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Manon, Royal Ballet Winter 2024


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11 hours ago, LinMM said:

Well unfortunately another triumph it looks like I will be missing. I seem doomed to have a winter without any ballet ( either watching or doing!) 
Having not had a sign of a cold for over a year…. I’ve now got a really bad cough and cold which has come on over the weekend!! I can’t see it improving enough in time for me to come up to London tomorrow and not cough consistently throughout the performance 😬 so looks like sadly I will be missing tomorrows Manon. 

My aim now will be to make either March 7th Swan Lake for Corrales return or March 8th Manon for Hayward ( my original first choice) but now also Campbell’s final performance ….or even both!! Though realise getting a ticket for March 8th is probably going to be rarer than finding fairy dust! 
I can see my top price rule may now be just about to go out of the window 😳


 

I am so sorry to hear this, Lin. You have been so unlucky recently. I hope you feel better soon and can get a ticket for 8th. :) 

4 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

The cast sheet for tonight is up. In addition to Hirano's Des Grieux debut I think Donnelly as the Gaoler & Boswell as the Beggar Chief are also debuts.

 https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/43/manon-by-kenneth-macmillan/cast-list/54655

Exciting! I can't wait to hear about the debuts. I like Donnelly and Boswell and am so interested to know how they do (and the other dancers in the main roles, of course). Enjoy! 

1 hour ago, Rob S said:

Well, tonight Mr Saunders’ GM pushed over a local chap as soon as he got out of his carriage…what a vile *******!!! 😆

This made me giggle!

1 hour ago, JohnS said:

And at one stage it looked as if Manon and Des Grieux might have to run rather than take the carriage.

This also made me giggle! 

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2 hours ago, Rob S said:

Well, tonight Mr Saunders’ GM pushed over a local chap as soon as he got out of his carriage…what a vile *******!!! 😆

I bet he said 'Mr Barrowclough would never have done that' as he did it!

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13 hours ago, LinMM said:

Well unfortunately another triumph it looks like I will be missing. I seem doomed to have a winter without any ballet ( either watching or doing!) 
Having not had a sign of a cold for over a year…. I’ve now got a really bad cough and cold which has come on over the weekend!! I can’t see it improving enough in time for me to come up to London tomorrow and not cough consistently throughout the performance 😬 so looks like sadly I will be missing tomorrows Manon. 

My aim now will be to make either March 7th Swan Lake for Corrales return or March 8th Manon for Hayward ( my original first choice) but now also Campbell’s final performance ….or even both!! Though realise getting a ticket for March 8th is probably going to be rarer than finding fairy dust! 
I can see my top price rule may now be just about to go out of the window 😳


 

Hope you are feeling better soon, LinMM! What an unlucky winter you have had! I hope you recover in time to nab a Friday Rush ticket for 2nd or 8th.... it would be really unfortunate to miss the whole Manon run on top of the Giselles and Nutcrackers you've missed too. (Did you say you missed La Strada as well too?). Do get lots of rest, honey and lemon, and eat well. (Avoid alcohol and coffee till the cough is gone....that should  speed up your recovery.) 

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5 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

Fab photos, @Rob S! Thank you! (Is that real blood or stage blood on Ryoichi Hirano?)


I really don’t know although someone has asked him via my pic on instagram so maybe he’ll address it 

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Just now, Rob S said:


I really don’t know although someone has asked him via my pic on instagram so maybe he’ll address it 

Thanks @Rob S! Hope it's not too painful or too serious if that's his or a colleague's blood! BTW, I do like the photo lof James Hay, where it looks like his Lescaut is off to do more wheeling and dealing! 

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9 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

I didn't say that they never film anyone more than once!

 

I'm really quite surprised TBH that the only man they've filmed/whose film is available more than once in the same role is Gary Avis.

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6 minutes ago, AnticaFiamma said:

Can it be Lescaut's blood from the end of act 2? Because I noticed some blood on Bracewell too in act 3


I’ve asked Ryoichi and he’s said it was Lescaut’s blood 

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1 hour ago, Cescablue said:

Would be interested to hear from anyone who went how last night was. I saw someone on Insta suggest it was Ryoichi's Des Grieux debut?!

Yes it was. He replaced the injured Steven McRae.  

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I’m very pleased to have seen last night’s Manon largely for two reasons. Firstly Sarah Lamb’s finely polished, compelling Manon, a tribute to her years of experience in the role having meticulously weighed her character and motivation. It’s a performance that grips the attention throughout. Secondly James Hay’s Lescaut, again a finely detailed portrayal, complementing Sarah Lamb’s artistry, and fabulous to see him in a dancing role although I’ve loved his recent cameos.

I found Ryoichi Hirano rather tentative in his Act 1 solo but he impressed as the evening wore on and Act 3 was appropriately climactic. I didn’t think Meaghan Grace Hinkis projected as well as some Mistresses. And I’m afraid Christopher Saunders’ GM didn’t do much for me. In contrast David Donnelly’s gaoler was terrifying, the rape scene utterly shocking. Liam Boswell made the most of Chief Beggar.

I’m very much looking forward to Saturday’s matinee second performance of this cast which would be worth seeing for Sarah Lamb alone. And I’m expecting a number of dancers will find the second performance a bit more relaxing and provide opportunity for them to make the most of their roles.

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36 minutes ago, alison said:

They did ...  (Although my main reason for going was to see James Hay back on stage, actually dancing)

 

As far as I know they only mention it on the PDFs of casting announcements that some people helpfully post here ahead of booking dates....not on the cast lists which most people would see

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42 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:


Does anyone know how that works - is there fake blood in the costume that is released when the gun shot happens? Just curious 

And a fake blood capsule in the mouth that they can bite on to make them 'bleed' from the mouth.

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There were some slightly less pricey tickets when I looked a few minutes ago.

 

My assumption is that the dancer portraying Lescaut is holding one of the blood capsules in his hand when he comes in handcuffed.

 

4 hours ago, Rob S said:


I’ve asked Ryoichi and he’s said it was Lescaut’s blood 

 

Surprising, because Des Grieux has a costume change between Acts II and III, doesn't he?  Unless it was a blob left on the stage or something.

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2 hours ago, alison said:

They did ...  (Although my main reason for going was to see James Hay back on stage, actually dancing)

 

Actually, a quick search couldn't find the press release on here, so perhaps they didn't.  But:

 

 

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Thanks so much for best wishes regarding missing yet another ballet performance! 
Usually when I have to cancel a ticket I ring in and was loathe to have to ring in yesterday to explain cancelling  yet another ticket. 
However a friend suggested doing it online via account …so rather nervously (I always expect things to go wrong when doing first time online) went through the process and it was just SO easy! Everything straightforward including the confirmation email etc. 

So that’s one new thing learned but which I hope I don’t have to do again for a long while! 
As usual the returned ticket resold within about 20 mins! 


Hope all going enjoy what I’m sure will be a fantastic performance tonight. 

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7 hours ago, Cescablue said:

Would be interested to hear from anyone who went how last night was. I saw someone on Insta suggest it was Ryoichi's Des Grieux debut?!

Yeah! I've been asking "why can't Ryoichi Hirano finally be given Des Grieux after years of dancing Lescaut (very well) and having the technique and other attributes to dance Romeo and Rudolf?" and I'm so pleased that he has finally got the opportunity- although I also hope Steven McRae will be recovered fully to be able to dance Des Grieux again in due course. 

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4 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:


Does anyone know how that works - is there fake blood in the costume that is released when the gun shot happens? Just curious 

Spoiler alert (if you don’t want to know, look away now!)

 

Actors who get shot or stabbed in plays use the same thing- it's a little bag or capsule (depends on how much you want to "bleed")  of fake blood, which is made of ingredients that make it look a lot like real blood even down to the staining, which the actor carries in a hidden place (eg a pocket) which is then popped/opened/punctured at the time of the shooting /stabbing. Lescaut is already bloodstained on the face from being beaten by soldiers but he gets more realistic looking fake blood spewing out after GM shoots him.

 

Should add that if you watch the old video recording with Penney, Dowell and Wall in the lead roles I don't think the product was available in the 1980s so they just had the blood on the makeup and no obvious realistic extra blood spilling out after the shooting- Wall rolls over and from Penney and Dowell's reactions you guess it must be fatal even though the bleeding isn't visible. 

 

15 hours ago, alison said:

I can't think how Des Grieux would have got exposed to blood in Act III, so I guess it's probably real.

Manon's memories/flashbacks in Act 3 when she's feverish in the swamp- Lescaut always runs in looking bloodstained when chasing his Mistress. Then after that both Manon and Des Grieux are using the whole stage....so Lescaut could have dripped some blood that Des Grieux's sleeve brushes against? 

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