Manon, Royal Ballet Winter 2024

[Shade]

We gave them all a good reception 👏

[Dawnstar]

Some of you may recall my posting in the RB Nutcracker thread in December that I went to a performance with a friend who was seeing The Nutcracker for the first time. Afterwards I suggested to him that he go to see Manon, as it's such a contrast to The Nutcracker & together they show the RB's range in classical ballet. He decided to take up my suggestion & went to this afternoon's performance. I'm very pleased - and relieved! - that he really enjoyed it. He has written a review on his blog if anyone is interested https://www.theatremonkey.com/blog/2024/february/manon-royal-opera-house-covent-garden

[Sim]

Well that was something special tonight. 

[CCL]

Really pleased to see the enthusiastic comments about Osipova and Clarke…seeing them next Wednesday and full of anticipation!

[balletyas]

20 minutes ago, Sim said:

Well that was something special tonight. 

I’m so sorry I didn’t see you - I wasn’t sure if the table was the right one and time was tight - what a night! What a performance! I’ve always really loved Bracewell but this was extraordinary.  So much to say about both of them but train hell is distracting me. Was it different from their debut in any way? 

[Linnzi5]

23 minutes ago, Sim said:

Well that was something special tonight. 

It was absolutely wonderful! 🥰

[Rob S]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Suffolkgal]

Well stick a fork in me cos I’m done. That was truly special. The roar when the curtain rose on the two of them together was so filled with so many people’s emotions. Will live with me for ever.

[Sim]

@Rob S I am so glad you captured Yasmine’s face when she saw her flowers arriving!  Fab photos as always.  

[Sim]

20 minutes ago, Suffolkgal said:

Well stick a fork in me cos I’m done.

😂😂😂

[Linnzi5]

3 minutes ago, Sim said:

@Rob S I am so glad you captured Yasmine’s face when she saw her flowers arriving!  Fab photos as always.  

Yes. That is a truly lovely photo and especially is poignant after the debut non-flower curtain call debacle! Thanks, @Rob S  

[Silke H]

IG 03 Feb 2024 (eve)

 

FB album 2024

 

 

[Linnzi5]

1 hour ago, balletyas said:

I’m so sorry I didn’t see you - I wasn’t sure if the table was the right one and time was tight - what a night! What a performance! I’ve always really loved Bracewell but this was extraordinary.  So much to say about both of them but train hell is distracting me. Was it different from their debut in any way? 

I would say that the first act was more confident and the Bedroom PDD more emotional - I felt Manon's and DG's connection straight away, as I expect first night nerves played a factor last time and it wasn't till Act II that I felt there was a freedom to live the story without worrying about the choreography - don't know what other forum members felt?  The next two acts were as wonderful as their debut performance. Just so beautiful, emotional and heartbreaking Those air twists were just as perfect this time round!  

[JennyTaylor]

10 hours ago, Linnzi5 said:

I would say that the first act was more confident and the Bedroom PDD more emotional - I felt Manon's and DG's connection straight away, as I expect first night nerves played a factor last time and it wasn't till Act II that I felt there was a freedom to live the story without worrying about the choreography - don't know what other forum members felt?  The next two acts were as wonderful as their debut performance. Just so beautiful, emotional and heartbreaking Those air twists were just as perfect this time round!  

Yes, I completely agree, what a fantastic evening. I've run out of superlatives.  The depth of the characterisation, the purity of dancing in Will's solos, the passion in their pdds.  Just sublime.  Then there was Luca Acri's Lescaut too, which gets better every time I see it.    

 

So, a couple of random points for discussion. 

1) Des Grieux's first entrance is always low key but did Will come on slightly earlier than others?  For me, a particular piece of music signals it but when I looked he was already there in both performances. Might just be me getting this wrong and not that it really matters anyway,, but I'm curious.  

2) The interaction in the scene between Des Grieux and the Gaoler seems much stronger in this cast than others in the scene where Manon is carried off by the soldiers?  Will and Gary had a real tussle last night.   

 

So lovely to see SO many flowers after last week's disappointment in this respect.   

 

It was one of those performances that you want to bottle and keep for ever in your living memory. 

[Sim]

I agree with you, Linnzi.  This time, the passion was immediate in Act 1.  Who wouldn't run off with Will Bracewell, after such a yearning and pitch-perfect declaration of love?  With Yasmine Naghdi's Manon, I really saw her journey from being unsure and tentative about letting herself go and falling in love, to the full joy of submission to love's young bounty, emotional and physical.  Her narrative arc was so clearly delineated, her interpretation of MacMillan's genius showing us her skittishness in Act 1, and her realisation in Act 2 that although DG loves her he still wants to own her, like all men do.  She tells us that she wishes she could fly away and be free.  In Act 3, this little bird is broken, her wings have been clipped and she will never fly.  Accompanied throughout by a passionate DG, the tragedy was real.  Bracewell's DG tries so hard to tame Manon, to convince her that love is the most important thing...but he just doesn't know what to do in a world that is beyond his ken.  His sadness and an almost incomprehension that Manon has left him was heartbreaking.  

 

I thought Luca Acri was a sensational Lescaut.  Not only from his beautifully-danced solos, but he really kept in character in Act 2; every time I looked at him through the binoculars he still had that baffled face that drunk people often have, as if he doesn't really know what is going on around him, but he still has to participate.  Very funny...until it's not funny.  He makes the ultimate sacrifice and redeems himself.  Anna-Rose O'Sullivan was lovely as the Mistress.  Very confident, lush dancing, and her eye-rolling in the drunk scene made it much more amusing.  

 

I don't know if it's just me, but the conducting seems to be at quite a slow pace.  

 

I brought a friend along with me last night.  She has been to quite a few ballets, had seen Manon twice before, and said that this is the best night at the ballet she has ever had.  She mentioned the clarity of Yasmine's mime.  I agree...she really told the story. Although seeming to exult in her allure and sexuality in Act 2, behind the smiles her eyes were distant, as if she were dreaming about her destination when she could take flight and be free.  When she is alone with DG in Act 2, she touches each piece of her jewellery and shows him her dress, then desperately extends her arm to him:  "Look at these things; can you give them to me?"   It is then that Bracewell thumps me in the heart yet again; he clings to her and says "No, but I can give you this, instead.  Love."   Sigh.  I'd take that.

 

 

[OnePigeon]

12 hours ago, CCL said:

Really pleased to see the enthusiastic comments about Osipova and Clarke…seeing them next Wednesday and full of anticipation!

I don’t think you’ll be disappointed - I was mesmerised from the minute the curtain went up.  It was an incredible ensemble with top performances from a stellar cast and one of those performances where you’re totally immersed and not being distracted with the odd critical thoughts (but maybe that’s just me?).  I loved Osipova’s interpretation of Manon and her willingness to act as the character, sometimes moving in a more naturalistic way and not just always being the perfect ballerina.  I would love to have stayed to see Naghdi and Bracewell, but as that wasn’t possible I’m very happy with the cast I saw.

[Linnzi5]

56 minutes ago, JennyTaylor said:

Yes, I completely agree, what a fantastic evening. I've run out of superlatives.  The depth of the characterisation, the purity of dancing in Will's solos, the passion in their pdds.  Just sublime.  Then there was Luca Acri's Lescaut too, which gets better every time I see it.    

 

So, a couple of random points for discussion. 

1) Des Grieux's first entrance is always low key but did Will come on slightly earlier than others?  For me, a particular piece of music signals it but when I looked he was already there in both performances. Might just be me getting this wrong and not that it really matters anyway,, but I'm curious.  

2) The interaction in the scene between Des Grieux and the Gaoler seems much stronger in this cast than others in the scene where Manon is carried off by the soldiers?  Will and Gary had a real tussle last night.   

 

So lovely to see SO many flowers after last week's disappointment in this respect.   

 

It was one of those performances that you want to bottle and keep for ever in your living memory. 

Yes. I really have nothing that I can add - I too have run out of superlatives and I have none that could summarise the emotional rollercoaster I went on last night; words are simply not enough.

 

I thought both Will and Yasmine were perfect last night and I can't fault anything they did.  My husband accompanied me last night (it's my birthday weekend, so we made an evening of it) and he didn't complain once (he is not a huge ballet fan though loves classical music) - I think that says a lot.

 

I never notice Will coming on stage! I just suddenly notice he's there. So I'm not sure if he's on stage earlier. I absolutely loved the tussle the Gaoler and DG had last night - I felt this was much more emotive and so heartbreaking!

 

I was so glad to see the cast receiving so many flowers! 

 

This performance will be kept in my memory forever, you are right. My one regret? That I don't get to see this cast again in this run of Manon. Two performances just isn't enough for me. 

Edited February 4 by Linnzi5

[Linnzi5]

44 minutes ago, Sim said:

I agree with you, Linnzi.  This time, the passion was immediate in Act 1.  Who wouldn't run off with Will Bracewell, after such a yearning and pitch-perfect declaration of love? 

He really was so convincing, wasn't he? I didn't doubt for a second that it was love at first sight for his DG.

44 minutes ago, Sim said:

 

With Yasmine Naghdi's Manon, I really saw her journey from being unsure and tentative about letting herself go and falling in love, to the full joy of submission to love's young bounty, emotional and physical.  Her narrative arc was so clearly delineated, her interpretation of MacMillan's genius showing us her skittishness in Act 1, and her realisation in Act 2 that although DG loves her he still wants to own her, like all men do.  She tells us that she wishes she could fly away and be free.  In Act 3, this little bird is broken, her wings have been clipped and she will never fly. 

I think I said last night that I felt Yasmine's performance was so nuanced - I felt she spoke with her body and I knew what she was saying to me. Her Manon was so likeable and despite her immaturity, it was made clear to me that she was a victim of the society she lived in and her own circumstances. She made it clear that she was also manipulated by her scheming brother and I could see her reluctance to comply with his demands of her. I liked that in Act III, Yasmine's Manon was already broken. For me, her physical weakness was there from the beginning and that made her death so much more realistic for me. 

44 minutes ago, Sim said:

 

Accompanied throughout by a passionate DG, the tragedy was real.  Bracewell's DG tries so hard to tame Manon, to convince her that love is the most important thing...but he just doesn't know what to do in a world that is beyond his ken.  His sadness and an almost incomprehension that Manon has left him was heartbreaking.  

I found his performance so compelling. I felt his ache for Manon and his total confusion as to why she was behaving the way she did. 

44 minutes ago, Sim said:

 

I thought Luca Acri was a sensational Lescaut.  Not only from his beautifully-danced solos, but he really kept in character in Act 2; every time I looked at him through the binoculars he still had that baffled face that drunk people often have, as if he doesn't really know what is going on around him, but he still has to participate.  Very funny...until it's not funny.  He makes the ultimate sacrifice and redeems himself.

Yes. I really thought he was brilliant. So confident and, despite his scheming, he did redeem himself. He was a brilliant drunk - not too over the top but there was also no doubt he was totally plastered! 🤣

44 minutes ago, Sim said:

 

  Anna-Rose O'Sullivan was lovely as the Mistress.  Very confident, lush dancing, and her eye-rolling in the drunk scene made it much more amusing.  

Anna Rose surprised me at her debut at how funny she was. Her dancing was wonderful, of course, but her Mistress had so much character! At the same time,  I also felt a sadness from her at the way she was treated though. A very convincing performance.

44 minutes ago, Sim said:

 

I don't know if it's just me, but the conducting seems to be at quite a slow pace.  

No. I particularly thought so on several occasions and just wanted to 'wind up' Koen Kessels and say, ' Get a move on!' 

44 minutes ago, Sim said:

 

I brought a friend along with me last night.  She has been to quite a few ballets, had seen Manon twice before, and said that this is the best night at the ballet she has ever had. 

That's lovely! I'm so glad she enjoyed it.

44 minutes ago, Sim said:

 

She mentioned the clarity of Yasmine's mime.  I agree...she really told the story.

She did. I felt this was more apparent last night.  Don't know if you agree? Her Manon was just perfect. I also felt her dancing in  the brothel scene was absolutely stunning - she oozed sexuality, yet at the same time I felt she was so vulnerable and conflicted. Part of her enjoyed her sudden power and wealth (the gorgeous dress and sparkling jewels), yet this was also not of her own choosing and I saw the regret in her eyes each time she saw DG.

44 minutes ago, Sim said:

 

Although seeming to exult in her allure and sexuality in Act 2, behind the smiles her eyes were distant, as if she were dreaming about her destination when she could take flight and be free.

Oops! See above! 🤣 There was just something which told me she was not enjoying being 'owned'. She went along with it all but something in her body language also said that she did not want to be there.

44 minutes ago, Sim said:

 

  When she is alone with DG in Act 2, she touches each piece of her jewellery and shows him her dress, then desperately extends her arm to him:  "Look at these things; can you give them to me?"   It is then that Bracewell thumps me in the heart yet again; he clings to her and says "No, but I can give you this, instead.  Love."   Sigh.  I'd take that.

 

 

Me too! We always say this, but I wish someone would look at me the way Bracewell looks at his partners. 

 

I just want more of Yasmine's and Will's Manon! 

Edited February 4 by Linnzi5

[Agatha]

Just sensational dancing last night, with beautiful performances all round but especially from Nagdhi and Bracewell with such wonderful and clearly expressed characterisation. 
 

I was in tears when the curtain came down (which I think amused my neighbours, but oh well!).

 

I do think it’s a shame they only have two performances. I’d love to see them again this time around. 

[balletyas]

2 hours ago, Linnzi5 said:

He really was so convincing, wasn't he? I didn't doubt for a second that it was love at first sight for his DG.

I think I said last night that I felt Yasmine's performance was so nuanced - I felt she spoke with her body and I knew what she was saying to me. Her Manon was so likeable and despite her immaturity, it was made clear to me that she was a victim of the society she lived in and her own circumstances. She made it clear that she was also manipulated by her scheming brother and I could see her reluctance to comply with his demands of her. I liked that in Act III, Yasmine's Manon was already broken. For me, her physical weakness was there from the beginning and that made her death so much more realistic for me. 

I found his performance so compelling. I felt his ache for Manon and his total confusion as to why she was behaving the way she did. 

Yes. I really thought he was brilliant. So confident and, despite his scheming, he did redeem himself. He was a brilliant drunk - not too over the top but there was also no doubt he was totally plastered! 🤣

Anna Rose surprised me at her debut at how funny she was. Her dancing was wonderful, of course, but her Mistress had so much character! At the same time,  I also felt a sadness from her at the way she was treated though. A very convincing performance.

No. I particularly thought so on several occasions and just wanted to 'wind up' Koen Kessels and say, ' Get a move on!' 

That's lovely! I'm so glad she enjoyed it.

She did. I felt this was more apparent last night.  Don't know if you agree? Her Manon was just perfect. I also felt her dancing in  the brothel scene was absolutely stunning - she oozed sexuality, yet at the same time I felt she was so vulnerable and conflicted. Part of her enjoyed her sudden power and wealth (the gorgeous dress and sparkling jewels), yet this was also not of her own choosing and I saw the regret in her eyes each time she saw DG.

Oops! See above! 🤣 There was just something which told me she was not enjoying being 'owned'. She went along with it all but something in her body language also said that she did not want to be there.

Me too! We always say this, but I wish someone would look at me the way Bracewell looks at his partners. 

 

I just want more of Yasmine's and Will's Manon! 

1 hour ago, Agatha said:

Just sensational dancing last night, with beautiful performances all round but especially from Nagdhi and Bracewell with such wonderful and clearly expressed characterisation. 
 

I was in tears when the curtain came down (which I think amused my neighbours, but oh well!).

 

I do think it’s a shame they only have two performances. I’d love to see them again this time around. 

I’ve written a great long screed about last night echoing and elaborating on all of the above but for some reason it didn’t post - I think I must’ve been interrupted and forgot to hit submit…so I’ll just say Bracewell was extraordinary - probably the best embodiment of ardour and pure love that I’ve seen at the ballet and Yasmine made an often unsympathetic character utterly sympathetic as she lurched from young love and sexual awakening through , luxuriating in her sudden wealth and power, to deep regret and loss oozing out of every pore.  Both the ultimate RB dance actors whose technical perfection (those pdds, his solo, the air twists…) goes without saying… I had been worried that Yasmine was too naturally ladylike and innately ‘good girl’ (the perfect Giselle) to pull off the more ‘stereotypically ‘minxy’ aspects of Manon but she did it and humanised her to boot… a triumph that I hope we see reprised soon and filmed too I hope…. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

 

and ps when she was passed from man to man in act 2 -what do we call that?  that was like the Arabian on steroids - utterly sexy yet somehow  menacing - you could hear a pin drop in the audience…. Her poise and control was breathtaking..  ❤️ (and kudos to handsome Leo Dixon for his interesting rakish interpretation of a Gentleman while handling those hand overs with aplomb.… )

[DoctorDerry]

16 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

Some of you may recall my posting in the RB Nutcracker thread in December that I went to a performance with a friend who was seeing The Nutcracker for the first time. Afterwards I suggested to him that he go to see Manon, as it's such a contrast to The Nutcracker & together they show the RB's range in classical ballet. He decided to take up my suggestion & went to this afternoon's performance. I'm very pleased - and relieved! - that he really enjoyed it. He has written a review on his blog if anyone is interested https://www.theatremonkey.com/blog/2024/february/manon-royal-opera-house-covent-garden

Really enjoyed reading his review. Thank you for posting

[DoctorDerry]

I am not often lost for words but last nights Manon has almost achieved that As we left the Royal Opera House my husband, who is not really a fan, said ‘ that is simply the best ballet performance I have ever seen ‘

I completely agree, and that follows my history with Manon,I have never really liked it ,despite the wonderful choreography, successive viewings have never changed my personal view of the ballet as a whole.

This time I had a whole new vision of how this story evolved. It began for me with that amazing lyrical solo from Will Bracewell, his elegant lines and stillness told us about this young man on his way to a seminary having a Damascene moment. Seeing Manon, loving her before he knew her, and knowing his life was changed for ever for good or ill

I was so convinced by Yasmine’s Manon, discovering she was desirable and revelling in this new power she had, having previously been powerless.

Then again I was blown away by Luca Acri’s Lescaut, first rate, nasty , manipulative, a bully,but a man who loved his sister enough to die for her. Great interpretation and dancing.

The performance just got better and better .Phenomenal pas de deux.The spin lifts ,the heartbreaking and utterly believable ending

Best ballet night ever, remarkable cast. So sad it is not recorded 

Thank you Will ,Yasmine,Luca and all

[Balletbloke]

2 hours ago, Agatha said:

Just sensational dancing last night, with beautiful performances all round but especially from Nagdhi and Bracewell with such wonderful and clearly expressed characterisation. 
 

I was in tears when the curtain came down (which I think amused my neighbours, but oh well!).

 

I do think it’s a shame they only have two performances. I’d love to see them again this time around. 

Great art can often move one to tears. And Manon is just that...you weren't the only one with "something in your eye " last night!

[balletyas]

15 minutes ago, DoctorDerry said:

I am not often lost for words but last nights Manon has almost achieved that As we left the Royal Opera House my husband, who is not really a fan, said ‘ that is simply the best ballet performance I have ever seen ‘

I completely agree, and that follows my history with Manon,I have never really liked it ,despite the wonderful choreography, successive viewings have never changed my personal view of the ballet as a whole.

This time I had a whole new vision of how this story evolved. It began for me with that amazing lyrical solo from Will Bracewell, his elegant lines and stillness told us about this young man on his way to a seminary having a Damascene moment. Seeing Manon, loving her before he knew her, and knowing his life was changed for ever for good or ill

I was so convinced by Yasmine’s Manon, discovering she was desirable and revelling in this new power she had, having previously been powerless.

Then again I was blown away by Luca Acri’s Lescaut, first rate, nasty , manipulative, a bully,but a man who loved his sister enough to die for her. Great interpretation and dancing.

The performance just got better and better .Phenomenal pas de deux.The spin lifts ,the heartbreaking and utterly believable ending

Best ballet night ever, remarkable cast. So sad it is not recorded 

Thank you Will ,Yasmine,Luca and all

I so agree with this/ it was exceptional in a way I can’t quite put my finger on - it would be interesting to see another cast just to see if it’s something in the staging that has changed or if it’s just down to these two particular dancers… maybe it’s both,  who knows…but the humanity that they both brought to their roles took it to another level i think..  .. 

[hephaistion03]

Matinee Manon Saturday 3rd February 2023.

 

When the curtain calls were taking place at the end of the Saturdays afternoon performance of Manon with N Osipova and R Clarke./ After A Campbell took his curtain call normally the two lead principles would be expected to appear together to receive the adulation of the audience

 

However R Clarke came out on his  own !!!!!!!  then N Osipova came out on her own  to receive the adulation of the audience

 

N Osipova then  beckoned  both A Campbell and R Clarke onto the  stage for all three to take their bows .

 

II have never saw this before when the male lead comes out first , then the female lead comes out on her own ,

 

Can anyone please advise as to the reason for this curtain call etiquette ?

[Sim]

This is always how the curtain calls are done for Manon at the RB.  Manon is the lead character so she comes out last.  

[Shade]

4 minutes ago, Sim said:

This is always how the curtain calls are done for Manon at the RB.  Manon is the lead character so she comes out last.  

Thanks Sim I didn’t know that

[hephaistion03]

11 minutes ago, Sim said:

This is always how the curtain calls are done for Manon at the RB.  Manon is the lead character so she comes out last.  

Thank you for  that info Sim , much appreciated.  However  I took  a vid clip of the curtain calls when W Bracewell and Y Naghdi made their debuts a few weeks back in Manon  , and  both dancers came at the curtain call together  , yes after  they took their bows together  they appeared separately in front of the curtain however initially came out together, 

 

I suppose curtain calls / curtain etiquette may differ with dancers / performances.

 

Regards David 

[Nogoat]

I'm very fickle when it comes to MacMillan, but in a way that highlights his genius as a choreographer of sweeping narrative ballets; during a run  of any of his major pieces, that one becomes my favourite MacMillan/favourite ballet ever - until the next one, that is...

 

So, Manon currently tops my list, which is hardly surprising given the quality on show at yesterday's matinee.

It may be the 50th anniversary this year, but I left wondering if there is another established, full-length ballet that so resonates with and reflects the modern world? That sense of decay and neglect; of faded and lost glory; that concentration on hedonism, and the pursuit of money and the material world; the inequality, the hypocrisy, and the exploitation and persecution by the powerful of the weak and poor that those things engender.

For me, the parallels are clear, and the ballet has become ever more hard-hitting over the years I have been lucky enough to see it. The setting may be archaic, fin de siècle, but the lessons are disturbingly modern. 

 

The character that encapsulates those themes to chilling effect is that of Monsieur GM. What is it about the lovely, proto-national-treasure that is Gary Avis that allows him to portray these types of monster? Yesterday's performance was the most extreme I have seen - not a note of melodrama to be found. Wherever he gets his inspiration from, it is difficult to think of anyone to, er, trump that vain, arrogant, misogynistic, psychotically narcissistic excuse for a human being that is Monsieur GM.

 

Of course, Avis's cold-hearted and callous Gaoler is another memorably abhorrent character, and Lukas B B made a dismayingly effective attempt to emulate that vile creature. Beyond the gaoler's rape of Manon, I find the whole of Act 3 a difficult and despairing watch - as an example of man's inhumanity to man (mainly women, as ever) there is nothing positive or redemptive to be found, but I always leave amazed at the ability of the art that is ballet to convey such a visceral morality tale (though perhaps it is better called an amorality tale, as there is precious little morality on show). 

 

Lescaut is certainly an amoral chancer, and although I do not rate Campbell as highly as many on the forum do, I was pleasantly surprised at how well he played him (I'm sure that lop-sided grin helped). I prefer Sambé in the role, but that is personal taste.

 

I'm a sucker for tableau scenes (the end of Firebird, the Prologue from The Sleeping Beauty, etc) and there is a small but very effective one in Act 1 soon after Manon's entrance, where she stands, centre-stage, surrounded by various characters, all wanting a piece of her and laying their hands on her. She is the centre of attention of the story, the cast and the many thousands of eyes in the audience, and in that moment comes the realisation of the power of her desirability. Osipova carries that moment so well, and at some sort of meta-level I imagine it reflects her own professional life (as it would that of many top ballerinas).

 

Osipova is renowned for playing her characters 'in the moment', and yesterday was no different; I was surprised to find how definitive she was in rejecting Des Grieux's attempt to win her back in the brothel before the card game sting, shaking her head vigorously as she fled clutching at the prized bracelet on her wrist. In previous outings I'm sure she had been more ambiguous, leaving the stage more to find a solution to her quandary than to be persuaded by Lescaut to return to squeeze more money from Monsieur GM through a card game - either works, of course.

 

Clarke's increasingly confident approach to partnering Osipova paid dividends in his portrayal of Des Grieux. Having said that, he is still developing and he didn't seem to have the same fluid intensity as my recollections of Hallberg and Shklyarov from previous runs (I realise that it's a bit unfair to bring up those very experienced, long-standing partners for comparison!).

In places he seemed to concentrate more on technique at the expense of emotion - but it's early days! One thing that bodes well is that Osipova provides a huge amount of 'dramatic space' within which partners can express themselves, so I'm sure Clarke's dramatic expression will grow into that space with time.

One thing Clarke excels at is physical presence and strength. He is an imposing sight on stage, and he is more than capable of handling the kinetic bundle of energy that is Osipova.

That came into its own in the final part of Act 3 - I haven't seen her thrown around with that reckless confidence since Acosta; though, having said that, someone mentioned to me afterwards that he seemed to track her a bit too closely prior to catching her when she starts to fall right towards the end, rather diminishing the feeling of jeopardy.

 

Regardless, I was put through an emotional wringer yesterday, but came out loving Manon, MacMillan, and Osipova even more than before. More of the same on Wednesday, please...

 

[Sim]

1 hour ago, hephaistion03 said:

Thank you for  that info Sim , much appreciated.  However  I took  a vid clip of the curtain calls when W Bracewell and Y Naghdi made their debuts a few weeks back in Manon  , and  both dancers came at the curtain call together  , yes after  they took their bows together  they appeared separately in front of the curtain however initially came out together, 

 

I suppose curtain calls / curtain etiquette may differ with dancers / performances.

 

Regards David 

Ah, sorry, I didn't realise you meant that they hadn't done an initial step out together.  Yes, the curtain calls can differ for lots of reasons; sometimes it's something as simple as needing to cut the time taken because they are running late, so the stage manager might say 'skip the initial call for you both, leave it until after the solo bows'.  Either way, as long as they get the audience appreciation they deserve that's what counts! 

 

[alison]

I was reminded last night of something I really disliked about the performance - seeing one of my favourite dancers randomly killing another (or possibly two, if you count Gary Avis as well, although that one may at least have been justified)

[cjp]

4 hours ago, balletyas said:

I had been worried that Yasmine was too naturally ladylike and innately ‘good girl’ (the perfect Giselle) to pull off the more ‘stereotypically ‘minxy’ aspects of Manon but she did it and humanised her to boot

I saw Yasmine dance Mary Vetsera to both Vadim Muntagirov and Matthew Ball's Rudolfs during Mayerling last season and had wondered the same then, but she pretty convincingly demonstrated, to me anyway, that she could handle the more morally ambivalent/'minxy' characters, with as much conviction as she does the more conventional heroines and classical roles.  Her pas de deux with both partners were just electrifying and I found her characterisation intelligent, thought-provoking and nuanced, just as with her Manon.

 

I wish I had been able to see Yasmine dance last night, as I loved her (and Willliam's) debut performances on 20th January and remember how compelling I found the Act II brothel scene.  It felt to me that she absolutely owned the stage, not just in her own variation but the later dancing with the ensemble of men - such an effective moment in the ballet, conveying so much and one of those moments of genius from MacMillan in this ballet. 

 

I agree with you re Leo Dixon, who is always eye-catching and it always seems to me that his enjoyment in dancing shines through, whatever he is doing on stage. He was very good in the performance on the 20th, in fact all 3 'dancing gentlemen' were terrific and very well synchronised, the other two being Harry Churches and Joonhyuk Jun. If Leo is ever given a Lescaut, or one day Des Grieux, I hope I'll be able to see it.

 

Then the rest of the cast, from Luca Acri's rascally, amusingly drunk but ultimately tragic Lescaut, Anna-Rose O'Sullivan's comedic flair and beautiful dancing as his mistress, Gary Avis's gaoler (absolutely chilling, my goodness..) the list could go on ..the entire cast was brilliant, as usual.  So rich and layered, a story being told wherever you looked.  Just wish all the casts could be filmed and streamed, if only to fully appreciate all the details ...I can dream!

 

 

[hephaistion03]

1 hour ago, Sim said:

Ah, sorry, I didn't realise you meant that they hadn't done an initial step out together.  Yes, the curtain calls can differ for lots of reasons; sometimes it's something as simple as needing to cut the time taken because they are running late, so the stage manager might say 'skip the initial call for you both, leave it until after the solo bows'.  Either way, as long as they get the audience appreciation they deserve that's what counts! 

 

Thank you Sim for your insight into curtain calls / It was an memorable  performance by both N Osipova and R Clarke / I was actually sat two  seats away from  Recces mother who was in the audience , she was exceedingly proud of her son Regards David