zxDaveM Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 I was at the dress rehearsal for the Nutcracker the other day, with Lauren Cuthbertson and Cory Stearns in the lead roles (they have their first show on Friday 6th Dec). Here are a couple of photos to whet the appetite! Hans-Peter & Clara (Ricardo Cervera & Meaghan Grace Hinkis)© Dave Morgan. Courtesy of DanceTabs / FlickrSnowflakes© Dave Morgan. Courtesy of DanceTabs / FlickrLauren Cuthbertson & Cory Stearns (Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince)© Dave Morgan. Courtesy of DanceTabs / FlickrSee more... Set from DanceTabs - The Royal Ballet's Nutcracker (Christmas 2013)Courtesy of DanceTabs / FlickrBy kind permission of the Royal Opera House 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted December 5, 2013 Author Share Posted December 5, 2013 The run opened on Wednesday (4th Dec) with the wonderful Laura Morera and Federico Bonelli leading. (many of the cast were the same as in the rehearsal I photographed - except for the 5 main leads that is). I for one enjoyed the overall performance, as i love Nutcracker anyway. The orchestra was a bit variable to my ol' cloth ears though! anyone else like to venture a few thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonbfisher Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 Well, of the MANY performances of the Nutcracker that we have seen this must have been the perkiest .... I agree that orchestra wasn't at its fabbest, , but the dancing was so enjoyable! Where would we be without Mr Avis - he really is a fantastic actor-dancer and he was, for me, quite the star of the show. That is not meant to downgrade the rest of the cast - Harrison and Campbell were sweet; Bonelli and Morera (despite a teeny slip) mesmerising; the variations were undertaken with gusto (and it was nice to see a brief reappearance by Hirano);, the children were convincing and accurate (especially the little monster of a brother); ... really I could go on spraying positive adjectives around for paragraphs on end, but I won't. I see the same cast is due to be in the cinema - can't wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 Harrison?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted December 6, 2013 Author Share Posted December 6, 2013 Harrison?? think Hayward is what he meant... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonbfisher Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 Yes indeed I did - SORRY! I once taught someone called Francesca Harrison.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coated Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 Aww, tonight's performance made me feel all warm and fuzzy and christmassy. The lower school children and the choir were just adorable and very impressive on stage. Cory Stearns seems to have mastered hovering beautifully in mid-air and and I wouldn't mind seeing a bit more of him. The partnering looked a little uneven at times, but I guess that there isn't a lot of time for rehearsals with a guest performer. Ricardo Cervera and Valentino Zucchetti really stood out for me on stage today, and Meaghan Hinkins was a very sweet Clara. The energy on stage was really noticeable and definitely lively, with the whole company coming together to deliver a really enjoyable performance. After watching tonight, I now want to be a special little snowflake 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Newcombe Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 I thought The Sugar Plum Fairy and the Rose Fairy were pretty good too 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Yes, indeed, Lauren & Beatriz were excellent. Ricardo & Meaghan were ideally suited.The children from RBS helped to make a wonderful atmosphere. What a great evening! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyTaylor Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 So, what's happened with Bennet Gartside? There are some seemingly unhappy tweets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 So, what's happened with Bennet Gartside? There are some seemingly unhappy tweets I don't think anyone's unhappy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coated Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Yes, indeed, Lauren & Beatriz were excellent. Ricardo & Meaghan were ideally suited.The children from RBS helped to make a wonderful atmosphere. What a great evening! Interestingly, the one other performance that stayed with me since seeing it on the 6th was Itziar Mendizabel in the Arabian Dance - not normally a big fan of the 'ethnic' dances, but she was very slinky and good in it. Their curtain call was pretty good too, with her being carried out like a queen. Do they always do that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrischris Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Interestingly, the one other performance that stayed with me since seeing it on the 6th was Itziar Mendizabel in the Arabian Dance - not normally a big fan of the 'ethnic' dances, but she was very slinky and good in it. Their curtain call was pretty good too, with her being carried out like a queen. Do they always do that? I don't know the answer to your question, but i've noticed that some dancers seem to love curtain calls, while others look like they want to get off stage as quickly as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted December 9, 2013 Author Share Posted December 9, 2013 So, what's happened with Bennet Gartside? There are some seemingly unhappy tweets he had problems reassembling the Nutcracker doll, that's all. Nothing major 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPD444 Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 I notice Iohna Loots is cast to dance Nutcracker but her name has disappeared from amongst the soloists in the new brochure. Is she still appearing in Nutcracker? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MargaretN7 Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 And, apart from his minor difficulty in reassembling the nutcracker (at least he didn't do what Marriot did once!), Bennet Gartside was, I thought, a very good Drosselmeyer indeed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 I notice Iohna Loots is cast to dance Nutcracker but her name has disappeared from amongst the soloists in the new brochure. Is she still appearing in Nutcracker? The cast sheet says she's injured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPD444 Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 The cast sheet says she's injured. It still seems a bit strange that her name would not be printed in the Spring 2014 Brochure if it is an injury, surely she would still be in the list of Soloist's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTL Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Coated, re your post 12: I've certainly seen the Arabian dancers do their "aloft" curtain call several times, but I can't say for certain whether it's standard. Have any of the more frequent attenders seen it done any other way? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Interestingly, the one other performance that stayed with me since seeing it on the 6th was Itziar Mendizabel in the Arabian Dance - not normally a big fan of the 'ethnic' dances, but she was very slinky and good in it. Their curtain call was pretty good too, with her being carried out like a queen. Do they always do that? Well, tonight Johannes Stepanek did what I thought was a rather Bolshoi-inflected one - holding Mendizabal almost completely vertical, I think from an ankle grip or something, although I wasn't totally paying attention. I know I don't remember seeing it before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted December 11, 2013 Author Share Posted December 11, 2013 Coated, re your post 12: I've certainly seen the Arabian dancers do their "aloft" curtain call several times, but I can't say for certain whether it's standard. Have any of the more frequent attenders seen it done any other way? it does seem to be almost standard these days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 It still seems a bit strange that her name would not be printed in the Spring 2014 Brochure if it is an injury, surely she would still be in the list of Soloist's Now I've looked at the brochure, I agree her name isn't there. However, there's the odd name in the wrong place, so I wonder if it's an oversight rather than a deliberate omission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina G. Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 She had a baby not so long ago I think, maybe she decided to retire in the Spring ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 And, apart from his minor difficulty in reassembling the nutcracker (at least he didn't do what Marriot did once!), Bennet Gartside was, I thought, a very good Drosselmeyer indeed. I'm intrigued! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Yes what did Marriot do once? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Newcombe Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 He assembled the doll the wrong way round. It was very phallic. How Miss Loots kept a straight face, I do not know. There were many Giggles in SCS 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Wish I'd seen it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Do you think it might have been deliberate? I know there are quite a few practical jokes played during the Nutcracker (or there used to be, anyway!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Well I have heard that all sorts of things go on when its the last one of a season! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Newcombe Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 I would hope not. She still had to do a solo with the doll held in her hands. People with mobile phones in their hands have enough difficulty walking in a straight line, let alone what happened to Miss Loots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beryl H Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 Can't see any comments elsewhere on the cinema relay so am posting here, wasn't going to this but changed my mind when Francesca Hayward was announced, glad I went because she combined gossamer light dancing with very expressive acting, she and Alexander Campbell made such a charming couple. This is a very traditional production, full of Christmas spirit and warmth, welcome after the more austere ENB version the night before. Peter Wright described Laura Morera being perfect for the role as she was like crystal, she was but also with a soft, unhurried style and well partnered by Federico Bonelli, also Yuhui Choe was sublime as the Rose Fairy. At the end, the scene between Hans and Clara was so magical and emotional, great acting between Campbell and Hayward in a camera close up, perfect for the cinema! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aruna S Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 I'm glad you posted this, Beryl, because I was also looking for comments on the cinema performance which I thought was spectacular. This time round there were no technical glitches and we were able to see the entire presentation. The backstage part presented by Gary Avis was fascinating and very well done while Darcey Bussell seemed rather wooden IMO. Also, when she was doing a voice-over at the cutrain calls surely she could have remembered Yuhui Choe's name instead of saying one of the girl soloists! I was really looking forward to seeing Laura Morera and she lived up to expectations. Apart from the dancers you've mentioned, Gary Avis was splendid, as always. Francesca Hayward is a joy to watch, and effectively contradicts pronouncements about the younger generation of dancers lacking passion and commitment. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toursenlair Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 I was also shocked Darcey didn't mention people's names in the curtain calls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now