a number of dancers. No doubt in time other casts will perform.

 

As for Anastasia, three act or one, possibly time it was put in the cupboard and left there. Yes it's a vehicle for a 'dramatic' dancer but oh so dreary.

 

Its dance-theatrical avant-gardery has not aged at all well...

[zxDaveM]

5 minutes ago, Ondine said:

 

 

Did you? He seems only to mention her in passing as the set designer.

 

Wayne McGregor certainly knows how to keep people talking hey?

 

 

I had a mail from the Wayne MacGregor company about works in the near future, naming the piece after Herrera directly. Obviously they changed their minds before the ROH declared the naming open

[art_enthusiast]

26 minutes ago, Bruce Wall said:

 

Seemingly so - or certainly as long as the current Director is in place which I assume is for the foreseeable future.  I remember at a BA meeting with O'Hare - i.e., his most recent one - his saying that such was the 'definite priority' for him.  I well recall those being the words he used.  

 

 

How long do directors normally remain in the post?

[Jan McNulty]

46 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

 

How long do directors normally remain in the post?

 

I can't say in respect of RB but Sir David Bintley was at the helm of BRB for 24 years and David Nixon was at the helm of NB for 21 years.  Not all directors have such longevity.  Stefano Giannetti was at NB for one year.

[capybara]

56 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

 

How long do directors normally remain in the post?

Usually, it seems, for as long as they themselves decide - except where Boards move against them.

 

1 hour ago, Bruce Wall said:

I remember at a BA meeting with O'Hare - i.e., his most recent one - his saying that such was the 'definite priority' for him.  I well recall those being the words he used.  

 

The  definite article or a ?

[Ondine]

1 minute ago, capybara said:

Usually, it seems, for as long as they themselves decide - except where Boards move against them.

 

 

Dame Ninette v Sir Fred.   A coup? 😏

[Emeralds]

2 hours ago, Ondine said:

There’s something about the title of the new 35-minute work by Wayne McGregor that slightly sets the teeth on edge. Untitled, 2023: it feels archly self-negating, but also rather over-eager for the piece it represents to be regarded as a Work Of Art. Still, what’s in a name? And visual artists have, after all, been deploying the same trope for decades: why should they be entitled to all the untitled fun?

 

Mark Monahan here appears to have not much clue about the link between the title Untitled, 2023 and the fact McGregor stated it was his homage to Herrera and her work?

 

 

Enjoyable as McGregor’s piece is, Christopher Wheeldon’s returning Ancient Greece fantastia Corybantic Games (from 2018) still comes as something of a relief after it: for its easy, confident neo-classicism, its formal but playful beauty, its fantastic Britten score. I still detest the costumes, but look past them and – especially when it’s this eloquently delivered – there’s a wealth of subtly Aegean-tinged choreographic invention here, the Elgin Marbles-like clusters of dancers one highlight among many. (★★★★☆)

 

Er...  Leonard Bernstein surely?

 

 

 

 

Crikey - he did mix up Benjamin Britten and Leonard Bernstein! (I have a device that somehow managed to get through the Telegraph paywall...not sure how!) Yikes.... Am v surprised nobody at the paper has noticed it. I thought they had proof readers and fact checkers. Maybe not any more..... (At least he noticed the costumes were detestable.)

[Fonty]

I can only assume that McGregor puts bums on seats, and that is why he remains in post.  For some, he seems to be able to do no wrong.   Having said that, I have always wondered if there is a case of the Emperor's new clothes when it comes to audience members raving about his many works. Print a 4 page synopsis with lots of long words explaining the concept and the creative process, get the wonderful dancers to perform a multitude of contortions with everyone on stage doing something different, clad them in weird costumes and bingo!  This is seen as "cutting edge."  Whatever that means.  

 

Apologies to those who actually like his stuff.  No personal offence intended, as I am sure you will realise.  

 

 

[Ondine]

Carmen Herrera's obituary. She died in 2022 at the age of 106.

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/feb/14/carmen-herrera-obituary

[Emeralds]

We were just debating and discussing McGregor’s practice of not usually having a second cast....but it looks like Anna Rose O’Sullivan, who danced in the General Rehearsal and premiere of Untitled, 2023, is being replaced by Ashley Dean for tonight. Wishing Anna Rose a speedy recovery or warmest wishes (if it’s not injury/illness) for whatever is keeping her off the stage and toi toi toi to Ashley for her debut in this ballet.

 

Look forward to reading feedback from any members who are at tonight’s show.

Edited June 10, 2023 by Emeralds

[zxDaveM]

1 hour ago, Fonty said:

I can only assume that McGregor puts bums on seats, and that is why he remains in post.  For some, he seems to be able to do no wrong.   Having said that, I have always wondered if there is a case of the Emperor's new clothes when it comes to audience members raving about his many works. Print a 4 page synopsis with lots of long words explaining the concept and the creative process, get the wonderful dancers to perform a multitude of contortions with everyone on stage doing something different, clad them in weird costumes and bingo!  This is seen as "cutting edge."  Whatever that means.  

 

Apologies to those who actually like his stuff.  No personal offence intended, as I am sure you will realise.  

 

 

 

I like many of his works (especially if the music by Max Richter). But I can hear where you're coming from. Some of his stuff is of the the artist spouting 'bolleaux' and all of those that count, buying into it. For me, the same often applies to modern 'art'. So sometimes it's 4 pages of incomprehensible 'blurb'; next time it's 'unnamed, make your own version'. Go work that out, whichever version. Sometimes the steps are 'wow!', othertimes, 'gosh, that was ugly'. But then he does inspire dancers, whichever way he goes...

[zxDaveM]

As for the two casts/revivals. Carbon Life is a prime example where the first cast (dancers and musicians) absolutely crackled and fizzed, and was not re-captured when revived (probably more to do with the replacement musicians than the dancers). That was definitely a one-cast show!

[MoVR]

For Untitled 2023, it looks like some of the ladies are on pointe and some aren't (eg Anna Rose O Sullivan is, Melissa Hamilton isn't)? How does this choice affect the look and feel of the choreography, for the people that have seen it? I imagine it's a bit more comfortable to not have to do them crazy extensions on pointe for a change.

[Vanartus]

2 hours ago, Fonty said:

I can only assume that McGregor puts bums on seats, and that is why he remains in post.  For some, he seems to be able to do no wrong.   Having said that, I have always wondered if there is a case of the Emperor's new clothes when it comes to audience members raving about his many works. Print a 4 page synopsis with lots of long words explaining the concept and the creative process, get the wonderful dancers to perform a multitude of contortions with everyone on stage doing something different, clad them in weird costumes and bingo!  This is seen as "cutting edge."  Whatever that means.  

 

Apologies to those who actually like his stuff.  No personal offence intended, as I am sure you will realise.  

 

 

…for some he seems not able to do anything right! 

Edited June 10, 2023 by Vanartus
Word

[Ondine]

3 minutes ago, Vanartus said:

…for some he seems not able to do anything right! 

 

So those people don't need to buy tickets.

 

I can't stand football. To me it's 22 people doing nothing useful for however long it takes. Ditto tennis, athletics, and the rest.  So I don't go, don't watch. Don't read about it. Don't talk about it. Nope.

 

I have, however, spent decades involved in various aspects of 'the arts', and you know what? I don't think if you put six chimps in a room etc etc.  I do think there is some intellectual endeavour involved. Maybe I'm being fooled, perhaps I'm really very dim, and extremely gullible, but my goodness, it's a lot of us having the wool pulled over our eyes. 🙃

 

But when I gently poked a bit of fun in another thread I was told I was 'sarcastic' (nope, that wasn't sarcasm) and rude and the thread was locked.

 

Wayne McGregor is a major figure in dance.   Don't like it,  don't buy a ticket. I don't rave about all he does, though I find his work interesting; like every artist some things are probably more successful than others. I do try to read what he says about his work, what inspired it, why he chose who he did to collaborate.

 

I see that many gain a great deal of pleasure from it, so long may it continue.  Seems it's open season to be rude about Wayne McGregor.

 

It would be a dull world if people didn't strive to create.

 

 

[Emeralds]

I’ve dealt with the four page blurb situation by doing what Leonide Massine declared - “If the ballet is any good, you shouldn’t need to buy a programme or synopsis to understand what’s going on; everything should be self explanatory from the choreography, music, acting and design.” (Translated using my words and paraphrasing).

 

Nowadays I actually like to see a new ballet first and buy the programme to read the notes later. (I wouldn’t even spend money on a programme if I hated the whole thing.) To me it should be about enjoying a show, not about doing homework first. It’s not hindered my understanding of complicated plots or long character lists either: eg “I see Rudolf is being overly flirty with a lot of women who are not his wife, I guess this won’t go well. Hmm, his mum and dad are complicated too”. I deliberately didn’t read the synopsis for Dante Project first, and still enjoyed it, and as for the first time I saw Woolf Works, there was no synopsis/programme to be had....they had sold out! We got photocopied cast lists, which were fine (even without a synopsis). Our party of three still loved it. 

 

Classical ballets have also been enjoyable when I didn’t read the synopsis first- you enjoy the moment and the experience of the spectacle and artistry, not get distracted by having to identify a certain character or prop, or catch someone’s mime mentioned in the synopsis. Nice to read the details after the show of course.

 

McGregor’s UniVerse: A Dark Crystal Odyssey sold out every performance (apart from a handful of returns they’d already made their money on, including the £4 return charge!) in the Linbury (and there were loads of shows) but this triple bill hasn’t put that many bums on seats, with over 100 seats still unsold so far on each date (of course, the later dates could sell well with the momentum of Morera’s farewell gathering and positive word of mouth from those who liked it). Of course, Untitled 2023 is not the only show on the programme so the other two ballets have to bear responsibility for that too. It’s just a programme quite skewed towards being challenging with too many caveats.

 

Balance is important. What might be an interesting question to ask (even if impossible in MacMillan’s case) is, if the choreographers were sought their opinion on where to put their ballets, would they programme it with these other works? Eg while Anastasia Act 3 might have been groundbreaking on its own at its 1967 premiere in Germany, there’s a reason why MacMillan went to the trouble of making Acts 1 & 2 to go with it in 1971. Having seen the three act version twice, it feels like a genie out of the bottle scenario-I can’t “unsee” or forget the full length story, and seeing the last act on its own feels like “where’s the rest of it?” (I saw the Act 3 on its own first before seeing the full length version.)

 

I think an enjoyable programme  that fulfils the contracts (and commission fees paid) would be a version of the mixed bill Tokyo is getting, eg Diamonds, For Four, Untitled 2023, A Month in the Country (with Morera dancing the last two/three AMITC as Natalia), and would give other dancers and casts a chance to shine in Diamonds (pun unintended) and FF, which both had only three shows this season, while giving both McGregor & Wheeldon works an airing. But since it’s too late for changes, I’ll see the programme as it is and take away whatever positives I experienced. 

Edited June 10, 2023 by Emeralds