RB Nutcracker Dec/Jan 23/24

[Richard LH]

1 hour ago, Fonty said:

 

I am desperate to know how her Googlies went.  

From where I sat she seemed only to do them with her right leg.....🤨

[Sim]

Fabulous show this afternoon and I loved loved loved Aiden in his debut as Drosselmeyer.  Mr Avis’ cape is a huge one to fill, but Aiden did it his way and for me, it really worked.  More later, but had to get that out!  ❤️

[alison]

I was a little distracted during the prologue, but did I see Drosselmeyer's Assistant executing a gargouillade?!

[Sophoife]

15 hours ago, bridiem said:

Little Girl: 'Nina says that she goes to bed at 11.30, and that when she's 8 she'll be allowed to go to bed whenever she wants to'

Elegant Mother: 'Well she's talking absolute gibberish, dear'.

 

Nina needs a Nanny.

[Rob S]

1 hour ago, alison said:

I was a little distracted during the prologue, but did I see Drosselmeyer's Assistant executing a gargouillade?!

There doesn’t seem to be much room to do anything, that doorstep looks like an accident waiting to happen ⚠️

[LinMM]

Aaah! Don’t mention steps Rob S! 😳

[Lizbie1]

1 hour ago, Sophoife said:

 

Nina needs a Nanny.

 

People sometimes find this hard to accept, but growing up my siblings and I didn't have bedtimes and simply turned in when we were tired. We were quite well behaved  - it's just that bedtimes were never a thing so nobody got into stand-offs about them. I don't know about 11.30 but I certainly stayed up to watch the 10 o'clock news on occasion when really quite young. If I had been tired I'd have put myself to bed by then.

 

I'm not saying this would work for everyone but it did for us - we weren't yawning our way through school the next day.

 

(By no stretch of the imagination would my parents have considered themselves "progressive", though as both worked full time and there were four children - and no nanny - I suppose benign neglect became their style of parenting by default.)

[FionaM]

Fabulous matinee 👏👏👏

 

Charming personalities full of childlike wonder from both Marianna Tsembenhoi and Joshua Junker.  Also from Harrison Lee as Clara’s partner in the family party.  

 

Beautiful, sparkly and technically assured (can one say perfect?) fairies Mariko Sasaki (Rose) and Fumi Kaneko (Sugar Plum) 

 

Truly wonderful debut as Drosselmeyer  from Aiden O’Brien.  I was willing all the tricks to work for him!  Loving the cape swirling, his stage presence, stature and expressive hands as well as his face.  

 

It’s the first time I’ve noticed Drosselmeyer purposefully swirling Clara to take the nutcracker doll to place it in the dolls house.  He’s magic! 

[Sim]

1 hour ago, Rob S said:

There doesn’t seem to be much room to do anything, that doorstep looks like an accident waiting to happen ⚠️

It almost happened today!!

 

I was so impressed with today's cast.  Marianna T was beautiful...such graceful, fluid dancing and such expressiveness in her face and her body...I knew everything that was happening in her mind and in her soul without her having to utter a word.  Gorgeous.  I liked Joshua Junker too, but perhaps Marianna is just a bit too tall for him.  However, they worked well together.  I especially liked JJ's recounting of his story; it was very clear and unrushed. 

 

Viola Pantuso is a busy young lady at the moment:  Clara last night, Vivandiere and a Mirliton today.  Again, steadfast technique as Vivandiere and then a sweet Mirliton.  Bring on her Juliet!  One day, maybe not quite yet...but I am already imagining it.  Ditto Marianna.  Speaking of the toys, I thought Ginevra Zambon was the most authentically doll-like Columbine I have seen for a long while, and the Harlequin of Giacomo Rovero was every inch her equal.  They were totally convincing!

 

To continue from my first post....I thought this was a really super debut from Aiden O'Brien.  He was coached for the role by Gary Avis, so naturally he had a great head start.  However, he is the one who has to deliver onstage, and this he did, in his very own way.  Here was a younger Drosselmeyer, mysterious and magical. I kind of fell in love with him. You could see his brain whirring all the time:  I loved all his little details, like during the party he kept looking at the toys (and at one point tapped the rabbit on the head with his forefinger) and a small smile crept across his face; he was planning how the dream was going to work, and each toy's part in it.  He made his love for the Nutcracker very clear in how he was cuddling it to him after he fixed it.  He was so considerate of Clara when he was inexorably propelling her towards her strange dream.  And...the tricks all worked, and his cape action was great!  I had a very warm feeling today, secure in the knowledge that the future of Drosselmeyer has been established.  And yes, I feel I can say that after only one performance.   I really wish I could see him again in the role this run, but for those who have yet to do so, a real treat awaits, imho!  

 

As for Will and Fumi....I will sound like a broken record if I start, so I won't.  My words from opening night still hold strong. 

[Blossom]

Another gorgeous performance today. Was lovely to finally see Mariana with Joshua Junker, they are both beautiful dancers and the act 1 pas de deux was dreamy.

I think Fumi and Will are my favourite Sugar Plum and Prince - she has the most beautiful port de bras, he is the most dashing. 
Lovely to see Aiden O’Brian debut and looking forward to hopefully see him further develop in the role each Christmas. Performance 1 went rather well with all tricks pulled off with ease. 
As with yesterday, it was wonderful to see a responsive audience, the right moments getting a laugh, magic being enjoyed and the grand pas de deux being appropriately appreciated. A well behaved audience too- especially given the number of young children. 
I had the pleasure of meeting two ladies before the performance who were in London for the day and had just popped in for coffee. One of them had missed the livestream in Tunbridge Wells due to a transmission error and having mentioned that returns are likely available, they ended up enjoying the Christmas sparkle of Nutcracker (and apparently saw Hugh Grant at the box office too).

[alison]

I may have got a touch of hayfever during the Snowflakes.  Again  

[Fonty]

Although not about the ballet, it is sort of on topic.  I went to a lunchtime carol concert, where there was a brass band quintet.  Along with carols, they did various musical numbers.  One was from the Nutcracker Suite.  We were treated to variations of the Sugar Plum Fairy as performed by circus animals.  The one for Nellie the Elephant was particularly amusing - rather slow, with lots of trumpet(ing).  My husband said it was better than the real thing.  But he never has been a particular fan of the ballet.

 

I can't wait to see the real thing on Friday.  

[AllAboutTheJourney]

Well that was just absolutely beautiful - I think just some of the loveliest ballet I have seen. Will & Fumi were stunning. Will post more later but what a fabulous afternoon. Hugh Grant and family seemed to enjoy it too 🙂

[bridiem]

3 hours ago, Sim said:

To continue from my first post....I thought this was a really super debut from Aiden O'Brien.  He was coached for the role by Gary Avis, so naturally he had a great head start.  However, he is the one who has to deliver onstage, and this he did, in his very own way.  Here was a younger Drosselmeyer, mysterious and magical. I kind of fell in love with him. You could see his brain whirring all the time:  I loved all his little details, like during the party he kept looking at the toys (and at one point tapped the rabbit on the head with his forefinger) and a small smile crept across his face; he was planning how the dream was going to work, and each toy's part in it.  He made his love for the Nutcracker very clear in how he was cuddling it to him after he fixed it.  He was so considerate of Clara when he was inexorably propelling her towards her strange dream.  And...the tricks all worked, and his cape action was great!  I had a very warm feeling today, secure in the knowledge that the future of Drosselmeyer has been established.  And yes, I feel I can say that after only one performance.   I really wish I could see him again in the role this run, but for those who have yet to do so, a real treat awaits, imho!  

 

Just to mention that Gary Avis has posted a photo of himself and Aiden O'Brien on his Instagram account, and the words: 'Super proud of this one today - a fabulous Herr Drosselmeyer debut from @aiden_ob @royaloperahouse. Thank you for listening and trusting me during the rehearsal process - a thoughtful, calm and authoritative start to your Drosselmeyer journey - huge congratulations'.  Very generous comments; and AOB clearly has had the best possible coach for this role!

[jmhopton]

Well, I really enjoyed the Annette Buvoli/Nicol Edmonds streamed rehearsal by Darcey Bussell care of the Daily Telegraph. A great treat and it went on for quite a long time; at least half an hour longer than the hour we were promised. (if anyone is a subscriber and signed up to it and has missed it its still there). There was a joint rehearsal then questions by the interviewer whose name I didn't catch and then questions sent in by subscribers. This was about the time it was meant to finish but after that the rehearsal continued with Darcey coaching just Annette in the dance of the SPF. Darcey seems to be a great coach (both Annette and Nicole thought so) and like most of the ROH coaches does a great mix of praise and suggestions for improvements. So different from what  Vadim experienced in Russia according to his book. Annette said Darcey was especially good for her because as they are both tall dancers she could give Annette specific height related  tips that were especially useful. I must admit Nicol was quite a revelation to me as I hadn't really seen much of him and wasn't really a dancer I would choose to see (I was slightly disappointed he was Annette's cavalier) but having seen more of him in the rehearsal I'm now looking forward to seeing him on Jan 1st. There was also an offer of 2 weeks free streaming and a month where you only pay £1 so I signed up for it. May not persevere after the 6 weeks but that depends what gets added. Still, a very pleasant evening and the ballet itself to look forward to soon. The rehearsals really make you realise how hard the dancers have to work to make it all look so seamless and effortless. Nicol especially mentioned the constant pain that has to be managed and they were both very enthusiastic about the ROH fitness help everyone receives. Annette said she was amazed to be given the role of the SPF as she thought she was too tall and never expected to rise beyond the role of Rose fairy. She said her early interest was sport and the first job she wanted was a Park Ranger and only took up dance because her best friend went. To start with it was jazz which she enjoyed but didn't feel urged to take it further. It was only when she stated ballet that she realised she'd found her vocation as she loved the discipline and precision and Nicol agreed with her about this. I hope the DT do more similar evenings as I'll definitely sign up for them.

[Dawnstar]

It was a busy Nutcracker day today, as we managed to fit in the matinee in London then got back home in time to watch the Telegraph stream. I really enjoyed the interview & rehearsal, & regret that I can't see Annette Buvoli's SPF debut, as I have no trains from Christmas Eve to New Year.

 

I thought this afternoon's cast were very good. I was so pleased for Aiden O'Brien that his Drosselmeyer debut went so well & without any technical glitches in the magic tricks. It must be such a nerve-wracking role to perform for the first time from that point of view. Though with Gary Avis as Dr Stahlbaum it felt as though he'd be able to step in if any of the magic tricks went wrong! I also found it amusing that he managed to look impressed at the magic tricks even though he taught him them all!

 

As no-one else has posted any, some curtain call photos from this afternoon. I'm sorry the Drosselmeyer photo isn't very good but I always find him a difficult character to photograph in focus, with the darker costume & the fairly short bow combined with glitter throwing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MoVR]

Does anybody know if Calvin Richardson is injured? He did like one show at the start of the run and hasn't been on stage since

[JennyTaylor]

What a wonderful afternoon. I took my step daughter and her 2 girls (12 and 10) for their annual Nutcracker treat and yes, it was definitely a treat. Where to start - well with Aiden O'Brien, who had every gesture, cloak swirl and trick perfectly encapsulated in his performance. Perhaps not so much stage presence as Gary (who has) but I think that will come.  He seemed to be a happy Drosselmeyer with plenty of smiles (and glitter) and I felt a very sympathetic portrayal. Now I want to see it all over again. 

 

Gary Avis once again, orchestrated the party as only he can, but what a delight it was to see Marianna's performance as Clara, after her very promising rehearsal. I have to admit to being the person who sent her the flowers as I met her at the Ballet Association dinner earlier this year and have taken a special interest in her since then after we had chatted away. I rushed to do this when she was rescheduled for today, knowing I already had a ticket. It was all so worthwhile, as she loved them.  She's a lovely dancer, but as others have mentioned, she can also act and that came across so well today as she told Clara's story so intricately in dance and facial emotion and gestures. More depth than other dancers I have seen.   

 

Will and Fumi - what a bonus. Glorious again. Can I say exquisite? 

 

I was also delighted to catch up and see Olivia Cowley in the Arabian dance as I haven't managed this so far in this run. I went round to the stage door afterwards and there she was with an enormous bag of ballet shoes, some of which she gave away to crowd of children there. No idea what was going on but it looked all very happy.  

 

My 3 guests thoroughly enjoyed their afternoon and commented on the 24 snowflakes and a lot more children after some Covid affected performances in recent years. 

 

I finished the day by attending a medieval carol service at St Bartholomew's the Great church in the City.  Packed to rafters and very beautiful.  There are more services on there up until Christmas if anyone London based is interested.  They are all free.  

[annamk]

10 hours ago, jmhopton said:

Well, I really enjoyed the Annette Buvoli/Nicol Edmonds streamed rehearsal by Darcey Bussell care of the Daily Telegraph. A great treat and it went on for quite a long time; at least half an hour longer than the hour we were promised. (if anyone is a subscriber and signed up to it and has missed it its still there). There was a joint rehearsal then questions by the interviewer whose name I didn't catch and then questions sent in by subscribers. This was about the time it was meant to finish but after that the rehearsal continued with Darcey coaching just Annette in the dance of the SPF. Darcey seems to be a great coach (both Annette and Nicole thought so) and like most of the ROH coaches does a great mix of praise and suggestions for improvements. So different from what  Vadim experienced in Russia according to his book. Annette said Darcey was especially good for her because as they are both tall dancers she could give Annette specific height related  tips that were especially useful. I must admit Nicol was quite a revelation to me as I hadn't really seen much of him and wasn't really a dancer I would choose to see (I was slightly disappointed he was Annette's cavalier) but having seen more of him in the rehearsal I'm now looking forward to seeing him on Jan 1st. There was also an offer of 2 weeks free streaming and a month where you only pay £1 so I signed up for it. May not persevere after the 6 weeks but that depends what gets added. Still, a very pleasant evening and the ballet itself to look forward to soon. The rehearsals really make you realise how hard the dancers have to work to make it all look so seamless and effortless. Nicol especially mentioned the constant pain that has to be managed and they were both very enthusiastic about the ROH fitness help everyone receives. Annette said she was amazed to be given the role of the SPF as she thought she was too tall and never expected to rise beyond the role of Rose fairy. She said her early interest was sport and the first job she wanted was a Park Ranger and only took up dance because her best friend went. To start with it was jazz which she enjoyed but didn't feel urged to take it further. It was only when she stated ballet that she realised she'd found her vocation as she loved the discipline and precision and Nicol agreed with her about this. I hope the DT do more similar evenings as I'll definitely sign up for them.

 

It seems to be available on Youtube for anyone to watch. Highly recommend. I really enjoyed listening to them and watching the rehearsal. 

 

 

[Swan]

Very pleased that the Annette Buvoli/Nicol Edmonds rehearsal is on You Tube and available to all. I also highly recommend watching and hope that there might be more events like this in the future. The rehearsal footage allowed us to see how hard the dancers work, the stamina required, a look at how they develop their partnership and ‘tricks of the trade’ offered by Darcey Bussell. 
 

Enjoyed the Q&A too, lovely answers from a delightful couple and I wish I could see their performance on 1 January. Good luck to both!

[LinMM]

Was that the original really old St Bartholomew’s Church Jenny Taylor? 
I was on a course once a few years back now in London near the Barbican and used to go to regular lunch time concerts there. 
I’m not religious but certain spaces are nice to just sit in (and sometimes meditate in) and that old church just has so much atmosphere partly because it’s so dark so the building seems to sort of emerge mysteriously.   It was founded by the monk Rahere who was supposed to have healing powers which is linked to the old hospital being founded nearby. 
Those lunch time concerts introduced me to quite a lot of music I’m very fond of today and a composer Messiaen I’d never have chosen without a series of Pieces played there. 
 

[JohnS]

Heading for London for Nutcracker x4 - Magri, Hayward, Lamb and Naghdi Sugar Plum Fairies

 

A longer train journey than planned as I woke up to find my 8:00 train cancelled and a rush to leave home to catch an earlier train: not the hoped for leisurely start. Anyhow it looks as if I’ll get to London pretty much as originally planned albeit I needed to get to the station an hour earlier. 

 

The train journey is giving me chance to catch up on so many fabulous posts in preparation for Nutcracker. Many thanks to all.

 

Having read the posts, I’m very sorry to miss Kaneko/Bracewell’s Saturday matinee and it’s probably for the best that Friday rush and tomorrow’s matinee clash as I’m sure it would be pushing it to try heading home after the Saturday matinee.

 

I did manage to see the cinema encore on Sunday afternoon and very much enjoyed it. I like the big screen at Rheged: it’s wider than the ROH stage so Anna-Rose O’Sullivan’s armfuls of bouquets looked even more impressive. Many of the 260 seats were taken by a very enthusiastic audience. My neighbour was heading to Nice after Christmas but she seemed more taken at the thought of a Royal Ballet Nutcracker extravaganza.

[San Perregrino]

1 hour ago, annamk said:

 

It seems to be available on Youtube for anyone to watch. Highly recommend. I really enjoyed listening to them and watching the rehearsal. 

 

 

On 16/12/2023 at 17:59, Blossom said:

I think it would be wonderful to see Cinderella again at Christmas next year and of course BRB are back at RAH next year- booking is already open. 
I have always thought that Fille would make a great Christmas ballet too as it has lots of Panto quality. 

In the introduction to the Daily Telegraph stream currently on YouTube, Nicol Edmonds says 2024 is the 40th anniversary of the iconic masterpiece that is the RB Nutcracker. In which case, it would seem strange not to stage it in celebration next Christmas. 

[Sim]

14 minutes ago, PeterS said:

In the introduction to the Daily Telegraph stream currently on YouTube, Nicol Edmonds says 2024 is the 40th anniversary of the iconic masterpiece that is the RB Nutcracker. In which case, it would seem strange not to stage it in celebration next Christmas. 

Well they still haven’t commemorated Fille’s 60th birthday, so who knows their thought process?!

[alison]

It's rather late to say it, but a number of tickets have popped up on the ROH website for today's matinee.

[San Perregrino]

10 minutes ago, Sim said:

Well they still haven’t commemorated Fille’s 60th birthday, so who knows their thought process?!

True it’s impossible to know what goes on and perhaps the 40th anniversary is the moment to pause it for a revamp or renewal

And, we do know that Fille is planned not banned, just not confirmed when. 

Edited December 21, 2023 by PeterS

[JennyTaylor]

3 hours ago, LinMM said:

Was that the original really old St Bartholomew’s Church Jenny Taylor? 
I was on a course once a few years back now in London near the Barbican and used to go to regular lunch time concerts there. 
I’m not religious but certain spaces are nice to just sit in (and sometimes meditate in) and that old church just has so much atmosphere partly because it’s so dark so the building seems to sort of emerge mysteriously.   It was founded by the monk Rahere who was supposed to have healing powers which is linked to the old hospital being founded nearby. 
Those lunch time concerts introduced me to quite a lot of music I’m very fond of today and a composer Messiaen I’d never have chosen without a series of Pieces played there. 
 

yes, that's the one, right next to Bart's hospital. Very historic.  The Great Homepage - Great St Bartholomew (greatstbarts.com)

[Sim]

Just now, PeterS said:

True it’s impossible to know what goes on and perhaps the 40th anniversary is the moment to pause it for a revamp or renewal

And, we do know that Fille is planned not banned, just not confirmed when. 

Indeed...let's hope it's next year, so that we can celebrate its 64th birthday.  

[Sim]

Just now, JennyTaylor said:

yes, that's the one, right next to Bart's hospital. Very historic.  The Great Homepage - Great St Bartholomew (greatstbarts.com)

And to dumb it down a bit....it was also featured in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral!

[Dawnstar]

I hope it's okay to post this link. The friend who I saw Monday's Nutcracker with has reviewed it on his website. While he's a West End theatre expert, it was his first Nutcracker so it's not a technical review but I thought maybe the opinion of someone seeing the production for the first time might be of interest to some on here. https://www.theatremonkey.com/blog/2023/december/nutcracker-royal-opera-house-covent-garden

[Jan McNulty]

2 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

I hope it's okay to post this link. The friend who I saw Monday's Nutcracker with has reviewed it on his website. While he's a West End theatre expert, it was his first Nutcracker so it's not a technical review but I thought maybe the opinion of someone seeing the production for the first time might be of interest to some on here. https://www.theatremonkey.com/blog/2023/december/nutcracker-royal-opera-house-covent-garden

 

Thanks Dawnstar!

[Jamesrhblack]

49 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

I hope it's okay to post this link. The friend who I saw Monday's Nutcracker with has reviewed it on his website. While he's a West End theatre expert, it was his first Nutcracker so it's not a technical review but I thought maybe the opinion of someone seeing the production for the first time might be of interest to some on here. https://www.theatremonkey.com/blog/2023/december/nutcracker-royal-opera-house-covent-garden

 

I always think it is really valuable to read comments from people for whom The Royal Ballet, or, indeed, ballet, is not a regular port of call, so thanks for posting this Dawnstar.

[alison]

Anyone travelling up via Southeastern today, be aware that there is apparently a shortage of train crew.  "Tickets" being accepted on all viable routes, but you might want to leave extra time.