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RB SEASON 24/25


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2 hours ago, OnePigeon said:

So far that’s a pretty disappointing season for me as I have no wish to Cinderella again so soon and I’m not bothered about Alice, but I am pleased to see R&J 

 

Same here, I feel like Cinderella is way too soon - I really liked it but I remember it so well that I don't feel the need to see it again. It feels like they literally just did it (I felt the same when they brought back the Dante Project). I might go but only if there's an interesting debut (or to catch Hayward's portrayal as I missed her in the last run).

 

I saw R&J so many times in the last run that I would mainly go if there are more debuts at first soloist/soloist level or potentially first artist/artist (Joseph Sissens, Mariko Sasaki, Isabella Gasparini, Marco Masciari, Daichi Ikarashi etc).

 

Alice in Wonderland I haven't yet seen. I have watched clips from the main pas de deux online, and the Queen of Hearts/Rose Adagio spoof, they do look lovely but I don't know if I would like to watch the whole piece in full... also I don't know if it's something mainly for children, wondering if I would feel odd going without any!

 

I would definitely be booking for Onegin if it was announced, for the others I'm really not sure and it would very much depend on the casting.

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Always love an R and J for what it offers its dancers and the music. Not sure I want to see Cinderella again so soon though again love the tunes! Alice … doubt it I’m not enamoured. Onegin … now that’s tempting… and I’m hoping for Giselle, and not ashamed to say because I want to see Bracewell as Albrecht. Love Giselle anyway …

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15 hours ago, LinMM said:

There are very few performances of ENB’s Giselle in January …5 or 6 I think. 

Correct- 6. The Friday matinee is labelled "schools matinee" to let patrons know there may be school groups attending,  but unlike the ROH schools matinees that are only for schools, the public can book and attend ENB schools matinées. 

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With regards Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, I saw it on TV with the original cast before seeing it live in ROH, and initially wasn't sure about whether to watch it live. I would say that if you watch it on tv/DVD/online first then live, it is much, much better live, and you don't have to go with children-to me it actually looks  more adult and teenager oriented than child oriented! Nothing at all like Disney or the older Derek Deane production for ENB. 

 

NB if your seat is quite far away, eg middle or rear Amphitheatre (or even closer), I would advise using opera glasses or binoculars to enjoy the full effect of the jokes. 

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I would advise any ballet lover to watch Alice on dvd first if you haven't seen it and perhaps save some money.

I disliked it on the 1st night, thought I should try again and really disliked it even more second time!...

 

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Just now, Mary said:

I would advise any ballet lover to watch Alice on dvd first if you haven't seen it and perhaps save some money.

I disliked it on the 1st night, thought I should try again and really disliked it even more second time!...

 

Yes I recall starting to watch the dvd but it  made me feel rather ill, and I never got to the end...I suppose I could try again but unfortunately this may well be one I have to miss.....

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I'e only seen Alice on video so I do want to see it live but I think once or twice is likely to be sufficient, unless there's lots of extremely tempting casting. There were some scenes that I did not enjoy, and that's the actual content so I won't enjoy them any more live, especially the Duchess, Cook & sausages which I could hardly bear to watch. I wasn't keen on the Mad Hatter's tea pary either, which seems to be a highlight for many people.

 

I wonder if Cinderella is likely to have a Nutcrackeresque number of performances? If so then I suppose there could be quite a lot of new casts so that might make me want to see more performances. Otherwise then, as I saw 6 casts in 2022, I hope to be able to save some money!

 

16 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

I didn't - must have been mistaken!

 

Sleeping Beauty overlapped with Coppelia in 2019/20 so perhaps it's that you're thinking of rather than the Nutcracker?

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O'Sullivan & Takada danced Alice in the last run so will presumably be cast this time too if both have recovered from their current injuries. Choe danced the role in each of the previous runs but will presumably still be on maternity leave, given the run will evidently be early in the season (I doubt it'll get a split run as that only seems to be for the most popular ballets). The only other past Alice I can find listed is Stix-Brunnell.

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12 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

The only other past Alice I can find listed is Stix-Brunnell.


……. who was Alice when still  ‘only’ a soloist but, IIRC, made such an impression in the role that many would have promoted her to Principal with immediate effect.

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8 minutes ago, capybara said:

……. who was Alice when still  ‘only’ a soloist but, IIRC, made such an impression in the role that many would have promoted her to Principal with immediate effect.

 

I wonder if she would have continued dancing for longer if she had become a Principal? I only ever saw her in one leading role, The Cellist, & a few smaller roles, as she was replaced on a couple of other occasions when I should have seen her in larger roles. I gather she had various injury issues.

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19 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

I'm curious about Queen of Hearts casting - really loved Laura Morera and Zenaida Yanowsky in the recordings, not sure who else has done it?

I believe Claire Calvert and Tierney Heap also danced Queen of Hearts in 2017

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Beatriz Stix-Brunnell was a popular choice with Wheeldon (she joined his Morphoses dance company while still a student at ballet school) and always looked excellent in his ballets- she danced Alice at every run, as far as I can recall.

 

Fun fact: Marianela Nunez actually danced Alice in the first run opposite Rupert Pennefather as Jack/the Knave of Hearts but hasn't danced the role for a long time. Wonder whose choice that was- I would have bought tickets to see her in the last run as well, if she'd been cast 😊

 

Hope Vadim will still be on the list to dance Jack/TKOH. I'd like to see Sambe, Clarke, Corrales, Bracewell &/or Hay in the role too. 

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17 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:


Guess they can’t do Feb this time as that’s when Paris Opera are doing it 

Fingers crossed for pre-Christmas then (if it happens). I don't see why doing Romeo would preclude Onegin being performed, especially if they're spaced out. Yes, they are both dramatic ballets, but all MacMillan's ballets are dramatic and as they seem to be performed every year on a rolling programme, Onegin would have to be performed when one of them is being staged. The last time Onegin was staged in Jan 2020 was when Manon opened the season in 2019 so it would be great if Onegin was performed pre-Christmas and Romeo the following March. That would be my fantasy scheduling. Great to have it early in the season as well before injuries start taking their inevitable toll, playing havoc with casting (and the poor dancers), and hotel and train bookings.

Edited by jmhopton
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It wouldn’t surprise me if R&J was programmed along the same lines as Swan Lake this season i.e. spaced out from March until June with things inbetween, say another full length like Onegin and, in my dreams, there’d be a Triple that included my favourite ‘Symphony in C’.

Separating Alice from Cinderella with Maddaddam would certainly help even out the ‘sweetness’ quotient of the first two thereby potentially attracting a different demographic. 
The scheduling of Maddaddam and Onegin could easily be reversed too.

Is Like Water For Chocolate due for a revival?

Edited by San Perregrino
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21 hours ago, JNC said:

 

I am not surprised by R&J either and hope that Kaneko and Bracewell are cast in it together again as I’m still annoyed I missed them last time. Kevin O’Hare if you’re reading please cast them together again! 

Me too 🙏

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5 hours ago, Richard LH said:

Yes I recall starting to watch the dvd but it  made me feel rather ill, and I never got to the end...I suppose I could try again but unfortunately this may well be one I have to miss.....

It's the music.

Joby Talbot did the music for the Wonka movie which was quite pleasant and.... musical vs what he creates for Wheeldon. I am guessing that therefore the style is as directed by Wheeldon.

 

Edited by Blossom
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11 hours ago, San Perregrino said:

Is Like Water For Chocolate due for a revival?


I think so yes but also think it’s unlikely to get this and Alice (2 full Wheeldons) in one season. I would expect it therefore maybe a following season, unless it really didn’t sell well/wasn’t well received when they might scrap it altogether or wait a bit more.

 

Did Dante sell well at its revival? If not as well as expected perhaps it indicated it was too soon to revive so they may delay LWFC further.

 

I’ve noticed a bit of a formula with RB seasons now 

- Christmas ballet (Nutcracker usually but also we’ve had Coppelia or now Cinderella - essentially something with tutus and a child friend plot) 

- One of the Tchaikovsky two of Swan Lake/Sleeping Beauty

- one of the MacMillan three of Manon/Mayerling/Romeo and Juliet 

- an adult/dramatic (non comic) ballet, e.g. Giselle, Bayadere, Woolf Works, Onegin, A Winter’s Tale, Like Water for Chocolate 

- a contemporary triple (eg new work, Pite, Wheeldon, MacGregor, Marston etc)

- another triple that’s a bit more neoclassical/heritage (eg Balanchine, Ashton, Robbins, Firebird, Raymonda, one act MacMillans etc) 

- a comic/child friendly ballet separate to a Christmas - eg Alice, Cinderella, Don Quixote, La Fille 

 

Ashton, MacMillan, Wheeldon, McGregor are usually always represented at least once during the year (ie a minimum of a one act somewhere). There’s also usually at least one new commission (usually McGregor but also recent works by Tanowitz, Zuchetti, Pite, Abraham, Marston etc do show some variety!), not necessarily it’s own separate category but definite as either a full length (McGregor) or a shorter piece as part of a mixed bill. Usually it’s covered/overlaps with the above already but there’s also a category of “full length McGregor” which pops up most years I’d say! 

 

Of course this is all pure guesswork on my part but that’s why I think if we have Onegin as an adult/dramatic ballet I’m not expecting to see Sylvia or Bayadere or Giselle. And why if we have Alice I wouldn’t expect to see La Fille as well (also because Ashton is already represented by Cinderella so that will either be it for him or he’ll get maybe a one act in a mixed bill and not another three act). 

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2 hours ago, Blossom said:

On the Onegin front, is this a rumour or a solid prediction? 


At this stage just rumour (unless someone has some insider confirmations which presumably they couldn’t share on here anyway). 

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I loved Cinderella last time round and it was so long since it was last scheduled I will be more than happy to see it again. 
 

I remain lukewarm about Alice, ditto the music, so would much prefer LWFC if we are to have a full length Wheeldon. It may be more dance theatre than ballet but it moves along apace, has some stand-out segments and far more enjoyable music.

 

It looks as though Maddadam is on its way, like it or not. We shall see. 
 

if we are to have more new works can we please have Zucchetti. And/or commission Tyler Peck, Mthuthuzeli November, Arielle Smith, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa or David Dawson instead of more McGregor or Joseph Toonga. 
 

Bayadere is sadly off the menu as, it seems, is Fille and Giselle and in view of Cinderella, R&J and the current triple bill we are unlikely to get more Ashton or  MacMillan. A triple bill with Ashton, Balanchine, Robbins or MacMillan, or something like the pre-lockdown Raymonda Act 3 triple, would be more than welcome. Or, if not, the old style mixed triple with a bit of something for everyone but again, sadly, unlikely. 
 

So my hopes are pinned firmly to Onegin with the remainder awaited more with trepidation than expectation. 
 

Edited by Scheherezade
Must learn to check autocorrect before posting!
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56 minutes ago, Scheherezade said:


 

if we are to have more new works can we please have Zucchetti. And/or commission Tyler Peck, Mthuthuzeli November, Arielle Smith, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa or David Dawson instead of more McGregor or Joseph Toonga. 
 

 

I think Tiler Peck is definitely really worth them getting something made, she's incredibly talented.  I'd love to see a mixed bill of female choreographers perhaps to tie in with International Women's Day, maybe new pieces from her, Kirsten McNally combined with something more traditional like something from Ninette de Valois to pay tribute to the founder.  

 

I'd also agree with having more Zuccheti, he's really talented.  I also liked Ben Ella's piece for Northern so think he has potential.  

 

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1 hour ago, BeauxArts said:

My great hope is to see Tombeaux in the 2024-2025 but I have very little expectation of it being featured. A tribute to David Bintley is long overdue at the ROH. 


yes, it was a great shame that Covid nobbled the triple bill that was to be a part of a couple of years back. 

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David Bintley wise I would love to see Still Life at the Penguin Cafe danced by the Royal Ballet. I fulfilled a childhood wish seeing it with my daughter in 2017/18 when she was 10 or 11. I remember first seeing it in a ballet book when I was 8 or 9 along with Elite Syncopations. I don’t think either ever made it to Manchester where I grew up. I know the digital rights situation makes it a little difficult but would love the Bintley even if it only made ROH Stream.

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7 minutes ago, Blossom said:

David Bintley wise I would love to see Still Life at the Penguin Cafe danced by the Royal Ballet. I fulfilled a childhood wish seeing it with my daughter in 2017/18 when she was 10 or 11. I remember first seeing it in a ballet book when I was 8 or 9 along with Elite Syncopations. I don’t think either ever made it to Manchester where I grew up. I know the digital rights situation makes it a little difficult but would love the Bintley even if it only made ROH Stream.

I saw the BRB version of that in Brandon Lawrence's farewell performance last year.  It was lovely.  

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32 minutes ago, Tango Dancer said:

I saw the BRB version of that in Brandon Lawrence's farewell performance last year.  It was lovely.  

Ditto.   

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