Royal Ballet MacMillan triple bill: Danses Concertantes, Different Drummer, Requiem 20 March to 13 April 2024

[Linnzi5]

38 minutes ago, Roberta said:

 

It's all a missed opportunity for education isn't it? The assumption is they are talking to an 'in crowd' who know all of this, rather than a general audience who may well be new to it.  Often it's rather good, it appears little effort was put into this one.

 

 

I got the impression, certainly from those within earshot of me during the intervals, that a lot of the cinema audience around me did not know anything about the ballets or the dancers - though all seemed to enjoy themselves. I don't know if this is typical of audiences though.

 

I did find the Benesh notation segment quite interesting, but it was too short and didn't have enough detail in it for me, though I know I'm being fussy! 

[LinMM]

Yes I was quite taken with Different Drummer last night with Hayward and Sambe both giving outstanding performances. I was much more drawn into this than Danses Concertantes the first piece which was okay but I felt a bit bored with it to be honest. 
All the main characters in Drummer were very good and will definitely look out for Serrano in the future. 
I think somebody else here much earlier on mentioned some of main characters moves ( Sambe ‘s ) were Petrouchka like and I agree with this. A sort of puppet of his circumstances as they had destroyed him. All very chilling stuff and didn’t get all of it …the strange bit with the captain on the chair being lowered to the ground….It did go on just a bit too long as the scene with the “harlots” was superfluous to me …just wanted it to get to the dramatic conclusion by then 

Not a piece like Requiem you could see every week but with the right dancers definitely not a Piece to be forgotten either! Sambe must have been absolutely exhausted by the end of it. 
Requiem was so beautiful as said like everything about this ballet especially the lighting ….and Lamb could have been a real Angel come down onto the stage for this performance….Luke B coming into his own here and Sissens of course terrific in his bits not to mention Hamilton. 
Of course there’s the music …wonderfully performed .. a nice bit of a heavenly Dance Piece Thankyou Macmillan!! 
 

 

 

Edited April 10 by LinMM

[BeauxArts]

I disagree that the live broadcast catered more for the « in crowd » than newcomers: I think it actually struck a good balance between context for those less familiar with MacMillan (or totally unfamiliar)  and those who already had a reasonable grounding  in his work/experience  of ballet. The variety of interviews - Lady MacMillan, Laura Morera,  Ross MacGibbon, the Benesh Notators, the stager of Different  Drummer, Donald MacLeary and Alessandra Ferri were all impressive, interspersed with rehearsal shots.

 

Previously, on a different thread, I had disagreed with Capybara who had raised concerns about Darcey as detracting from today’s star/rising star dancers (I paraphrase). I still stand by that view but do feel that the problem unfortunately that Darcey does pose is the « white knuckle ride » of her presenting style, which in fact is a distraction because it is so erratic. Some of her errors were nothing to do with the autocue, which is perplexing.

 

As to the performance (finally) - I found it a fascinating triple bill which repays more than one  viewing. Danses Concertantes as MacMillan’s first creation is an extraordinary proposition: quirky, technically complex, stimulating but I am not  at present sure how I really feel about it. To be seen again, I think.  I was sorry not to see Vadim but very pleased to see Zuchetti back and looking on good form. Having seen the original cast of  Different Drummer, but not the intervening revivals, I wondered if this cast could bring the emotional heft that the original more mature artists had done (Ferri benefiting I think from their experience in finding depth in the potentially shallow Marie): last night’s cast gave a powerful and compelling  account, with Serrano looking completely at ease besides his Principal colleagues. 
As to Requiem, all the plaudits above are fully deserved. It is a  masterpiece, danced with supreme integrity by all the dancers last night. I have not stopped thinking about it. This work, alongside Song of the Earth and Gloria, should surely be part of a regular rotation of MacMillan’s one act works, as much as any of his full-length pieces. 
 

Lastly, for a live broadcast, surely it is possible to find space to show the cast list on screen? The technology must exist??!!
 

Edited April 10 by BeauxArts

[Swan]

7 hours ago, Suffolkgal said:

Slightly tangential but regarding Ross, I did follow him a lot when he was dancing, and interviewed him once too at his home….With Robert Jude and Wayne Eagling he published a book of photos called the company we keep. I think he came to film through that… anyway … there we go

 
And I recently found a copy of The Company We Keep when I was clearing through my loft. Quite enjoyed revisiting it!

[bridiem]

1 hour ago, Lynette H said:

Sorry to report a complete failure of the cinema relay in south London last night. They just couldn't get it to work. Many apologies from the Odeon staff and a refund processed straight away. A pity. My only chance to see Hayward missed. 

 

I'm so sorry, @Lynette H! So disappointing for you.

[alison]

1 hour ago, Lynette H said:

Sorry to report a complete failure of the cinema relay in south London last night. They just couldn't get it to work. Many apologies from the Odeon staff and a refund processed straight away. A pity. My only chance to see Hayward missed. 

 

I'm really sorry to hear that, Lynette.  Can you make an Encore performance (down my way, perhaps?).  They aren't normally all on the following Sunday.

 

4 hours ago, Blossom said:

The loose tall seats are incredible value

 

Sometimes they can be: at others they most certainly aren't.  I've had some really poor experiences from them (and when I saw Swan Lake from one the other day it was rather worse than I would have expected) as well as some good ones.  It's just so hit and miss where the seats are in relation to the people in front of you.

[alison]

5 hours ago, Linnzi5 said:

@alison The sounds issues happened three times and were maybe 10 seconds each time? I wouldn't say they were really bad at my cinema but they certainly were a bit distracting. They were distortions and the music sounded scratchy and incomplete, which it clearly was.

 

Ah, in that case I think we got a rather worse version than you?  I'd say 2 x about 1 minute, or at least long enough for me to put up with it, then start considering whether I should get up and go and find someone to report it.  And then it stopped, so I didn't.

[Linnzi5]

1 hour ago, Lynette H said:

Sorry to report a complete failure of the cinema relay in south London last night. They just couldn't get it to work. Many apologies from the Odeon staff and a refund processed straight away. A pity. My only chance to see Hayward missed. 

I'm sorry to hear this. Could you go to an encore performance? I'm not sure how many cinemas do them though. 

[alison]

Clapham and East Dulwich Picturehouses Monday daytime, for a start ...  It's so difficult to tell from the horrible new webpage, though.

[Fonty]

1 hour ago, alison said:

Clapham and East Dulwich Picturehouses Monday daytime, for a start ...  It's so difficult to tell from the horrible new webpage, though.

 

You can certainly say that again, @alison  I couldn't see Picturehouses mentioned at all when I did a search for London.  The only choices I got were the Curzon Mayfair on Sunday, or the Everyman Hampstead or Barnet on Monday.  Were none of the Odeon cinemas screening it at all?

Edited to add I didn't realise some of the cinemas were doing Encores on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.  A bit unusual, but I see my local Picturehouse is doing one that I could get to.  But it really is a horrible new page, I don't like it at all.

Edited April 10 by Fonty

[Scheherezade]

7 hours ago, Emeralds said:

 

Had no idea it was Petroc Trelawney co-presenting.....I'm sure if they had said, to him "Do a summary of the meaning and text of Fauré's Requiem to fill 2 minutes" he will do so beautifully as he will have covered it for Radio 3 before. He also presents at the Proms and Cardiff Singer of the World so he's used to filling in x number of minutes or seconds on a live broadcast.  And of the current classical music presenters working today, he and Katie Derham are the only ones I've seen who are able to discuss ballet knowledgeably.

And on a completely superficial level, he also has a rather lovely name. 

[Tattin]

7 hours ago, Mary said:

The presentation of the screenings is always like this.

Recently they have started to interview technical and backstage people, and i have found that so much more informative: many very articulate people speak with enthusiasm but quite calmly without all the gushing. For example, the lighting team interviewed in the Butterfly screening were excellent.

The RB people can't stop saying everything is wonderful, marvellous etc, which tells us nothing- and also, it is really for the audience to decide if it is wonderful, marvellous, good or OK..or not.....

I would much prefer to have a clear explanation of the background, plot where relevant, a few dates, names, some context and so on- it's a shame they feel they have to gush.

And after Requiem really all that is needed is a very quiet pause.

 

 

The screening wasn't available outside the UK, but this is just to say (envy apart!) that Mary you have exactly expressed my feelings about the presentations in general.

[Jake]

A very well balanced triple bill, I thought, with three such contrasting moods.

Didn’t find the strange headdresses in Danses Concertantes as distracting as I feared, though it’s slightly frustrating that it’s so hard to put names to faces for the male dancers (not that the cast sheets issued at the cinema were much help throughout the evening!).

Very much a period piece but none the worse for that. Some of the music at the start did seem somewhat avant garde - silly me didn’t realise until afterwards that was merely a technical glitch!

Beautifully performed by the entire cast.

 

Had rather been dreading Different Drummer after a lot of the comments here but must admit I was spellbound! Perhaps it benefits from the closer focus a broadcast provides, and certainly it was helpful I’d had a quick read-up of the story in advance. A bit more explanation from the presenters wouldn’t have gone amiss.

The dichotomy between the often gorgeous music and the devastating scenario only added to the emotional ‘hit’ as far as I was concerned. Thought Sambé was amazing, visibly seeming to diminish before one’s eyes, complemented superbly by Hayward, and I can’t wait to see Serrano again in meatier roles - wow!

Macmillan’s genius in creating a form of beauty out of the deepest despair is surely unique.

 

As for Requiem - perfection, or very close to! The contrast between Hamilton’s long-limbed athleticism and energy with Lamb’s exquisite serenity (not for the first time I felt she is particularly well served by cinema viewing) added to the effect. And each time I see Bracewell I appreciate his special artistry more and more.

OK, Latin subtitles wouldn’t quite be the thing but it would be very helpful to have the ‘lyrics’ on the cast sheet plus a translation and an explanation of their significance in context of the mass - it would add a new level to one’s understanding of the piece beyond simply revelling in the fabulous music and dancing.

Good to learn a little about the mechanics of notation and about the filming process. Am I right that the lighting of the recent ROH broadcasts is considerably improved?

It must be very difficult for the presenters to strike a balance between aiming for a specialist audience and the more casual viewer. Thankfully Petroc is so smooth and professional and appears genuinely interested which I’m sure he is.

 

 

Edited April 11 by alison
To increase font size

[Linnzi5]

28 minutes ago, Jake said:

 

 Some of the music at the start did seem somewhat avant garde - silly me didn’t realise until afterwards that was merely a technical glitch!

Beautifully performed by the entire cast.

I cannot deny that when the first glitch happened that I thought, hmmm, I don't remember the Stravinsky being this dissonant and unattractive! I then realised, after the second one, that it was definitely a sound issue! I can't deny that I felt a bit embarrassed at myself for not initially realising it actually wasn't meant to sound like that! To be fair, I don't know the Stravinsky well 😂

28 minutes ago, Jake said:

 

It must be very difficult for the presenters to strike a balance between aiming for a specialist audience and the more casual viewer. Thankfully Petroc is so smooth and professional and appears genuinely interested which I’m sure he is.

 

 

I agree. I actually I agree with all of your review but I tend to waffle on, so cut the other bits out of my reply! I agree that Petroc does seem genuinely interested and so knowledgable and I am certain he is both. 

[alison]

That's a point.  I have a friend who almost drools at the very mention of Petroc - perhaps I should try to persuade her to come along to these cinema relays.  Might even make a convert!

[alison]

6 hours ago, Fonty said:

 

You can certainly say that again, @alison  I couldn't see Picturehouses mentioned at all when I did a search for London.  The only choices I got were the Curzon Mayfair on Sunday, or the Everyman Hampstead or Barnet on Monday.  Were none of the Odeon cinemas screening it at all?

 

Oh, they certainly were, although my local-est Odeon seems to have given up doing Encore showings.  Possibly it will deign to do one for something as popular as Swan Lake, though.

[LinMM]

Because I wasn’t really that drawn into Danses Concertantes …didn’t dislike but just didn’t really grab me …I started focussing on a  “guess the dancer” game. For a couple of minutes thought Caspar Lench was the one in green but then realised it wasn’t him but couldn’t get who it actually was( Zucchetti I believe)  Anyway in the interval when I got the cast list up I hadn’t got one dancer correct ….not even Gasparini who danced with such charm!!! 
It’s only 9 months since my last big optician visit but think I may need new distance glasses already🙄
 

[JennyTaylor]

 

29 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Because I wasn’t really that drawn into Danses Concertantes …didn’t dislike but just didn’t really grab me …I started focussing on a  “guess the dancer” game. For a couple of minutes thought Caspar Lench was the one in green but then realised it wasn’t him but couldn’t get who it actually was( Zucchetti I believe)  Anyway in the interval when I got the cast list up I hadn’t got one dancer correct ….not even Gasparini who danced with such charm!!! 
It’s only 9 months since my last big optician visit but think I may need new distance glasses already🙄
 

I shouldn't worry too much. The first time I saw it, I struggled to recognise Vadim - and how well known is he!  It's those head dresses.  I play guess the dancer a lot as I really like to know who I am seeing and find the lack on information on the cast sheets frustrating.  I think Danses Concertantes was challenging in the respect, but it's still so when there are SO many swans. 

[alison]

My reaction on the first night was: have they replaced Vadim without announcing it? Who was second cast?!

[Sim]

1 hour ago, LinMM said:

Because I wasn’t really that drawn into Danses Concertantes …didn’t dislike but just didn’t really grab me …I started focussing on a  “guess the dancer” game. For a couple of minutes thought Caspar Lench was the one in green but then realised it wasn’t him but couldn’t get who it actually was( Zucchetti I believe)  Anyway in the interval when I got the cast list up I hadn’t got one dancer correct ….not even Gasparini who danced with such charm!!! 
It’s only 9 months since my last big optician visit but think I may need new distance glasses already🙄
 

Should've gone to Specsavers....!  🤓

[LinMM]

Well Sim I might well be doing just that next time as Spectrum eye care in Lewes is getting eye wateringly ( sorry couldn’t resist) expensive. Seats at the ROH cheap by comparison to a pair of glasses let alone two pairs plus all the eye tests!!! 

[FionaM]

The online cast list was available before the cinema relay.  I didn’t bother with the printouts that the cinema get sent.  They are often too brief only listing the two leads only for full length! 

[Dawnstar]

1 hour ago, LinMM said:

Because I wasn’t really that drawn into Danses Concertantes …didn’t dislike but just didn’t really grab me …I started focussing on a  “guess the dancer” game. For a couple of minutes thought Caspar Lench was the one in green but then realised it wasn’t him but couldn’t get who it actually was( Zucchetti I believe)  Anyway in the interval when I got the cast list up I hadn’t got one dancer correct ….not even Gasparini who danced with such charm!!! 
It’s only 9 months since my last big optician visit but think I may need new distance glasses already🙄

 

For me Zuchetti looked rather like Joshua Junker when under that headdress, though I did realise who it actually was. During my first viewing of Danses Concertantes on 27th I was under the impression Nadia Mullova-Barley was Annette Buvoli until I checked the cast list again in the interval but then they are two dancers who I have a tendency to misidentify as each other on occasion even without the Danses Concertantes headdresses.

[Mary]

I couldn't recognise any of them either even with my bins. 

[Linnzi5]

8 hours ago, Mary said:

I couldn't recognise any of them either even with my bins. 

I did recognise some from Danses Concertantes - but only because I'd memorised the cast list and worked it out by a process of elimination!  The men looked so different with the head adornments on! I still don't know who half the supporting female dancers were in Requiem, as their hairstyles were so similar. I did recognise Meghan Grace Hinkis and Annette Buvoli though. To be fair, I'm pretty poor at recognising most dancers.

[JohnS]

A memorable cinema relay despite the sound problems in the first part of Danses Concertantes. I managed to see the live relay in Keswick and Rheged’s delayed ‘live’ relay on Thursday evening. Unsurprisingly the two sound glitches were still there and Rheged were pretty sure they’d also be there for the encore. At least knowing the glitches are relatively short and are only in Danses Concertantes might help those going to the encore. Hopefully something will be done before the Triple Bill is streamed or released on DVD. I’ve been very taken with Danses Concertantes and congratulations to Isabella Gasperini for leading all performances. And I thought all 14 dancers had that sparky, joie de vivre which makes Danses Concertantes so infectious, a testament to all of them and I’m sure Laura Morera’s staging.

I found Different Drummer hugely impressive and it was very good to see the detail, for example Marie’s intoxication with the Drum Major. Marcelino Sambe and Francesca Hayward were mesmerising and so well supported by all the cast. Francisco Serrano made for a swaggering, confident Drum Major, more assured than on opening night.

 

I still think there are tensions between the ballet and the music. Schoenberg’s Verklarte Nacht and Richard Dehmel's poem which Schoenberg so wonderfully evokes, are forgiving and uplifting: the man accepts his lover’s child as his own:

"Do not let the child you have conceived
be a burden on your soul.
Look, how brightly the universe shines!
Splendour falls on everything around,
you are voyaging with me on a cold sea,
but there is the glow of an inner warmth
from you in me, from me in you.
That warmth will transfigure the stranger's child,
and you bear it me, begot by me.
You have transfused me with splendour,
you have made a child of me.

 

He puts an arm about her strong hips.
Their breath embraces in the air.
Two people walk on through the high, bright night"

 

That seems in marked contrast to the bleakness of Buchner’s play and Berg’s opera. At the end of Different Drummer Woyzeck has murdered Marie after bringing her down with that crunching slide. Sambe immediately shows the most anguished remorse where for him suicide, drowning in the bath rather than Buchner’s or Berg’s lake, is the only option. That remorse and the appalling treatment Woyzeck has received from the Captain, Doctor and Drum Major, can elicit some sympathy but its poles apart from Verklarte Nacht. MacMillan’s revised ending I think is even bleaker with Woyzeck’s spirit stumbling along the railway track to goodness knows where and I do wonder if his initial intention of having Marie and Woyzeck transfigured together would work better. It would certainly be more in keeping with the music.

 

Requiem provides extraordinary solace. A fabulous cast with Sarah Lamb serenity embodied. I thought the close ups didn't quite work for Will Bracewell where in his solo, any movements in those held positions were magnified. In the theatre Matthew Ball to me appeared statuesque having taken his positions. But I’d certainly treasure a recording at some point, particularly for Sarah Lamb’s radiance, but all the soloist and cast have made for a memorable performance.

I noted the criticisms above about the supporting information and cinema relay extras and I do agree that these came across as too vacuous: insufficient as regards content with no explanation of the Woyzeck narrative; and too much ‘isn’t this wonderful’ and how brilliantly MacMillan chose and used the music, all asserted rather than argued. As regards the lack of synopses, it was only in going to the cinema relays that I saw just how much blank space there was on the cast sheet - two thirds of the second page was empty. I can’t understand why the Royal Ballet won’t make an effort to provide simple synopses which in the Triple Bill would help audiences unfamiliar with Woyzeck: for example explaining that Woyzeck is subjecting himself to the Doctor’s experiments for the extra money to support Marie and their child; and that Woyzeck drowns himself having killed Marie. And surely some discussion on how well MacMillan used music, perhaps contrasting Requiem and Verklarte Nacht, would have been a great deal more informative. There were also some throw away remarks about how all dancers in Requiem had their own ways of expressing their grief but I haven’t seen this as I’ve been more taken with the collective reactions - Introit’s fist shaking rage and the serenity of In Paradisum. It seems Benesch notation includes a great deal of written annotation which would be fascinating to read and significantly more helpful than the presenters’ comments that the meaning being conveyed is obvious.

 

Looking forward to tonight’s final performance and catching the Cinema encore on the way home tomorrow if all goes well. I can’t wait for Kevin O’Hare’s next MacMillan Triple but I guess it won’t be next season.

[bridiem]

16 minutes ago, JohnS said:

I can’t understand why the Royal Ballet won’t make an effort to provide simple synopses which in the Triple Bill would help audiences unfamiliar with Woyzeck: for example explaining that Woyzeck is subjecting himself to the Doctor’s experiments for the extra money to support Marie and their child; and that Woyzeck drowns himself having killed Marie.

 

Yes, this is not clear at all; the experimenting does not look voluntary, and at the end he runs some water into the bath, appears to wash his hands and face, and then turns the tap off and gets into the bath, closing the lid. For all we can tell he's just having a nice relaxing sauna-type experience after the trauma of committing murder...

 

Thank you for quoting the Richard Dehmel poem above, @JohnS - it's so beautiful!

[Dawnstar]

I've just spotted that the ROH website has been changed in the last hour or so to show a complete cast swap for tonight's Different Drummer with Sambe, Hayward & Serrano replacing Ospiova, Clarke & Donnelly.

[JohnS]

18 minutes ago, bridiem said:

Thank you for quoting the Richard Dehmel poem

I should say just the closing lines.

[Emeralds]

Well spotted @Dawnstar- I must say I thought Donnelly being cast as Rothbart last night for Swan Lake was very unexpected because he would be quite worn out after a full length turn as Rothbart (who unusually is in 4 acts plus prologue whereas in other productions he's only in 3 acts, +/- prologue) to be then dancing Drum Major the following night too.

 

Maybe the cast was changed because of this, or maybe it was due to something else.

 

That said, Marcelino Sambe could also be tired out after dancing Siegfried last night- an even more tiring role! - and he's now dancing Woyzeck tonight!

 

Glad it's not just me that's spotted the Verklarte Nacht/Different Drummer mismatch/juxtaposition - thanks for the poem quotes, @JohnS.

 

Come to think of it, it would be great if any company (ballet or contemporary dance) could revive/acquire Kylian's Verklarte Nacht (which is much older than Different Drummer) - it's a positive story and almost looks like a classical ballet minus the pointework. Used to be danced a lot by various companies and not just NDT. 

 

Hopefully next time round the souvenir programme or cast sheet will provide the much needed synopsis of the Different Drummer storyline,  which was definitely available in the programme or cast sheet a long time ago. 

 

I can't attend tonight but would be keen to read the opinions from those who are going tonight, since I'll be missing Isabel Lubach in the Agnus Dei role. 

Edited April 13 by Emeralds

[Dawnstar]

20 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

Well spotted @Dawnstar- I must say I thought Donnelly being cast as Rothbart last night for Swan Lake was very unexpected because he would be quite worn out after a full length turn as Rothbart (who unusually is in 4 acts plus prologue whereas in other productions he's only in 3 acts, +/- prologue) to be then dancing Drum Major the following night too.

 

Maybe the cast was changed because of this, or maybe it was due to something else.

 

That said, Marcelino Sambe could also be tired out after dancing Siegfried last night- an even more tiring role! - and he's now dancing Woyzeck tonight!

 

I'd be very surprised if it was due to Donnelly being tired, given as you say Sambe is likely to be more tired! One of the 3 leads being either taken ill or injured seems a more likely reason for a last-minute swap, with the complex partnering requiring all 3 to be swapped. Rather surprisingly the cast changes aren't marked as such on the cast sheet, which is now up. https://static.roh.org.uk/digital/cast-sheets/MacMillan-Celebrated-Cast-Sheet-13-04-24.pdf

[Emeralds]

1 hour ago, Dawnstar said:

 

I'd be very surprised if it was due to Donnelly being tired, given as you say Sambe is likely to be more tired! One of the 3 leads being either taken ill or injured seems a more likely reason for a last-minute swap, with the complex partnering requiring all 3 to be swapped. Rather surprisingly the cast changes aren't marked as such on the cast sheet, which is now up. https://static.roh.org.uk/digital/cast-sheets/MacMillan-Celebrated-Cast-Sheet-13-04-24.pdf

Yes, it's all a bit of a mystery as Osipova isn't due to dance anything with RB till 7 June in the Ashton mixed bill (Five Brahms Waltzes....) and Clarke is dancing Swan Lake with Lamb next Saturday (replacing Hirano) but his name is still on that....and  Lamb is dancing tonight. 

 

Osipova is scheduled to dance Swan Lake on 30 April and 3 May at San Francisco Ballet but that's 2 weeks and 3 days away...surely there would have been sufficient time to dance tonight then fly over to SFB for rehearsals. I haven't looked up the rest of Osipova's freelance schedule.

 

Wonder what the underlying reason is, as it's three dancers replaced. Hope nobody is injured.  It would be a pity if any patrons had booked tonight just to see the second cast for DD, having already seen the first cast, although they would know substitutions can occur. (Excellent first cast though!) 

Edited April 13 by Emeralds

[capybara]

6 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

Osipova is scheduled to dance Swan Lake on 30 April and 3 May at San Francisco Ballet but that's 2 weeks and 3 days away...surely there would have been sufficient time to dance tonight then fly over to SFB for rehearsals. I haven't looked up the rest of Osipova's freelance schedule.

 

(…………)

 

It would be a pity if any patrons had booked tonight just to see the second cast for DD, having already seen the first cast, although they would know substitutions can occur. (Excellent first cast though!) 

But, surely, dancers’ commitments to their home company should take precedence over guesting?

 

(……….)

 

I had done exactly that (i.e. booked specifically for the second cast tonight) but, completely coincidentally, had needed to return my ticket.