Rome Opera Ballet 2013-14 season

[toursenlair]

Rome has just announced its season going from December 2013 to November 2014. It includes Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, David Bintley's Cinderella (in September 2014), and a couple of mixed programs.

Evan McKie and Jurgita Dronina will be guesting in Beauty.

Guests for Swan Lake are

Odette / Odile

Alessandra Amato /

Sarah Lane /

Anna Tsygankova /
Svetlana Zakharova

Prince

David Hallberg /

Vladimir Shishov /

Friedemann Vogel

 

[Aruna S]

It's a pitiful ballet season, unfortunately, and while some great guests have been announced experience has taught us to take such casting with a pinch of salt. 

Swan Lake is the version by Patrice Bart, although the company has an excellent production by Galina Samsova in its repertoire, while Beauty is a production created by Paul Chalmer in 2003 for the Rome company. The presence of Jurgita Dronina, if she does actually perform, will make that one to watch.

 

A heads up for anyone interested in seeing a performance: the system of online ticket sales is really, really poor. Until 2011 it was handled by Charta/Vivaticket, a very efficient system which let you pick your seat ( and which La Scala still uses). Then sales were switched to Listicket, a company which also handles bookings for football matches, rock concerts and other events for which there are a lot of spectators. This means that the website is often overwhelmed. When it does work, you can't pick your seat, and the "best available option" offered, unlike at the Paris Opera which also doesn't let you choose, is definitely *not* the best available. This I've been able to verify more than once by checking with the seating plan at the box office. It gets worse. A few months ago another company which is probably an offshoot of Listicket given the name, Lisclick, took over. You still have to take the seat the system picks, but unlike the earlier system where you were shown the seat on the seating plan and could opt not to purchase, you now have to complete payment before they deign to tell you what your seat is.

I know plenty of people who have complained to the theatre that this is not good customer service but to no avail. I have decided to go only if I happen to be in Rome in time to go to the box office, but for anyone booking from overseas, just be prepared that this is how it is.

Edited October 1, 2013 by afds

[Aruna S]

I'm very happy to post an update on the online booking system for the Rome Teatro dell'Opera: after many complaints and a long, long wait since ticket sales were switched to Listicket in 2011, it is finally again possible to choose one's seat 

[Aruna S]

A long overdue promotion was announced yesterday after a performance of Swan Lake at the Rome Teatro dell'Opera. Alessandra Amato, a member of the corps who has been dancing principal parts for years, was finally named principal.  http://www.repubblica.it/spettacoli/teatro-danza/2013/12/21/news/amato-74206887/

(in Italian)