Kim Brandstrup ‘Metamorphoses’ in Bath, 29 Jan to 10 Feb

[FionaM]

Highly recommend this double bill of the Minotaur and Pysche/Cupid stories.  The show is created by Kim Brandstrup and commissioned by AD Deborah Warner for her annual season of programmes in the Ustinov theatre, one of three stages of the Royal Theatre in Bath.  
 

A handful of seats are available (literally 2 or so) for some performances.  Don’t miss this!  
 

Amazing experience being in this venue where the front row is knee distance to the stage.  And the seating is only 10 or so rows of 12 seats each.  Yet the ceiling is very high.   Imagine a chapel with blacked out walls.  Your focus is brought entirely to the stage and the performers on it.  (Though why would you want to look elsewhere!) 

 

Matthew Ball appears in both pieces, but as the programme says, his roles are unrelated.  
 

Tommy Franzen is the Minotaur, Kristen McNally is his half-sister Ariadne and Matthew is Theseus.  
 

Alina Cojocaru and Matthew Ball are Pysche and Cupid in the second piece.  

This is a well put together show .. interesting lighting and music choices (listed in programme).  The scenes are identified ‘Combat’, ‘Seduction’ etc with their titles displayed on the set between scenes.  To me it was pretty clear what was going on without those, but perhaps the audience needs to be led.  
 

Superb dramatic intensity from all these fabulous dancers.  Alina is the only one on pointe, the others are all barefoot.  Her partnership with Matthew is very interesting … seamless.  

 

I’ve no idea how Alina managed to switch from the emotional high of her personal commission of 5 shows of La Strada ending on Sunday, to this intense work on Monday.   
 

Matthew’s roles as two different lovers are quite a contrast.  The challenge for Cupid in this version is to metamorphose from the unseen lover in the dark with no responsibility to open and seen commitment.  A tale for all time.  

[FionaM]

Rehearsal photos - Pysche/Cupid

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2Sg65bKG4F/?igsh=NXR6MWs3dHJsZXlq

[FionaM]

Rehearsal photos - Minotaur 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2KWjLwqH2T/?igsh=cmQzb2wwZ3B5Y2to

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2PtpOKqO_z/?igsh=MWs2d21mdmYxc2RhMA==

[Rob S]

59 minutes ago, FionaM said:

 

Amazing experience being in this venue where the front row is knee distance to the stage.  

 

Yes I have a front row seat now as my original date (row E) is affected by the GWR train strike...I feel like I'm going to be closer to the action than people turning up for Dark With Excessive Bright!!😄

Edited January 30 by Rob S

[Emeralds]

I must admit I've literally only just clocked that this run of performances began all the way in Bath literally the day after Alina Cojocaru's La Strada performances in London finished! (And she danced 2 shows in 1 day just 48 hours before opening in Bath!) I can't begin to fathom how sore Alina's feet, joints and body must feel! And it was a proper performance on Monday too- not an open rehearsal. (Which means she was doing the stage rehearsal in Bath less than 24 hours after leaving Sadler's Wells!) What a superwoman! 

 

Thank you for your informative review @FionaM- and well done for making it to Bath for the first show so soon after being at Sadler's Wells too! What a treat for residents in Bath and the surrounding areas- sounds like a super show.  I hope the rights and various considerations like the dancers' schedules will enable the show to be staged in London as well. (I ought to leg it down to Bath to see them but unless someone cancels or I can be cloned and teleported back, the laws of physics won't allow me to see it this time). 

 

But well done to Kim Brandstrup, Alina and colleagues, and toi toi toi to all of them for the rest of the run (press night is this Wednesday). 

[alison]

I do hope they're able to bring this to somewhere bigger and/or nearer London at some stage.

[FionaM]

@Emeralds  the Bath shows were announced way back in May 2023. The dates were shifted into February to allow for La Strada at the Wells. 

[FionaM]

FYI The show is about 1 hour 15 minutes long, including a short interval (15 minutes)

 

Last night’s show was described as a preview.  Ballet doesn’t usually have those, maybe they should with press night being 2-3 days later.  Hmm.   
 

The on stage dress rehearsal photos seem to have preceded La Strada, but after returning from Hamburg where Alina performed the long full length La Dame aux Camelias on 10 and 14 January.   That is a challenging schedule.  

Edited January 30 by FionaM

[Emeralds]

1 hour ago, FionaM said:

@Emeralds  the Bath shows were announced way back in May 2023. The dates were shifted into February to allow for La Strada at the Wells. 

Yes, now that you mention it I remember something like that - dates being moved. I must admit if it had been scheduled for London I would have booked if it didn't clash with ENB's Giselle ( for February and end of January I would have waited to check RB Manon casting....unfortunately for me it's in Bath so I guess that's all moot.) 

 

But after having a look at how to travel to Ustinov Theatre in Bath from where I am, it just wasn't feasible at this time of the year for my schedule. Am envious (in a good way) of Bath residents! 

Edited January 30 by Emeralds

[FionaM]

Just noticed all the Psyche typos 🙈

[Nogoat]

There's a fair amount of blurring of lines within this dance programme based on two stories from mythology - all to good effect, I might add:- 

 

- it's titled Metamorphoses, yet it comprises two pieces, one of which is Metamorphoses, the other Minotaur. Is that deliberate, or something more prosaic like a typo on the part of the Ustinov?
 
- it features Matthew Ball in both pieces, on what is effectively the same set, which led to the rather unusual note in the programme that their (and our) 'delight' in having him feature in both pieces should not be misconstrued as implying linkage as they are 'singular and separate works'

 

- both performances have preludes which play out while the audience trickles in and settles down, and these merge into the performances themselves; in Minotaur, Kristen McNally comes out and lays on a bed, Matthew Ball puts some finishing touches to some paintings that decorate the set, and Tommy Franzen sits in a corner

 

- this blurring over time helps generate a blurring of space - there is a clear demarcation of audience and stage, yet such is the intimate, almost claustrophobic, nature of the tiny Ustinov theatre that we are almost part of it (the lighting helped reinforce this)

 

- the period in which the pieces are set is ambiguous; 

 

In Minotaur, one episode has the music apparently coming from on old valve radio (which reminded my partner of Pita's The Mother); 

Also, during the intermission before Metamorphoses, Tommy Franzen (non-dancing and uncredited) explores the dimly-lit set with a head-mounted light, and sets up a theodolite to make measurements of various motifs embossed on the walls; this seemingly modern-day exploration plays out as a parallel, confounding story between the episodes of dance retelling the ancient myth of Cupid and Psyche;

 

Furthermore, the transitions between those episodes add to the confusion around time and place as they are accompanied by the sound of an elevator (I thought here of Pink Floyd's Welcome to the Machine) and bars of sinking light which give the impression of upward travel (cleverly, this reinforces the journey that Cupid and Psyche's relationship is taking from the concealment of darkness to the openness of light).

 

 

The stage design was sparse and gloomy; its high, dark walls were reminiscent of a dungeon and added to the overall feeling of confinement and claustrophobia. In Metamorphoses, the lighting achieved the neat trick of allowing us to see things that were happening in the dark, without shattering that illusion. On occasion, one high, narrow, very intense strip light that ran across the whole stage near the audience gave the impression of a fourth wall that further confined the dancers.

 

The music was an interesting, appropriate mix of styles and composers, and the recording was played right in the Goldilocks zone - neither too quiet nor too loud. The Ustinov boasts of its good sound system and acoustics, and I can understand why.

 

The main draw that took us on our first visit to the Ustinov was the opportunity to see Cojocaru dance (having only just seen her the week before in La Strada!), but it was also a real pleasure to see Matthew Ball - not only in both of these modern works, but also in a such a small venue and outside of London. It was also lovely to see Kristen McNally in more than her usual supporting, character roles at the ROH. She danced and played the changing fortunes and feelings of Ariadne rather beautifully; her solo 'lament' was captivating, and her dancing with her male partners was impressive (my partner asked me 'when was the last time you saw Kristen properly lifted?', and I really couldn't recall...).

 

The revelation of the evening, though, was Tommy Franzen. He played the Minotaur at the start of, er, Minotaur, and Dionysus (who rescues McNally's Ariadne from her desolate state) towards the end.
As the Minotaur, in a section called 'combat', he and Matthew Ball's Theseus fight. The physicality of Franzen was incredible - a mixture of stunt action, gymnastics and contemporary choreography, including what could almost be described as break-dance moves (at one point he moves as if lit by a strobe - as a series of freeze frames).

He also leapt a good metre or more up the wall to hold onto a ledge and handhold with such precision it looked like he's been attracted there by magnets (the same sort of effect as when a vaulter hits the mat and doesn't move an inch or degree).

But it was his appearance as Dionysus that really impressed. The posters and programme feature a picture of Franzen seemingly suspended above McNally asleep on her bed

see: https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/events/metamorphoses

I assumed this would be on a wire, if it were to feature in the performance at all.

However, he first appears on the opposite side of the stage to the sleeping McNally, perched at the very top of the scenery wall. This section of the performance is called Deus ex Machina, but there is no contrivance such as a wire to be seen; instead, the knobbly surface of the walls of the stage act as foot and handholds and he moves smoothly and silently down and across the stage walls like some weird amalgam of Gollum and Spiderman, occasionally stopping to lean out at right angles to the wall before moving again.

It is him hanging onto the wall next to McNally's bed, that gives the impression of being suspended in space in the poster.

Later in the section, McNally is sat at the base of the wall, still oblivious of his presence, and he makes his way vertically down from the top of the wall towards her - all I could think of was how on earth they got it through health and safety! (it turns out he is an avid rock-climber, but even so!)

The last part of their final duet together has him on the bed, grasping her waist with his feet and supporting her outstretched body - all without a flicker of wobble or movement; it must be amazing to have legs and feet that you can use like arms and hands!

 

We so enjoyed the evening that when we got home we managed to nab the last remaining pair of tickets from the web-site for another performance. I do hope they continue to tour this production, and hopefully film it, as it's a really effective programme ideally suited to smaller venues. I really can't find anything to fault...

 

[Emeralds]

On 30/01/2024 at 15:01, FionaM said:

Just noticed all the Psyche typos 🙈

Don't worry, FionaM, I've had loads of typos since switching to a new device (it is good for some things but it seems to object to prose!) My brain just assumed that you spelled it as Psyche.  👍 

 

Thank you for the informative review, @Nogoat! I guess the show will have to be staged again elsewhere (or in several different regions!) as it's now nearly sold out. Fingers crossed Alistair Spalding will invite them to perform the double bill in Sadler's Wells! (No doubt they are also wanted in other cities.) 

 

Currently: limited number of tickets/returns left for tonight, Fri 2 Feb, Wed 7 Feb (which may change). 

Edited January 31 by Emeralds

[Nogoat]

I've no idea if pictures stored on Google Drive are viewable by those without Google accounts, but I took a few pictures on my phone prior to and after last night's performance and put them on my Google Drive. The first one in particular might help make sense of my burblings above. Here are the links...

 

The 'prelude' to Minotaur, with Kristen McNally on the bed, Matt Ball's leg exiting on the left, and my fingers top right!...

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18krk0DuN28MTMHt2Ay4N-vw-rqSG-cjQ/view?usp=sharing

 

Ball, McNally and Franzen at the end of Minotaur (they seem shortened as I was up in the 'circle')...

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18msS3sj_KCcmedXfo5YqHC6jKtVb2yCn/view?usp=sharing

 

Cojocaru and Ball at the end of Metamorphoses...

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18iSb7oVo1zNHH8Mjh0YIp6Ykbvt5KMBV/view?usp=sharing

[Rob S]

Far too close to the action this evening to use a camera, a phone snap will have to do 

 

 

[FionaM]

Such a treat being so close!  (Advantages to recorded music 😉)

[SheilaC]

I’ve seen two performances. I can’t boast that I fully understand either ballet, they are quite deep and there’s a lot left to one’s imagination. I think Kim Brandstrup’s approach to myths reflects the psychoanalytical probing of myths.

 

But the performances are outstanding. Tommy Franzen’s ability to combine climbing and gymnastical movement with contemporary dance is astonishing. Matthew Ball does not only act with total conviction and dance expressively but demonstrates remarkable partnering skills, coping with difficult angles in moving with Franzen in the first piece and subtle but

highly complex moves with Alina in the second ballet. Alina, well what can one say about Alina? Expressive, deeply touching, wonderful musical timing, lovely line, which one doesn’t necessarily expect in contemporary dance. But perhaps the revelation was Kristen McNally, a wonderful, moving performance, dancing so well, so expressively, not least in her long solo. It’s true she contributes a lot to the Royal Ballet as a principal character artist and through her choreography- but, whilst her contribution to 

Crystal Pite’s pieces is important, on the whole her ability to dance is not fully used.

 

It was a great pleasure to see Kim Brandstrup’s work again. After so much classical ballet, much as I love it, and more ‘modern ‘ choreography, which is often pretentious or formulaic, it was refreshing to see the work of an independent mind, one who combines interesting musical choices with visual originality and a fresh approach to choreography.

[Emeralds]

I really hope both ballets can be reprised in London and that Alistair Spalding or ROH are already inviting them. Always enjoyed Kim Brandstrup's choreography for the Royal Ballet and for independent performers, and I'd like to see Tommy Franzen and Alina Cojocaru with these dancers. Fingers crossed their various schedules can be coordinated to stage it in London.

[Scheherezade]

3 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

I really hope both ballets can be reprised in London and that Alistair Spalding or ROH are already inviting them. Always enjoyed Kim Brandstrup's choreography for the Royal Ballet and for independent performers, and I'd like to see Tommy Franzen and Alina Cojocaru with these dancers. Fingers crossed their various schedules can be coordinated to stage it in London.

Agreed. On both fronts. I am keeping my fingers crossed that these ballets will come to London, and with the same casts, and I would love to see both Goldberg and Invitus Invitam revived by the RB, and/or a new commission for Kim Brandstrup, whose choreography I far prefer to almost all of the RB’s current commissions. 

[annamk]

4 hours ago, Scheherezade said:

Agreed. On both fronts. I am keeping my fingers crossed that these ballets will come to London, and with the same casts, and I would love to see both Goldberg and Invitus Invitam revived by the RB, and/or a new commission for Kim Brandstrup, whose choreography I far prefer to almost all of the RB’s current commissions. 

Exactly what I was thinking thinking. 

[Nogoat]

I enjoyed my second visit, to yesterday's matinee, just as much as the first, if not more.

Part of that might have been the different vantage point (up in the tiny 'balcony' for the first, and on the front row yesterday - literally a couple of feet from the dancers at times) but, regardless, the two half-hour pieces are rich and ambiguous enough in their disjointed, dreamlike quality to benefit from repeated viewings. 

Once again the (admittedly small) Ustinov Studio was sold out and, while we were waiting in the foyer, a couple of hopefuls asked the door staff if there were any spare seats (someone who definitely did have a ticket was none other than Zenaida Yanowsky, who floated past us - that's how she seemed to move! - across the crowded foyer).
With the small number of dancers and fairly spartan sets, I do hope this small-audience run has been sufficiently viable to be further promoted - perhaps even on Sadler's Wells main stage or, more appropriately in terms of intimacy, the Lilian Baylis or the Linbury?

And it needs to be recorded.

 

 

The first piece, Minotaur, was the clearest and most literal of the two, with the three dancers and the four characters they portray recounting distinct chapters in its own interpretation of the slaying of the Minotaur and the events that followed.

However, my vantage point allowed me to pick up on nuances that had escaped me before. I was struck by the almost shell-shocked, introspective detatchment of McNally's Ariadne; she seemed emotionally numbed by the killing of her half-brother the Minotaur and her complicity in it - during the 'seduction' sequence between her and Theseus/Ball, her head and gaze were invariably directed towards the Minotaur's head lying to one side of the stage, only becoming more alive and animated when Theseus tried to leave her later in the 'departure' sequence (his repeatedly vain attempts at sneaking away from their shared bed, and his reaction to being being reeled back in, might have elicited laughter under other circumstances). 
Tommy Franzen was, once again, not to be outdone by the more familiar (to me) talents of Ball and McNally. If anything, his mastery of movement across the vertical surfaces of the set was even more impressive when viewed from 'below' next to the stage rather than 'above' from the balcony.

 

 

For me, the second piece, Metamorphoses, was the more challenging to unpick and interpret on first viewing, as it sought to render the evolution of the relationship between two lovers from mythology (Cupid and Psyche) against what seemed to be a parallel backdrop of some sort of archeological dig.

It yielded dividends on second viewing and, of course, the chance to see again (for the third time in as many weeks!) the living legend that is Alina Cojocaru.

 

Within that evolution there was a gradual power-shift from Cupid to Psyche as their journey to mutual openness was portrayed as a literal journey from the depths to the surface of some sort of underground complex (each phase being punctuated by Franzen's 'archeologist' engaged in the surveying of what I saw as the long-lost ruins of some ancient, possibly advanced, civilisation - perhaps that which inspired the ancient myth, the echoes of which were playing out before us?).

At the start, in the dark, Cupid/Ball is in complete control and, within this potentially dangerous asymmetry, is playing with Psyche/Cojocaru's obvious hesitation and concern elicited by that darkness.

In the section called 'Ecstasy', she is becoming more at ease with the dark and more trusting of him. There is a wonderful sequence of moves that I had failed to see the relevance of before; she repeatedly falls backwards or leaps forward (in complete darkness, in her world) only to have Cupid catch and 'save' her at the last moment - that thrillingly ecstatic blend of feelings that is 'safe jeopardy', a bit like taking a rollercoaster ride or, as a child, being thrown in the air and caught by a parent!

By 'Exposure' she is starting to influence the terms of their relationship and how it develops - it ends with her throwing a switch to expose Cupid to the full glare of the light. He no longer has anywhere to hide - for both their sakes, she has forced him to be 'honest'.

He comes to terms with this shock during a solo called 'Elegy', and by the 'Epilogue' they and their relationship achieves a more equal footing (literally, with her balanced over him, supported on his feet).

And, talking of feet, it has been pointed out before just how shabby the likes of Osipova's shoes can be; well, Alina wore pointe shoes for Metamorphoses that were similarly, if not more, worn, dirty and generally tatty. 
But. It. Didn't. Matter. One. Bit.
She was lovely, her dancing was lovely, and her shoes were only important in allowing that loveliness full and free rein.

 

[LinMM]

Thanks for those great reviews Nogoat! I’d like to see this. 

It’s just a thought and probably impractical in any sort of scheduling terms but I wonder if a ballet more suited to smaller venues could work at Almeida Theatre in Islington? 
I don’t know the theatre mentioned in Bath and whether it’s smaller even or bigger than Almeida but would make a change from Linbury. 

[Lizbie1]

8 hours ago, LinMM said:

Thanks for those great reviews Nogoat! I’d like to see this. 

It’s just a thought and probably impractical in any sort of scheduling terms but I wonder if a ballet more suited to smaller venues could work at Almeida Theatre in Islington? 
I don’t know the theatre mentioned in Bath and whether it’s smaller even or bigger than Almeida but would make a change from Linbury. 

 

It's really tiny, definitely smaller than the Almeida.

 

This link should take you to a booking page for another production so you can see for yourself.

https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/book-online/?performance=322006

 

Edit: I've just counted: 126 seats total.

Edited February 12 by Lizbie1