Bolshoi Ballet Live Transmission R&J 12 May

[patsomerset]

Did anyone else see this this afternoon?

 

My local Odeon was packed once again with a very well behaved audience with the exception of several people who arrived late.  Other than that, no popcorn, no coming and going and no conversations once it had started

 

I had never seen this version before and I was initially rather underwhelmed.  Wonderful costumes, wonderful colours but minimalist scenery, no balcony for the 'balcony' scene etc.  All in all a rather flat feeling.  R&J's first meeting in the ballroom seemed very underplayed, no hesitation, no beating hearts and I thought Juliet seemed quite grown up already, no running back to nurse for reassurance, and dressed in a scarlet dress, surely not what a young girl would have worn for her first dance?   

 

The second act was quite different. Definitely not underplayed. The market place came alive and all the men, including Romeo gave magnificent performances full of drama and emotion.  Anna Nukulina as Juliet is a lovely dancer with wonderful long legs who really came into her own playing out the tragic scenes at the end of the ballet.  The final scene was so emotional that the applause which started almost immediately, seemed intrusive, but we have been there before on this forum  

 

Apart from one very brief sound glitch the transmission was unbroken but we did think that the long distance camera was out of focus, so it was difficult to read the dancers faces except in close up.  There were some wonderful overhead shots during some of the crowd scenes and the usual virtuoso performance from the presenter Katerina Novikova who changed effortlessly from French to English to Russian

 

 

[Norman S]

Agree. I thought second act had far more emotional fizz than the first. R and J seemd a bit underwhelmed with each other during the first act and I didn't really feel there was any spark  between  Anna Nikulina and Volkchov. Beautiful but well a ....bit flat. The second Act was terrific and the final scenes really moving. One of the undoubted plus sides of watching ballet at the cinema is you get the facial close ups and a much greater sense of the acting performance.  Whatever the turmoil of the Bolshoi backstage they are still a wonderful company to watch.Looking forward to their stint at Covent Garden.

[Ian Macmillan]

There were some odd things in it, I must say, with definite touches of Spartacus.  And a very cheeky boy that Mercutio!

 

However, my point in posting is to say that my weekly email from Cambridge Arts Picturehouse - there was a full house in the main cinema last Sunday - says they are re-running a recording at 4pm this coming Sunday, 19 May, due "to overwhelming demand."  Whether other cinemas in the chain are doing likewise, I couldn't say but, if you missed it locally, you might want to check.

[patsomerset]

Thanks Ian.  No sign of a repeat at the Odeon chain

 

I was interested that you thought there were some odd things and yes, definite touches of Spartacus .  I found it very odd that the friar picked Juliet up and danced a step or two with her.  A very strange touch