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Royal Ballet - Swan Lake 2024


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I do sympathise about the programmes, JNC - I've been disappointed a few times when I've bought one X years after the first one and found that little has changed, although I do find that they usually change most of the photos. I bought a sleeping beauty programme in the second half of the run last year and found the photos had been changed to reflect the dancers cast.

 

But the broader context reminds me of a conversation I had recently with another ROH regular who I suspect has been attending rather longer than I have, and probably booking better seats, and we both decided that we're starting to feel distinctly unwelcome there at times.

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4 hours ago, JNC said:

 

 

Slightly off topic but not sure where else it would go, when I went to see the production a couple of weeks ago I noticed it’s no longer possible to simply pick up and flick through a programme.

 

 

nip into the shop on the way in, they sell programmes there - and have never minded when I've politely asked to glance at one (I *think* there may be a copy there for such purposes)

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I’ve often wondered why they can’t put a ‘contents’ section of a new programme online so one can compare directly at leisure with old programmes without having to remember what was in them or bring them in. I suppose that’s a bit tricky with photos though. I find the staff generally very polite, however.

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Rather disappointed to see the general public have missed two debuts in the shape of Annette as a sister and Amelia as Italian princess 😔

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7 hours ago, Rob S said:

Rather disappointed to see the general public have missed two debuts in the shape of Annette as a sister and Amelia as Italian princess 😔

* the older general public in this particular case.
on previous occasions, there have been debuts at school’s matinees that general public has missed. 

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Well, that's hardly unusual: many times these "off-public" performances have been used for lower-stress main-role debuts.  Darcey Bussell's Odette/Odile was one such, I believe.

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On 22/03/2024 at 14:46, FionaM said:

Was Cesar able to jump like he did before?  🤞🤞🤞

 

i mean, I'm not an expert but I thought so. I noticed that his landings were soft and I could hardly hear them, and I was close to the stage. Turns very good. He was very on point in Act 3, everything done very cleanly. Granted I didn't see him perform it in 2022 with Mayara, this was my first time seeing them both in these roles so I didn't have anything to compare it to. But I think he's come back strong and I wish him well in his next performances of The Winter's Tale and whatever else he's cast in.

 

I'm not sure what injury he had but I think it was his back? I commend him for persisting and coming back after this very challenging time.

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On 22/03/2024 at 10:40, alison said:

Well, that's hardly unusual: many times these "off-public" performances have been used for lower-stress main-role debuts.  Darcey Bussell's Odette/Odile was one such, I believe.

That's correct for a number of debuts, but Darcey Bussell's debut as Odette/Odile with Jonathan Cope was a normal paying performance available to all (Saturday matinee). However, all matinees had cheaper prices than evening performances in those days. The late Mary Clarke of The Dancing Times and other dance critics were there. So were my friends and I (actually it was my friend's choice to go - I usually prefer to see the second or third show, unless they are assigned only 1 show, like Calvin Richardson was for Manon this season). 

 

Weirdly enough, the ticket prices in the Amphitheatre (full view, not restricted) were the same price then as a schools matinee ticket price is now (due to inflation).

 

In those days, I think the expectations of debuts was very different to what they are now, maybe because they were matinées, and because the dancers making debuts in the lead or featured roles had asterisks next to their names so I guess the audience was expected to be more supportive. Nowadays the prices are expensive for all performances (other than Schools, Welcome, Young ROH etc and other restricted audience sponsored performances) so everyone making a debut is often prepped to dance like they are seasoned veterans of the roles because expectations are high.

Edited by Emeralds
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On 21/03/2024 at 23:26, Rob S said:

Rather disappointed to see the general public have missed two debuts in the shape of Annette as a sister and Amelia as Italian princess 😔

 

I'm sure they'll be reprising these roles throughout this relatively long Swan Lake run. As you can imagine they were both very good. Amelia interjects wonderful attitude into everything she does, and Annette is calmly brilliant as always.

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Well, again, they weren't showing up on the performances I looked at, hence my choice of the word "allegedly", because I didn't want to get people's hopes up too much.

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1 hour ago, alison said:

Well, again, they weren't showing up on the performances I looked at, hence my choice of the word "allegedly", because I didn't want to get people's hopes up too much.

I think that’s why this message comes up now after one clicks on ‘Buy Seats’: 


“ Please sign in before choosing your seats in order to access prices available to you “

 

And by implication, the seats available to you. 
Although admittedly the wording of the message could be less obtuse to avoid continued confusion.

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Well, I'm assuming that, as a general member of the public, either seats will be available to me or they'll be hidden unless you belong to a specified other category.  So I can't see any particular point in my logging in - although in fact it turns out that I am logged in here, and still can't see any seats.

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Noooo completely missed them going on sale- checked this morning and lunchtime  for 9 May but was in meetings from 2 and obviously missed out again. 

6 hours ago, alison said:

There are currently (allegedly) a few cheap-ish tickets available for many of the May dates of the Spring run, in case anyone's interested.

 

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Returns come back all the time and there's Friday Rush as well, so do have a look frequently if you really want a ticket or tickets, folks. Don't forget there's often a flurry of tickets going back the 1-2 days beforehand as the 24 hour cutoff for box office credit looms. 

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3 hours ago, alison said:

Well, I'm assuming that, as a general member of the public, either seats will be available to me or they'll be hidden unless you belong to a specified other category.  So I can't see any particular point in my logging in - although in fact it turns out that I am logged in here, and still can't see any seats.


but they are hidden on the seating plan

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42 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

to anyone

 

I don’t know why this is such a difficult topic to clarify.
If a seat hasn’t been sold it has to show as available to purchase in the listing. e.g.

 

4 MAY 2024

SATURDAY, 7PM
MAIN STAGE

GUIDANCE: Content suitable for all. We cannot admit children under the age of 5.

 
Conducted by Martin Georgiev
CAST
Fumi Kaneko, Vadim Muntagirov

£35

LAST FEW REMAINING
 
 

 

To not do so would be to provide incorrect information.
However, NOT all available seats can be purchased by everyone as some may be held back for the time being, for want of a better description, for special interest groups e.g. YROH, Access, RBS and who knows who else.

This is why when we click on ‘Buy tickets’ we get:

 

“Please sign in before choosing your seats in order to access prices available to you. To register for wheelchair spaces, please contact box office.

How would you like to find your seats?

 

It would be MUCH clearer if the message said « … in order to access THE SEATS and prices available to you … »


If, after clicking on “use our seatmap”, whether I am logged in or not, the seat map shows no availability, it means that the ‘available’ seats are NOT available for ME to purchase at the present time. However, they ARE available for purchase by the special interest groups for which they have been set aside. They WILL show up as visible on the seating plan if someone logs in who belongs to one of these special interest groups.

 

It’s a frustrating system at the best of times but once one understands how and why it is set up in such a way it does sort of make sense. 
 

NB when tickets go on general sale on Wednesday (thanks @LinMM) every seating plan will include lots of seats which are reserved for sale to special interest groups. They will not be identifiable. Only in instances when all tickets available to you and me are sold but some reserved for special interest groups remain unsold will the anomaly in availability be ‘visible’. 

Edited by San Perregrino
Extra info
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9 hours ago, San Perregrino said:

 

I don’t know why this is such a difficult topic to clarify.
If a seat hasn’t been sold it has to show as available to purchase in the listing. e.g.

 

 

But is still no use to anyone who wants to buy a ticket but doesn't fall into one of the categories.

 

Perhaps it may be worth checking back in case they are released but as pointed out elsewhere for those of us who have to book train tickets, hotels and kennel for dog it is frustrating to say the least.

 

I had my eye on a ticket for Manon at a performance where, when I first looked, there was a decent choice of seats.  By the time I made up my mind to go for it a few days later not only had that ticket gone but the whole auditorium was showing as sold out.  Then it became like the Hokey Cokey - some appeared, some disappeared, some appeared elsewhere, some disappeared elsewhere, the train and hotel prices had gone up so I gave up and settled for the cinema viewing which, while I enjoyed, was not the cast I had wanted to see.

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Forum favourites Fumi Kaneko and William Bracewell are dancing the next 2 performances on Maundy Thursday and Easter Monday - not meaning to get the thread sidetracked but members who stated that they were very keen to catch them both and looking out for returns......there are a few single seat returns at £55 or £96 (both days) so better move quickly if you want one! 

 

NB: the next Friday Rush is on THURSDAY 28 March 1pm, not on Friday 29th, because Friday is Good Friday and hence a bank holiday, for the Easter Monday Swan Lake performances. 

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5 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

NB: the next Friday Rush is on THURSDAY 28 March 1pm, not on Friday 29th, because Friday is Good Friday and hence a bank holiday, for the Easter Monday Swan Lake performances. 

 

I'm hoping not too many people realise that so there will be less competition!

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1 hour ago, alison said:

Perhaps we could get back to the main subject of this thread now?

 

 

Will this suffice? Though GAH ODILE IS NOT A SWAN!) 

 

🩰 🦢

 

 

Edited by Roberta
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1 hour ago, Sim said:

O-dial?!  

 

How is it possible for someone associated with the ROH/RB, or anyone overseeing her, to miscue in this way?

It does offer an unfortunate window on the way in which certain areas of responsibility are discharged within the ROH.

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North American dancers, choreographers and critics all pronounce it correctly so it's nothing to do with the accent - ie "oh - deel" as opposed to "oh- dial". Someone should correct her. It sounds pretentious at best, ignorant at worst- both not what the ROH want to project!

 

The notion that Swan Lake was a flop or failure when it premiered, which she also states, is now also an outmoded assumption as Bolshoi theatre records now available to historians show that the original production ran continuously in rep (ie not every night like a West End musical but alternate nights with other productions) for not just one year but three whole years before making way for new ballets- that actually makes it more successful than a lot of ballets hailed by critics and fans today. 

Edited by Emeralds
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