Manon, Royal Ballet Winter 2024

[Emeralds]

4 minutes ago, Sophoife said:

 

The Gaoler's Mistress appeared as a named role in just those first six performances. By November she and her scene had disappeared, never to return.

It's like Tatiana and Prince Gremin's children in Onegin- at the premiere run John Cranko had them appearing in Act 3 but subsequently- poof - they disappeared from the ballet along with other edits Cranko made. I  didn't see that original nor the original Manon either, so can't compare. As long as it's the choreographer making the change I'm OK with that. By the way, I thought Jennifer Penney (with Wayne Eagling ad Des Grieux) was second to dance Manon since some of the choreography was created on her when Sibley was off ill? 

[alison]

14 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

 

I do agree with this; sometimes it seems a step 'forwards' is more like a backward one. Especially when it is for the convenience of the vendor, and not the consumer

 

I'm frequently conscious of the advertising revenue the roh is missing out on due to the lack of 'back page' adverts.

[Jane S]

53 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

. By the way, I thought Jennifer Penney (with Wayne Eagling ad Des Grieux) was second to dance Manon since some of the choreography was created on her when Sibley was off ill? 

 

You're right - in March 1974 Sibley and Dowell did performances 1,2, 3 (which I saw) and 4, and Penney and Eagling did number 5; then there were no more till July, when Park/Nureyev and Sibley/Dowell did one each.

 

There was an ensemble piece for the soldiers in Act 3 initially - don't know when that was dropped - maybe at the same time as the Gaoler's mistress?

 

I just noticed the review of the first performances in Dance & Dancers says that the Gaoler's mistress was glimpsed in Act 1, being carried into exile with her hair already cropped.

Edited March 3 by Jane S

[alison]

Getting back to this run, I wonder if someone can explain the current Lescaut/Beggar Chief/GM interaction in the first scene?  Beggar Chief spots GM's watch hanging out of his pocket, steals it, and runs off and does a celebratory dance, ending up with him (usually!) being hoisted high by his fellow beggars and showing off the watch.  GM sooner or later notices the watch is missing, creates merry hell, and Lescaut persuades the annoyed BC to return the watch, says Wait a minute, and GM then tosses the BC a coin, so BC is happy.  Huh?!

 

Given GM's general sense of entitlement, mood and so on, surely he would want the BC hanged, drawn and quartered - or whatever the punishment at the time was - for theft, not reward him for returning his property.  So, surely Lescaut ought to be convincing the BC to return the watch and claim that he found it somewhere, at which point GM rewards him - a better outcome than being chucked in jail, surely?  But I don't see this happening these days.

[ellyb]

15 minutes ago, alison said:

Getting back to this run, I wonder if someone can explain the current Lescaut/Beggar Chief/GM interaction in the first scene?  Beggar Chief spots GM's watch hanging out of his pocket, steals it, and runs off and does a celebratory dance, ending up with him (usually!) being hoisted high by his fellow beggars and showing off the watch.  GM sooner or later notices the watch is missing, creates merry hell, and Lescaut persuades the annoyed BC to return the watch, says Wait a minute, and GM then tosses the BC a coin, so BC is happy.  Huh?!

 

Given GM's general sense of entitlement, mood and so on, surely he would want the BC hanged, drawn and quartered - or whatever the punishment at the time was - for theft, not reward him for returning his property.  So, surely Lescaut ought to be convincing the BC to return the watch and claim that he found it somewhere, at which point GM rewards him - a better outcome than being chucked in jail, surely?  But I don't see this happening these days.

I've always interpreted it as Lescaut working both worlds - Lescaut tells GM that the beggar found the watch and the beggar gets a coin and also doesn't need to worry about being found with the watch, and so Lescaut has gained the beggars' trust and possibly useful contacts in the criminal underworld. Lescaut has also helped GM and shown himself to be an upstanding citizen, which will help him gain GM's trust and further his ambitions to move within the upper echelons of society. Not sure if I'm right though!

[LinMM]

So many posts since but hope your back is better soon Sim. 
This winter has definitely been a test in stoicism in one form or another! 
If make it on Friday will find you all….hopefully …though there are three sets of stairs down from Floral Hall!!! 

[RobR]

I’ve always watched it on the same basis set out by @ellyb

Edited March 3 by RobR

[Emeralds]

1 hour ago, alison said:

Getting back to this run, I wonder if someone can explain the current Lescaut/Beggar Chief/GM interaction in the first scene?  Beggar Chief spots GM's watch hanging out of his pocket, steals it, and runs off and does a celebratory dance, ending up with him (usually!) being hoisted high by his fellow beggars and showing off the watch.  GM sooner or later notices the watch is missing, creates merry hell, and Lescaut persuades the annoyed BC to return the watch, says Wait a minute, and GM then tosses the BC a coin, so BC is happy.  Huh?!

 

Given GM's general sense of entitlement, mood and so on, surely he would want the BC hanged, drawn and quartered - or whatever the punishment at the time was - for theft, not reward him for returning his property.  So, surely Lescaut ought to be convincing the BC to return the watch and claim that he found it somewhere, at which point GM rewards him - a better outcome than being chucked in jail, surely?  But I don't see this happening these days.

I looked at this the first time I saw it on the video with David Wall as Lescaut (the Penney & Dowell cast) and I thought initially it looked like Lescaut didn't know the Beggar Chief had pickpocketed anything as he was busy making deals and schmoozing. Then when GM realises it has gone missing, Lescaut finds it on BC, brings the watch to GM so that he (Lescaut) can get GM's attention and into his good books, which he does, and GM throws BC a coin because a) it shows everyone how rich and powerful he is, b) if BC gets some money he wouldn't try to steal the watch again.

 

Over the years, it somehow evolved (with different companies dancing it also) into sharp eyed Lescaut spotting BC stealing it but saying nothing until he can use it as an opportunity for both himself and BC (I've seen some mime between L.& BC to suggest this). He waits till GM is really missing his watch and wanting it back, and then appears to indicate "I'll sort this out for you" to GM, then brings  BC to him as though saying "my man found it rolled under something" so that GM would be grateful to L and give BC a small reward of a coin for "finding" it. 

 

I guess different dancers are allowed some degree of flexibility- otherwise it looks too boring if everyone reproduces the same mime and actions year after year, and every company looks identical dancing it. When Jeffrey Cirio and ENB danced it there was an entire fascinating subplot going on, while when I see RB dancing it, it looks subtle, slick and fast. Both different and fun! I must go and compare it with the Paris Opera rendition on DVD. 

[Emeralds]

2 hours ago, Jane S said:

 

You're right - in March 1974 Sibley and Dowell did performances 1,2, 3 (which I saw) and 4, and Penney and Eagling did number 5; then there were no more till July, when Park/Nureyev and Sibley/Dowell did one each.

 

There was an ensemble piece for the soldiers in Act 3 initially - don't know when that was dropped - maybe at the same time as the Gaoler's mistress?

 

I just noticed the review of the first performances in Dance & Dancers says that the Gaoler's mistress was glimpsed in Act 1, being carried into exile with her hair already cropped.

Thanks for your research, Jane S! About the piece for the soldiers- are you referring to the group dance they do with the smartly dressed respectable-looking women (who look like their wives) just before the ship arrives and Manon and other disgraced women get off the ship? Or is it a different dance just for the soldiers with no partners? 

[Fonty]

With regard to last night's performance, I thought the scene where the Gaoler gives Manon the bracelet and subsequently forces himself upon her looked as though it was done differently to that performed in the cinema broadcast?

 

Also, I am always puzzled at the ease with which GM and Lescaut gain access to Des Grieux's lodgings.  Do they just barge in, or do they bribe the serving women?

[zxDaveM]

1 hour ago, ellyb said:

I've always interpreted it as Lescaut working both worlds - Lescaut tells GM that the beggar found the watch and the beggar gets a coin and also doesn't need to worry about being found with the watch, and so Lescaut has gained the beggars' trust and possibly useful contacts in the criminal underworld. Lescaut has also helped GM and shown himself to be an upstanding citizen, which will help him gain GM's trust and further his ambitions to move within the upper echelons of society. Not sure if I'm right though!

 

yes, the impression I always got was that Lescaut was ingratiating himself with GM for helping to find his watch (a man who can source things) - but getting the beggar/thief a few centimes instead of the expected arrest, means he can then use the beggar and his cohorts for other endeavours - such as turning over the 'old gentleman' to clear the path for GM to Manon

Such lovely times, with lovely people!!!

[Rachelm]

8 hours ago, JohnS said:

Utterly spoiled by yesterday’s double Manon. Two unforgettable performances.
A privilege to see Sarah Lamb’s Manon and like others I do hope that’s not her final Manon. Sarah was extraordinarily generous at the Stage Door and in Floral Street, emerging in dressing gown and Manon’s wig, then donning a coat when outside in the damp. I thought Ryoichi Hirano more relaxed in his second Des Grieux and his Act 3 was particularly strong. James Hay was a hugely impressive Lescaut.

Last night’s Manon was one of those truly exceptional evenings, Francesca Hayward and Alex Campbell intoxicating throughout. Valentino Zucchetti and Leticia Dias gave strong performances. Gary Avis and Nicol Edmonds were appropriately evil. And a shout out for Kristen McNally’s Madame and Marco Masciari’s Beggar Chief. It all made for a thrilling Royal Ballet performance with Francesca Hayward raising the bar yet again on her Manon. Fabulous to see Francesca and Alex at the Stage Door.

Of the eleven performances I’ve seen this run, including the General Rehearsal and cinema relay, last night’s is the one I’d most like to see again. So I’m looking forward immensely to Friday. I’m sure any tickets will quickly be snapped up and those fortunate to be able to do so are in for a treat. But before then on Tuesday it’s the Hamilton cast and who knows if that may change my view.

Wow! What a day you had! So glad you got to see Hayward and Campbell at the stage door. You’ve definitely convinced me to see her in the title role in the future. Looking forward to hearing about Melissa Hamilton’s performance.

[Emeralds]

22 minutes ago, Fonty said:

With regard to last night's performance, I thought the scene where the Gaoler gives Manon the bracelet and subsequently forces himself upon her looked as though it was done differently to that performed in the cinema broadcast?

 

Also, I am always puzzled at the ease with which GM and Lescaut gain access to Des Grieux's lodgings.  Do they just barge in, or do they bribe the serving women?

I always assume bribe, as it would be very cheap for GM, and besides, he needs some skivvies to take his stick, carry the box with the fur coat, wait on them hand and foot etc. 

[Jane S]

29 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

Thanks for your research, Jane S! About the piece for the soldiers- are you referring to the group dance they do with the smartly dressed respectable-looking women (who look like their wives) just before the ship arrives and Manon and other disgraced women get off the ship? Or is it a different dance just for the soldiers with no partners? 

 

What I mostly remember is seeing a later performance and saying 'they've cut the bit for the soldiers' - but it could well all be imagination!

[Emeralds]

13 minutes ago, Jane S said:

 

What I mostly remember is seeing a later performance and saying 'they've cut the bit for the soldiers' - but it could well all be imagination!

😀😊

[lady emily]

1 hour ago, Fonty said:

Also, I am always puzzled at the ease with which GM and Lescaut gain access to Des Grieux's lodgings.  Do they just barge in, or do they bribe the serving women?

There’s no point trying to find logic in ballet storylines! 🤣

[alison]

Well, it's not as if there would have been security guards on the door...

[Rob S]

6 hours ago, Fonty said:

 Could you see all the SCS places @PeterS  ?  If you can draw me a floor plan, and show that you counted every single space....then I might consider sending the tenner.  

 

Actually, it doesn't really matter if these people were in a cheap seat or an expensive one.  The point is they left after the first act.  They seemed to be saying that the performance wasn't a good one, and they gave the impression they were cutting their losses and going home early.  

 

I think these people must have been a bit mad, to be honest.  And occupying places that dedicated Campbell fans would have killed for.  

D6-7 looked empty for at least act 2 and 3 last night

[Fonty]

5 minutes ago, alison said:

Well, it's not as if there would have been security guards on the door...

 

Even so @alison  They go into a chap's bedroom.  I mean, is nothing sacred?? 

[Dawnstar]

6 hours ago, ellyb said:

I've always interpreted it as Lescaut working both worlds - Lescaut tells GM that the beggar found the watch and the beggar gets a coin and also doesn't need to worry about being found with the watch, and so Lescaut has gained the beggars' trust and possibly useful contacts in the criminal underworld.

 

Isn't Lescaut already pretty close to the Beggar Chief? Lescuat must trust the Begger Chief because in his first solo he gives his coat to the Beggar Chief to hold his coat which has his purse in the pocket so he evidently trusts the Beggar Chief not to rob him. I interpreted it that Lescaut (having seen the Begger Chief nick the watch earlier) makes him give it back as soon as GM discovers the loss & tries to smooth things over because he doesn't want his friend/ally to get into too much trouble. Their short dance after the Beggar Chief has caught the coin seems to express mutual satisfaction, almost jubilation, that they not only got away with a potentially sticky situation but also both gained from it by working together. (Thinking about it, it's rather a pity that the Beggar Chief isn't seen again after the first scene.)

 

While on the subject of Lescaut, something else I was musing on. Manon's Act II black & gold costume got some mentions a few pages back. I wonder if Lescaut also being costumed in black & gold in Act II is deliberate, to emphasise both his kinship to Manon & that both of them are getting access to wealth from the same source to enable them to get lavish, expensive clothes?

[Sophoife]

9 hours ago, Jane S said:

You're right - in March 1974 Sibley and Dowell did performances 1,2, 3 (which I saw) and 4, and Penney and Eagling did number 5; then there were no more till July, when Park/Nureyev and Sibley/Dowell did one each.

 

Yet another instance of the ROH performance database being incomplete then...it lists five performances in March, all Sibley and Dowell, and only one in July (Park and Nureyev) which TBH I've always thought was odd - one performance only, in the middle of summer?

 

Same database shows Jennifer Penney not dancing the role at the ROH until March 1978, with Dowell; her first performance with Eagling was in November of that year.

 

I'm adding the caveat "at the ROH" because I have no clue to elsewhere.

[Sim]

16 hours ago, LinMM said:

So many posts since but hope your back is better soon Sim. 
This winter has definitely been a test in stoicism in one form or another! 
If make it on Friday will find you all….hopefully …though there are three sets of stairs down from Floral Hall!!! 

We are usually by the small set that leads down to the old foyer or up to the Crush Room.   Thanks for your kind wishes.  X

[alison]

Except that the seating around there on Saturday evening was already taken, so we weren't!  (Sorry to anyone who looked in vain).

[Suffolkgal]

Penney and Park/Eagling Manons. Pause for happy thoughts!

[alison]

10 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

While on the subject of Lescaut, something else I was musing on. Manon's Act II black & gold costume got some mentions a few pages back. I wonder if Lescaut also being costumed in black & gold in Act II is deliberate, to emphasise both his kinship to Manon & that both of them are getting access to wealth from the same source to enable them to get lavish, expensive clothes?

 

Interesting that you thought that, Dawnstar, because it suddenly struck me a few days earlier, too.  I mean, Lescaut's finery is so much - finer - than anyone else's there, and I suddenly thought: does that mean Manon's supporting him as well as herself through her choices?

[Sim]

Just now, alison said:

 

Interesting that you thought that, Dawnstar, because it suddenly struck me a few days earlier, too.  I mean, Lescaut's finery is so much - finer - than anyone else's there, and I suddenly thought: does that mean Manon's supporting him as well as herself through her choices?

I think that was much of the reason for him pimping out his sister in the first place, so that they would both benefit financially.  Lescaut is out for himself as much as (if not more than) he is for Manon.

[San Perregrino]

10 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

Manon's Act II black & gold costume got some mentions a few pages back. I wonder if Lescaut also being costumed in black & gold in Act II is deliberate, to emphasise both his kinship to Manon & that both of them are getting access to wealth from the same source to enable them to get lavish, expensive clothes?

Alongside this I’ve always thought that Manon, Des Grieux, Lescaut & the mistress were dressed in black, gold & ivory in act 2 as a way of making them stand out from the crowd as they move around stage and easily identifiable as the central characters to the story. Also it’s ’the Gang of Four’ against the establishment which is why Monsieur GM isn’t dresses in the same colour palette. 

[alison]

Recalling performances from last century, I seem to remember saying that Stuart Cassidy seemed to make a good case for Lescaut seeming to do what he thought was best for his sister's welfare.  Don't know how many others remember back that far ...

[Scheherezade]

I haven’t posted re Saturday evening’s Manon but wanted to say a big thank you to the fairy godmother that magicked up tickets for me and a friend who had to miss Vadim and Frankie through illness. 

I was so glad to have the chance to see one of Alex‘s last two performances and that he was dancing with Frankie - many happy memories of their other performances together - and it lived up to and surpassed all my expectations.

 

Alex always brings something different to his performances and Saturday was no exception. His Act 1 DG wasn’t going to be pushed around by Lescaut and his earlier Act 1 solos also showed someone who knew his own mind, something that he carried into Act 2 where, despite his dejection, it was always clear that he wasn’t going to give up on Manon or be pushed aside by the competition.

 

As with the other casts - and they have all been so good it is really hard to choose a favourite - the heartbreak grew to a devastating Act 3 climax and one that was propelled both by DG’s determination to bring Manon to safety and the wonderful chemistry and mutual trust shared by him and Frankie, whose Manon was utterly breathtaking.

The standing ovation from where I was standing was pretty much instantaneous - I had to move to an aisle to see any of the curtain calls - and I’d agree with the posters who suggested that it didn’t seem to be the response of a partisan fan crowd there to say their farewells.

So glad and yet so sad. I can’t believe I will never see Alex dance again at the RB or see him and Frankie dance together again. Too soon! Too soon by far!

[Sim]

38 minutes ago, Scheherezade said:

I haven’t posted re Saturday evening’s Manon but wanted to say a big thank you to the fairy godmother that magicked up tickets for me and a friend who had to miss Vadim and Frankie through illness. 

I was so glad to have the chance to see one of Alex‘s last two performances and that he was dancing with Frankie - many happy memories of their other performances together - and it lived up to and surpassed all my expectations.

 

Alex always brings something different to his performances and Saturday was no exception. His Act 1 DG wasn’t going to be pushed around by Lescaut and his earlier Act 1 solos also showed someone who knew his own mind, something that he carried into Act 2 where, despite his dejection, it was always clear that he wasn’t going to give up on Manon or be pushed aside by the competition.

 

As with the other casts - and they have all been so good it is really hard to choose a favourite - the heartbreak grew to a devastating Act 3 climax and one that was propelled both by DG’s determination to bring Manon to safety and the wonderful chemistry and mutual trust shared by him and Frankie, whose Manon was utterly breathtaking.

The standing ovation from where I was standing was pretty much instantaneous - I had to move to an aisle to see any of the curtain calls - and I’d agree with the posters who suggested that it didn’t seem to be the response of a partisan fan crowd there to say their farewells.

So glad and yet so sad. I can’t believe I will never see Alex dance again at the RB or see him and Frankie dance together again. Too soon! Too soon by far!

I think you mean Alex and Frankie...!! 

 

[zxDaveM]

Francesca danced with Marcelino Sambe on the opening night

[Dawnstar]

7 hours ago, alison said:

Interesting that you thought that, Dawnstar, because it suddenly struck me a few days earlier, too.  I mean, Lescaut's finery is so much - finer - than anyone else's there, and I suddenly thought: does that mean Manon's supporting him as well as herself through her choices?

 

Lescaut got 2 lots of money from GM in Act I (at least assuming Des Grieux continued to refuse to take any of the second lot) so I'd assumed he spent some of that on a new set of evening clothes. Either Manon or GM giving him more money on an ongoing basis is a possibility I suppose. He must anyway have had some source of money prior to pimping out Manon, given he could afford to keep a Mistress & dress respectably at the start.

[AnneL]

23 hours ago, Emeralds said:

Thanks for your research, Jane S! About the piece for the soldiers- are you referring to the group dance they do with the smartly dressed respectable-looking women (who look like their wives) just before the ship arrives and Manon and other disgraced women get off the ship? Or is it a different dance just for the soldiers with no partners? 

Since the opening scene of Act III has been mentioned, I would just like to say (as someone who has taught, and therefore researched criminal justice history) that I always sit there thinking that there are WAY too many women on the stage at that point. The male-female ratio in penal colonies was much in favour of the male.  Subsequently, the new women getting off the boat would have been snapped up pretty quickly by the men ( soldiers first, then possibly any convicts who had achieved the status whereby they could take a partner), rather than doing their little misery dance by themselves. They would most likely have done that BEFORE embarking on their ship. On arrival, they would probably have done a happy dance, having actually survived a dangerous voyage.

 

But then, as someone else said, we shouldn’t expect much logic, or indeed realism, in ballet plots.