John Cranko

[NiniGabriel]

It´s 50 years to the day that an English choreographer from South Africa left us - much too early, as many ballet lovers not only in Stuttgart, but all over the world would say. He passed away in the middle of life, at the height of his success, revered by the audience and always supported by the directors of his Stuttgart theater in his numerous plans.

A people catcher, valued and loved by his artist colleagues, a teacher and true master in discovering talents and promoting others selflessly and without envy, a visionary and a man of action who managed the almost unbelievable feat of building up a ballet company within just over ten years, receiving worldwide recognition.

 

I hope I'm not being too brash in opening a thread about JOHN CRANKO here on this UK forum on this special date?! This had actually been a plan of mine for a long time, especially because I had repeatedly read small discussions or thoughts on John Cranko and his works in very different subject areas, but then rarely or not at all dared to answer or to go into more detail, because the threads were often about completely different topics.

 

As someone who grew up in Stuttgart - I was seven at the time of John Cranko's death - , and only found his way into ballet ten years later, I would like to share some personal thoughts on how it affected me as a ballet lover and enthusiastic fan of the Stuttgart company to grow up with John Cranko's pieces and of course also with John Cranko's dancers.

 

My love for ballet as well as my passion for this art form was awakened - somehow quite typical for Stuttgart - by John Cranko's ballet "Onegin". Back then, on that special day, the current artistic director of the company, Tamas Detrich, danced the leading role, while his long-time partner, the French Annie Mayet, danced the role of Tatiana. (Later I was also able to experience Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun several times! And so many other, younger dancers who continue to live the legacy of John Cranko in "Onegin" and continue to keep it alive!) As someone who in his youth only rooted for classical music, I was completely overwhelmed by the perfect symbiosis of music, movement (i.e. dance) and theater.

 

Of course, as a young woman, the topic also appealed to me at the time. At this age, who hasn´t been unhappily in love and rejected (OK, maybe with less fatal consequences...)? Who can't understand what it's like when the old love reappears after a while and you're completely emotionally agitated and therefore only have the desire to give up everything for this great love? Funnily enough, my attitude towards Tatjana's decision has changed over the years: while at first I couldn't understand at all how one can show your great love of all times the door, I now understand Tatjana both in her inner turmoil and in the final rejection and I would probably act the same way now.

 

In addition to this theatrical moment, which reflected in the best sense the "movere" and "docere" of ancient theater (of course also the "delectare"... Please forgive me for using the Latin terms, but unfortunately I don't know ancient Greek), I was immediately fascinated by the additional level that dance (and by that I don't mean the classical ballet only) establishes in the communication with the audience: The language of movement - if one can call it “language” at all - completely bypasses the linguistically formed intellect, it touches more deeply on the non-verbal level. (That's why it's so difficult to write about dance, because a lot of things can't be put into words...).

 

Coming back to the topic of John Cranko and the dance legacy he left Stuttgart... My enthusiasm for dance was fueled precisely by the fact that in Cranko´s works, movements always have meaning, and to dance Cranko´s works well means chiselling out the meaning: the movements describe characters, emotions, relationships, and thus make life and people visible in their individuality in a non-verbal way. There are so many examples that one could list, from Onegin's hand movement in his solo act one as an expression of ennui to the point of world-weariness, or the three very different pas de deux in The Taming, depicting the development of the relationship between Catherine and Petrucchio.

 

Similar to Cranko´s pieces, works from choreographers like John Neumeier, Jiri Kylian and Maurice Bejart were more appealing to my taste, as they share the small moments in which the character, the feelings and the relationships between the people become visible. In comparison, Russian classics or George Balanchine´s works did not speak to me in the same way: I would admire the the technical virtuosity, but they would leave me emotionally rather - for lack of a better word - cold. (Fortunately that changed a bit later... (-: )

 

Secondly, I am very happy that John Cranko placed so much value on versatility, on very different styles, not only by engaging different choreographers, but also in his own work. In addition to the well-known multi-act narrative ballets, there are also bizarre things like " Presence", humorous to cartoonish pieces like "Salade" (as a homage to Balanchine's Apollo) or some pieces from "Brouillards", as well as neoclassical choreographies, which are always filled with a lot of humanity, e.g. his "Initials R.B.M.E." or his "Concerto for Flute and Harp". On the one hand, John Cranko broadened the spectrum of his dancers. On the other hand, he educated his Stuttgart audience to be open to the new and unusual - a heritage that lasts until today: Advertise a  production consisting only of world premieres - and it still sells out almost immediately. This curiosity and willingness to venture into new territory and to engage in unfamiliar dance languages was awakened in me and many other Stuttgart ballet fans in the tradition of John Cranko.

 

Last but not least, the love and humanity of John Cranko lives on to this day in the Stuttgart company and the Stuttgart audience: in every performance you can feel the unconditional devotion and emotionality of the dancers, who reveal their hearts on stage. Over the years, it has been a pleasure for me and many other Stuttgart ballet fans to observe the individual dancers, how they develop and grow in their roles and how they sometimes interpret them very differently and individually. At a time when there is a lot of discussion about how contemporary interaction in ballet should look like, Stuttgart can rightly claim that respect, collegiality and friendly cooperation were already practiced in the 1960s. The word "Stuttgart Ballet Family" keeps coming up when dancers are asked about what is special about Stuttgart.

 

So my perception of dance was shaped by my encounter with John Cranko's oeuvre and the dancers of the Stuttgart Ballet. I hope I haven't bored the willing readers with my very personal and sometimes meandering explanations! Especially since it's not always easy for me to express my German thoughts in English... I would be very, very happy if many forum members would use this thread to share their thoughts and experiences with John Cranko's work!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 26, 2023 by NiniGabriel
typo

[Sophoife]

Wonderful appreciation @NiniGabriel and thank you for posting.

 

I have enduring memories of, for example, The Lady and the Fool, Onegin, Pineapple Poll, and Romeo and Juliet.

 

AusBallet's 25th anniversary gala in 1987 was the last time Lady and the Fool in any form was seen here. Indelible memory of the artistry of Marilyn Jones OBE (47 at the time), her husband Garth Welch AM (51), and the inimitable Ray Powell (62) as La Capricciosa, Moondog and Bootface respectively.

 

Pineapple Poll with its Gilbert and Sullivan story, and its Arthur Sullivan medley of music, is a joyful experience but, again, hasn't been seen here since about 1980.

 

Romeo and Juliet was remounted by AusBallet in 2022 and was so beautifully danced. I'd last seen it in Stuttgart in 2017 with Elisa Badenes and David Moore, and apart from the really long Girlfriends/Bridesmaids dance (how stupid are they to think she could stay asleep during that?), I love it.

 

After a long Cranko hiatus, Onegin was brought back in 2012 and some dancers really amazed and impressed me with their characterisations. It's no wonder that after the Paris Opéra Ballet première in 2009 both Isabelle Ciaravola (Tatiana) and Mathias Heymann (Lensky) were named étoile. 

 

I would very much like to see live The Taming of the Shrew and Initials R.B.M.E. but I'm pretty sure AusBallet will not do either!

[Sim]

I hope I'm not being too brash in opening a thread about JOHN CRANKO here on this UK forum on this special date?! 

 

Hi @NiniGabriel, and first of all many thanks for your wonderful words about John Cranko.  We may be a UK-based site, but we actively encourage and very much welcome posts and news from other countries:  we have very kind and involved members posting from Germany, Japan, the USA, Australia, France, Denmark and many other countries.  We really appreciate hearing from people outside of the UK, as well as those within it, so please do keep on posting and opening interesting threads!

 

Especially since it's not always easy for me to express my German thoughts in English

 

My goodness, your English is amazing!  You have expressed your thoughts lucidly and with real feeling.  Brava Nini!

 

I remember my first encounter with a Cranko piece was when I was much younger, and I watched The Taming of the Shrew on TV.  It starred Haydee/Cragun and I loved it.  It made me laugh, and it made me wonder how on Earth they did some of those falls to the ground without ruining their backs!  I also remember being fascinated by Cragun's very long legs!!  Anyway, I started to discover more and more of Cranko's work.  Reading your list above I find it very sad that we don't get to see much of his oeuvre here in the UK.  

 

Onegin is one of my favourite ballets; a work of genius (in my opinion).  I do hope it will come back next season (2024/25), especially in light of Reid Anderson's comment about it returning to the Royal Ballet.

 

 

 

 

[NiniGabriel]

10 hours ago, Sophoife said:

Wonderful appreciation @NiniGabriel and thank you for posting.

 

I have enduring memories of, for example, The Lady and the Fool, Onegin, Pineapple Poll, and Romeo and Juliet.

 

AusBallet's 25th anniversary gala in 1987 was the last time Lady and the Fool in any form was seen here. Indelible memory of the artistry of Marilyn Jones OBE (47 at the time), her husband Garth Welch AM (51), and the inimitable Ray Powell (62) as La Capricciosa, Moondog and Bootface respectively.

 

Pineapple Poll with its Gilbert and Sullivan story, and its Arthur Sullivan medley of music, is a joyful experience but, again, hasn't been seen here since about 1980.

 

Romeo and Juliet was remounted by AusBallet in 2022 and was so beautifully danced. I'd last seen it in Stuttgart in 2017 with Elisa Badenes and David Moore, and apart from the really long Girlfriends/Bridesmaids dance (how stupid are they to think she could stay asleep during that?), I love it.

 

After a long Cranko hiatus, Onegin was brought back in 2012 and some dancers really amazed and impressed me with their characterisations. It's no wonder that after the Paris Opéra Ballet première in 2009 both Isabelle Ciaravola (Tatiana) and Mathias Heymann (Lensky) were named étoile. 

 

I would very much like to see live The Taming of the Shrew and Initials R.B.M.E. but I'm pretty sure AusBallet will not do either!

 

Thank you @Sophoife for your kind reply!

 

There was a strong connection between the Australian Ballet and Stuttgart at the time, because John Cranko's ballet mistress (and first director of the John Cranko School!) Anne Wooliams, together with her husband Jan Stripling, were the directors there for some time.

 

Pineapple Poll and The Lady and the Fool were rarely performed in Stuttgart, maybe because they didn't premiere in Stuttgart but at Sadler's Wells, maybe because the story is very "English" (Pineapple Poll) or because both pieces belong to Cranko's early works, which in their action and drama could not hold a candle to the later narrative ballets from Cranko's time in Stuttgart... I don't know.

 

I personally really enjoyed The Lady and the Fool - and I think the ending is very unusual, especially for the time. John Cranko was extremely good at questioning social conventions, there are one or two anecdotes about this in Stuttgart...

 

Anyway, I think there are nice roles for dancers in both ballets. In addition, for historical reasons, it is always interesting to see where an artist comes from and how he has developed...

 

And I can understand your wishes very well!!! Taming and Initials are also two of my favorite ballets. Both will be performed in Stuttgart in July, which I'm really looking forward to. It only struck me back in lockdown 2020/2021 that Initials R.B.M.E. is practically never performed outside of Stuttgart. On the one hand I was of course very happy about the enthusiastic comments about the streaming, on the other hand I think it's kind of a shame that so many ballet lovers are denied the opportunity to experience this piece live...

[Angela]

5 hours ago, Sim said:

Onegin is one of my favourite ballets; a work of genius (in my opinion). 

 

May I quote what Alastair Macaulay wrote just one month ago:  "I’m inclined to think that, when Cranko choreographed full-length ballets, he made trash: certainly 'Onegin' trashes both its Pushkin source and (as Balanchine remarked in no uncertain terms) its Tchaikovsky score." I have to admit, I was shocked. You may not like Onegin, but it's become a world wide classic, danced by all big companies on the planet, which in my opinion forbids to use a word like "trash" without insulting many dancers who crave to dance these roles, many ballet directors and a huge audience. Cranko's Romeo from 1962 was also an important example for most Western versions of the Prokofiev ballet. Mr. B also wrote some nasty things about Cranko, whereas Cranko loved Balanchine's work.

 

[Sophoife]

40 minutes ago, Angela said:

Mr. B also wrote some nasty things about Cranko, whereas Cranko loved Balanchine's work.

 

My guess there, @Angela, is that Balanchine was envious of Cranko's ability to tell a story.

 

My long-held and often-expressed strong opinion is that Balanchine should never have been allowed to make "story ballets" - an opinion I was shocked to have challenged by my viewing of his Prodigal Son in Denver, Colorado in April. Then I reminded myself (a) it was a very early Balanchine ballet (1929) and (b) I was watching a friend in his retirement performance, and I breathed again 😂

[NiniGabriel]

@Sim Thank you for your extremely kind words regarding my posting and my English skills!

 

I must confess that I could not have written yesterday's post without the help of my husband, whose English is far more precise than mine.

 

I, too, had wondered for a long time how the dancers got through the first pas de deux in Cranko's Taming without bruising. A number of years ago I had the pleasure of seeing a rehearsal at "Behind the Scenes" where Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun rehearsed the pas de deux with two younger soloists (Marion Jäger and Tamas Detrich). Well, it's all a matter of technique...

 

If it's okay, I'll be happy to report on Friday's gala. I hope I can organize my thoughts well! It should help that over the past 40 years I've seen quite a few pieces from John Cranko's oeuvre, some of which were quite unknown, such as The Seasons (Autumn), for example. Or the narrative ballet Carmen, which unfortunately remained unfinished. The very first scene, however, is sensationally theatrical and quite simply perfect. Of course, I'm a bit excited to see whether exactly such pieces are among the surprises that have been announced.

 

One must never forget that John Cranko made the pieces for his company, which he gradually built up over twelve years, and that he therefore adapted the requirements of the individual pieces to the capabilities of his dancers at the time. This is probably why he later revised some of the pieces, such as his Swan Lake. Other pieces had some dramaturgical weaknesses in the first version, which he then eradicated, as in his Onegin. But all in all, his creative output during his time in Stuttgart was so great that he rarely bothered to adjust anything again. You should always keep that in mind when you see his pieces. Nevertheless, originality and great musicality can always be seen in his steps and figures, and often enough a good pinch of his special Cranko humour...

[Sim]

If it's okay, I'll be happy to report on Friday's gala.

 

@NiniGabriel it's more than okay....we will very much look forward to your report, and to those from anyone else lucky enough to be there.  Thank you all in advance!

[NiniGabriel]

12 minutes ago, Sim said:

If it's okay, I'll be happy to report on Friday's gala.

 

@NiniGabriel it's more than okay....we will very much look forward to your report, and to those from anyone else lucky enough to be there.  Thank you all in advance!

 

I will do my very best!

[jmhopton]

I too wish we could see more Cranko ballets here in the UK.  I remember being blown away when I saw Onegin for the first time, when the RB first staged it, possibly in the late 90s. I think it was in Ross Strettons first season so presumably Anthony Dowell must have done all the commissioning and organised the ballet training. It is still my favourite ballet of all times (and the 'mirror ' pas de deux my favourite pas de deux of all times). Though I have seen many casts since those early casts,  especially Tamara Rojo and Adam Cooper as Tatiana and Onegin, and Alina Cojacaru and Ivan Putrov as Olga and Lensky will always remain with me. Its always been a huge disappointment that Reid Anderson would never allow any of the RB casts to be filmed and preserved for posterity as they deserve to be. Perhaps if Vadim and Osipova reprieve the main roles they should have danced several years ago he may relent but I'm trying not to get too hopeful. 

 

The only time I've seen Stuttgart Ballet live was about 10 years ago when they came to Sadlers Wells and did Taming of the Shrew, and my husband and myself saw 2 performances and thoroughly enjoyed them. I thought the recent film with Jason Reilly really terrific. Brought back memories of seeing him in Onegin at the ROH quite a few years ago.

 

Saw RBME for the first time as a stream during the pandemic and loved it.  One of the few positive things to come out of the pandemic is the many streams different ballet companies made available to give their dancers an opportunity of performing,  but also reach out to audiences starved of ballet and who may never have seen their particular ballet company. 

 

Several years ago had the pleasure of seeing Pineapple Poll performed by Birmingham ballet  and really enjoyed it though perhaps not quite as much as the dramatic ballets. However, it's a pity its not performed more and seems to have vanished from the RB rep altogether. Its a shame great ballets, choreographed by an ex RB dancer get ignored when so many new ballets (many of whom I suspect don't have either the quality or longevity of Cranko), get promoted. Like Sim, I'm keeping everything crossed for a return of Onegin in the 2024/5 season. 

[Benjamin]

55 minutes ago, jmhopton said:

I remember being blown away when I saw Onegin for the first time, when the RB first staged it, possibly in the late 90s. I think it was in Ross Strettons first season so presumably Anthony Dowell must have done all the commissioning and organised the ballet training.

The rest sounds about right but it was first performed in November 2001, just at the start of Ross Strettons first Season.

[jmhopton]

Thanks Benjamin.  Got my dates mixed. It was a long time ago! I remember it was at the beginning of Ross Strettons Directorship as I thought at the time it was the best thing about his Directorship! Also, he did something I don't think any RB Director at least has done since, and that is having one dancer (Alina Cojacaru) cast as both Tatiana and Olga on the same run. She was compellingly excellent in both roles. Such a shame she wasn't filmed in either role.

[FionaM]

47 minutes ago, jmhopton said:

Thanks Benjamin.  Got my dates mixed. It was a long time ago! I remember it was at the beginning of Ross Strettons Directorship as I thought at the time it was the best thing about his Directorship! Also, he did something I don't think any RB Director at least has done since, and that is having one dancer (Alina Cojacaru) cast as both Tatiana and Olga on the same run. She was compellingly excellent in both roles. Such a shame she wasn't filmed in either role.

there is video of Alina and Johan Kobborg in the final scene from Onegin on Johan’s Vimeo channel 

https://vimeo.com/189960591

 

[Fiz]

@FionaEThank you for this! We saw Kobborg and Cojacaru dance this at the ROH. I have never forgotten it and it is one of my favourite ballets along with Manon and Mayerling.

[Sim]

For me, when it comes to Onegin, there is Cojocaru/Kobborg, and then there is everyone else.  

[Jan McNulty]

I wasn't really interested in ballet but had read a biography of Vaslav Nijinsky and went to see a London Festival Ballet mixed programme in Liverpool that was mostly ballets associated with Nijinsky.  The company was doing a full length ballet at the start of the week.

 

On 26th May 1984 a friend and I were overnight in London on our way on holiday.  We had either already seen or didn't fancy anything in the West End and I noticed LFB were doing Onegin (the full length ballet we had missed in Liverpool) so we got tickets to go and see that.  

 

Basically I was an overnight convert.  It was only years later when I found the programme I realised why!  We had seen Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun!  It was the most wonderful and affecting performance.  So Onegin was my real WOW moment for ballet and I continue to hold it dear to my heart.  Since then I saw LFB/ENB do it many times over the next few years.  I have also seen it performed by Stuttgart Ballet (in Glasgow), Paris Opera Ballet and National Ballet of Canada as well as a couple of times by the Royal Ballet.

 

So it is thanks to John Cranko that I became a ballet-watching obsessive!

 

With Birmingham Royal Ballet I have also seen Pineapple Poll, Brouillards, Card Game and Taming of the Shrew.

 

With Scottish Ballet I saw his production of Romeo and Juliet.

 

 

[Ettore]

Although The Sarasota Ballet has only performed one of John Cranko's works (Pineapple Poll), he had a significant influence on Margaret Barbieri's,our Assistant Director, career and Iain Webb, our Director, always had a huge passion for Cranko and Stuttgart Ballet - and so I thought it might be appropriate to share a few photos from Iain's office as he has a plaster cast of Cranko's death mask on this fiftieth anniversary.

 

(I know Iain's been looking to add more Cranko ballet's to our repertoire, so fingers crossed!)

 

 

 

 

[NiniGabriel]

@ Ettore Thank you very much!

 

It's so nice to see how many people around the world have been touched by John Cranko and his work.

 

I just remembered that SWR (the regional television station of the state of Baden-Württemberg) recently opened up its archives and made available various reports of its regional news from the 1960s, including this portrait of John Cranko from 1965.

 

There is an interview with Cranko - unfortunately in German -, and excerpts from some ballets are shown, including "Onegin" with Haydee/Barra and Cardus/Madsen, "Jeu de Cartes" with Egon Madsen, and "Swan Lake" with Keil/Cragun.

 

This report can be found in the ARD media library:

https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/swr-retro-abendschau/das-portraet-john-cranko/swr/Y3JpZDovL3N3ci5kZS9hZXgvbzExNTkxNzc

 

In Switzerland I can watch the report without any problems so hopefully it will work in the UK and elsewhere. If not, I apologize in advance if I disappointed your anticipation!

Edited June 28, 2023 by NiniGabriel

[alison]

Works fine for me But even if it didn't, we have readers from other countries here too!

[AnneL]

I still remember the shock when I heard of Cranko’s untimely death. I was a ballet obsessive in my early teens and had read of his work in Stuttgart in the Dancing Times. (Still to this day I haven’t been there to see the company, but hopefully there’s still time! ). Many years later I saw BRB perform Pineapple Poll and the RB Onegin and loved them both. I have only seen his Romeo and Juliet on film, but I liked it very much. This is a sad milestone to mark, but a chance to remember Cranko’s great talent. 

[Sim]

@Ettore many thanks for those photos.  Does Iain have a macabre hobby of collecting death masks?!!  Just looking at the photo's background...  Of course, Nureyev looks very much alive ! 

 

[FionaM]

@NiniGabriel thank you so much for this link to the 1965 programme.  
 

I was mesmerised despite understanding only some of it.   
 

I will watch again using ‘google transcribe’ feature on the Google Translate app, which translates speech into text. It’s not perfect but gives me the gist.  

Edited June 29, 2023 by FionaE

[NiniGabriel]

4 hours ago, FionaE said:

@NiniGabriel thank you so much for this link to the 1965 programme.  
 

I was mesmerised despite understanding only some of it.   
 

I will watch again using ‘google transcribe’ feature on the Google Translate app, which translates speech into text. It’s not perfect but gives me the gist.  

 

Unfortunately, last night I didn't get around to writing a short summary of the interview for all those who speak little or no German. And now I'm almost on my way to Stuttgart for the gala.

 

I'd be happy to transcribe what John Cranko said, alas, I won't have the time before next week. (After all, a detailed report about the gala is expected here... 😉 ) Executive Summary: Much of what Cranko says should be known to us. However the interviewer does manage to elicit a few interesting statements, in an obvious attempt to bring the person and work of John Cranko closer to the broader German audience.

[FionaM]

@NiniGabriel please don’t transcribe/translate for me.  Thank you so much for offering.  I know it’s a big task.
 

I’m perfectly happy with the ‘google transcribe’ feature.  My purpose in mentioning it was to make others aware of this tool. 

Edited June 29, 2023 by FionaE

[ninamargaret]

I know it dates me, but one of my earliest memories of seeing real life ballet is when I saw a triple bill containing an early Cranko ballet called Harlequin in April. Please don't ask me what it was about - I remember being very disappointed that there were no pretty costumes to admire! Pineapple Pool was, I think a bit later. In later years I came to love Onegin, Taming of the Shrew, and regret that Card Game and Brandenburgs 2/4 were not kept in the Royal Ballet repertoire. As others on the forum have said it was good to be able to see performances of RBME etc during lock down. Could love to see more from Stuttgart, and wish we had more in the Royal Ballet repertoire.

[Jane S]

If you didn't understand Harlequin in April I'm not surprised - nobody else did either!

 

Cranko didn't help by prefacing it, in the programme notes, with the opening lines of T.S.Eliot's The Wasteland - 'April is the cruellest month...'  - giving rise to endless critical speculation about how this had influenced the choreography and what it all meant - and then, when the ballet was revived some years later, he admitted that it didn't have much to do with it at all and dropped the quotation.

 

(I never saw it but once wrote a long piece about it for Dance Now)

[ninamargaret]

7 hours ago, Jane S said:

If you didn't understand Harlequin in April I'm not surprised - nobody else did either!

 

Cranko didn't help by prefacing it, in the programme notes, with the opening lines of T.S.Eliot's The Wasteland - 'April is the cruellest month...'  - giving rise to endless critical speculation about how this had influenced the choreography and what it all meant - and then, when the ballet was revived some years later, he admitted that it didn't have much to do with it at all and dropped the quotation.

 

(I never saw it but once wrote a long piece about it for Dance Now)

Thank you Jane. Being an avid reader of Dance and Dancers in my childhood I had at least heard of it! But I think Nutcrackers were more attractive to me at the time!

[DelphiumBlue]

I saw The Taming of the Shrew at Sadlers Wells and really wanted  to know more about John Cranko.

I am trying to remember if it was SWRB or indeed the Stuttgart Ballet with Marcia Haydee & Richard Cragun . Think it was in the early 80s. 

Much to my rueful chagrin today  I ‘rationalised’ my programmes in between moves so can’t check back . 
I saw a fair amount of ballet at Sadlers Wells when I was in the 6th form  as Covent Garden was usually a bit too expensive - plus ça change! 

I earned £16 a month from my Sunday  job - which was the price of seats in the front of the amphitheatre . Sadlers Wells was much more affordable for 6th formers and students. 
 

[Bruce Wall]

On 29/06/2023 at 16:19, Sim said:

Does Iain have a macabre hobby of collecting death masks?!! 

 

 

I have to say, Sim, it made me wonder what might be in those drawers below???!!!!