The Royal Ballet: The Winter's Tale, Spring 2014

[Odyssey]

What a joy! I don't know where to begin. Dramatically, I don't recall having come across such a vivid realisation of jealousy - to see someone so racked in torment and then self loathing as Watson's portrayal of Leontes demonstrated ( as if it needed to be proved) how ably dance can communicate the rawest of emotions. The pas de deux in Act 2 was dance heaven - some wonderful lifts and gorgeous parallel shapes beautifully performed by Lamb & McRae. The resolution of the third act was incredibly moving with Cuthbertson creating a wonderful feeling of serenity in her movements. I love the score and can't wait to hear it again - such variety of instrumentation and interesting rhythmic variations. I imagine it must be a real joy for the dancers to have the musicians on stage. The tree! The interpretation of "exit pursued by a bear" I'd read about these moments but they still worked their magic. The storytelling of this giant of a play was clear and required no explanation. Some inventive and clever choreography - thank you Mr. Weeldon for one of the most stimulating ballet going experiences I have had the pleasure to enjoy.

[penelopesimpson]

My first ballet at the cinema and it was a great experience.  Okay, I adore Watson in anything but surely Winter's Tale is the shape of ballet to come?  I loved every moment, every nuance.  For me the score was also wonderful although I note that others aren't impressed. Had not seen Yanowsky dance before and she was a revelation.  The cinema experience gives you things you don't get at ROH, i.e. the close-up expressions which are incredible.  However, missing the audience reaction was terrible and I am going to be on the phone all day tomorrow to try to get a ticket.  For me it was almost up there with Watson's Mayerling.

 

And then, amidst all that perfection and disciplined artistry, we get the bumbling Darcey Bussell who apparently couldn't spare the time to learn where to place a microphone.  My viewing was in a small provincial cinema but everybody was moaning about her in the interval.  She used cue cards, muffled her words and was mostly inaudible and deeply embarrassing.  As we got three doses of her, wasn't there anyone brave enough in the production crew to tell her she was making a mess of it?

 

The scenery was incredible, the energy, the different tempos for each act - can't praise it enough.  A small negative for me would be that I've never warmed to Sarah Lamb and tonight was no exception.  She just doesn't ever get in character - the others are actor/dancers, she just dancers.

 

Still, in a night of superlatives, I can live with it.  I do hope ROH is putting this one in their repertoire.  Knocks spots off what was, for me, a lacklustre Don Quixote.

[jmhopton]

I too really enjoyed A Winter's Tale at the cinema tonight. It was my first viewing of the ballet and I was very pleasantly surprised to find I enjoyed it as much as I did (as did my 3 companions). it was an intriguing mix of classical and more modern which worked really well. I thought much of the choreography was really good with some amazing lifts and characterisation. The dancers were all superb, especially the main 6, and Valentine Zucchetti and Gary Avis also deserve a special mention. I agree with Regattah's negatives above and also I think the first act could do with shortening by at least 5 minutes and more time given to the last act which did seem to be rushed. More should definately be made of the discovery of Perdita's identity (pas de deux with father?). It is an important moment over in about 10 seconds! But these are minor quibbles and did not at all detract from a great night out (and without the time and  expense of a long journey and hotel stay). Can't wait for Manon!

[Odyssey]

. More should definately be made of the discovery of Perdita's identity (pas de deux with father?). It is an important moment over in about 10 seconds!

Yes, this did strike me at the time, particularly as the moment was beautifully realised in the score yet the stage was bathed in darkness in transition for the celebratory scene.

[SPD444]

I agree with everything Odyssey has just written. I was at the ROH to watch this cast a couple of weeks ago and I found the closeups by watching the cinema relay tonight really conveyed the emotions in Act 3. So, huge congratulation to the cast but the technical side needs to be sorted out. I watched in Cineworld in Enfield, which is in North London ( hardly the other side of the world ). We had loss of sound in both Act 2 and 3; picture break-ups similar to watching Sky when the weather is bad and the funniest of all was during the first interval when Darcey asked Mr O'Hare a question his reply was replaced by Abba singing some song or other. thankfully the sound was restored before Darcey talked about Act 2. Frankly, I don't care why it happened, and it has happened before, but if the Royal Ballet want to be taken seriously in their stated desire to spread the gospel then this has got to stop. They must treat their cinema audience as if they are in the House itself and not as second or third class citizens.

[penelopesimpson]

Shouldn't laugh about the ABBA bit, but it must have been funny.  I saw it tonight in Dorchester and technical stuff was pretty near perfect.  We did get some blank screens in between scene changing when I presume they just stopped filming, and for the introduction the screen was a little cloudy, but sound levels were perfect.

 

As I said before, the only terrible thing was Darcey Bussell who should really be absolutely ashamed of herself for giving such a naff performance at what used to be her home territory.

[SPD444]

I can understand your reservations, penelopesimpson, in your comments regarding Darcey's performance but she is out of her comfort zone and she is being expected to make herself understood in, what was it, 29 countries taking the stream whose English would be limited. I like Darcey and think she is well worth being patient with.

[loveclassics]

This was my first experience of a cinema transmission and it made me keen to go again. 

 

It was wonderful to have such a close-up view (though the music was a bit loud in the small auditorium at West India Quay) and I really enjoyed it. 

 

I'm not sure about the ballet though.  I understand Winter's Tale is considered as one of Shakespeare's 'problem' plays and the story does leave one rather dissatisfied.  But the cast were wonderful, especially Cuthbertson, Lamb, McRae,  Zucchetti & Yanowsky.  Much as I admire Ed Watson I felt he was OTT in this role.  If Leontes is as certifiably mad as presented here, then why should we care if he is reunited or not with his wronged wife and lost daughter?  The ending left me wondering about the dead son and the lost 16 years of Hermione's life.  I've said this before but I think such a marvellous dancer needs to be used more sympathetically and not encouraged to turn every role into a study in psychosis.

 

Regattah's point about the costumes is a valid one.  With such a good close up view, the type of fabric used in the costumes really matters.  Plain dark colours show up sweat stains very clearly and nobody wants to see the marks left by a partner's hands in a pdd.  And I did think Florizel's peasant costume rather bizarre as well as the idea being a rip-off from the plot of Giselle.

 

I loved the dancing (except for Perdita's flexed feet in the pdd) and the music and sets worked well though the bear was a little disappointing.  Gartside's Antigonus deserved better on the basis of tonight's performance.  Lovely to see Avis given some real dancing too.

 

But I must agree that the ROH needs to find a different presenter - I can't believe someone who regularly appears on TV could be so embarrassingly inept as Darcey Bussell.  She muffed her words, asked incoherent questions and appeared to be strangely ill at ease in front of the cameras.  Please, please bring back Deborah Bull, Jonathan Cope or indeed, anyone with a competent TV presence and/or a reasonable knowledge of ballet.  How about Alan Titchmarsh - if he can present the Proms why not ballet?

 

Linda

[Ann Williams]

I hadn't seen it live, and was quite stunned by this evening's cinema transmission. Wheeldon's choreography was extraordinarily inventive and beautiful, Joby Talbot's score matched it thrillingly and the RB dancers - principals and corps - were beyond praise. 

 

You will have guessed already that I can't find anything at all to criticise about either the production or this evening's performance.  I thought that of the  female leads, both Cuthbertson and Yanovsky were utterly moving and 'right' in their roles (a standout for me was Yanovsky's furious attack on Leontes at the end of Act I. What a powerful actress she is -  I was in tears).  Bob Crowley's designs added greatly to the drama (that vast billowing sheet in the storm scene was genius).  My only slight reservation is with the belief of some other posters that this production is 'a stayer'.  I'd like to think so too,  but I wonder if it isn't a little too complicated and elaborate for regular revivals, as seems to be the fate of MacMillan's 'Prince of The Pagodas' 

[penelopesimpson]

Hi SPD 44.  Thanks your response but not altogether sure what point you are making.  If Darcey is 'out of her comfort zone' then she shouldn't be doing the job - this is not amateur night of Opportunity Knocks.  Secondly, how can she be in this situation?  She makes her living through television nowadays so should be totally at ease.  This was the ROH for goodness sake, not Homes Under the Hammer!  She was absolutely terrible and didn't even appear to know her subject - ballet!  And finally, the fact that you point out that the performance was being transmitted around the world makes it even more imperative that she get it right.  If she can't do the gig, don't take it.  Really, really bad job Darcey.

[Terpsichore]

My review of the HDTV transmission of the Winter's Tale.  Probably the craziest thing I have ever done given that I worked through the night last night, attended an all day CPD training course in Manchester and am due in London first thing tomorrow but I watched "The Winter's Tale" at Huddersfield Odeon tonight. And I am so glad I did because I loved it. I also liked the Royal Opera House's transmission. The best I have seen from them to date,

 

"I am just about to place a couple of hats in the microwave. One is The Winter's Tale which I damned with the faintest of praise. The other are the Royal Opera House's HDTV transmissions which I described as"good quality hamburger" in Giselle and I was even less polite about Don Quixote. Tonight I floated out of the Huddersfield Odeon after watching the HDTV transmission of The Winter's Tale with a smile from ear to ear.  Act I, which had dragged last time, simply flew for me.  The tension was palpable.  Act II, which had saved the ballet for me the first time I saw it revealed fresh delights. Act III with the triple reconciliation was sublime.

Now this is how I should have felt on 12 April 2014 when I saw the same show in Covent Garden. This is the reason why I think I got it this time but not then.  Act I, the longest of the three Acts, is crucial to the appreciation of this ballet and the key to appreciating that Act are the contortions of Leontes's body and the expressions on his face. These were prominent on screen but I missed them entirely when I was in the House.  It may be that the interviews before the show - particularly the one with Watson - were helpful for they alerted the audience as to what to look out for.  Wheeldon had remarked how Watson could turn his body into the most remarkable shapes to express his anguish and so he did. Those contortions and facial expressions exerted enormous tension.  In the second interval Wheeldon had described his cast as "actors who dance" rather than the converse. Leontes's build up of jealousy and loathing until his explosion of rage exemplifies those qualities magnificently.

Having cracked Leontes's emotions I found myself appreciating the other features of Act I. The complex textures of Joby Talbot's score, Bob Crowley's designs and Natasha Katz's lighting.  I even got to see the bear.  Its muzzle, which was so clear on screen, was just a length of cloth when I saw it live.  I was already looking forward to Act II but I found new detail in the dancing, new rhythms in the score and best of all the expression on Lamb's face when McRae asked her to marry him. I had also liked Act III on 12 April but this time I took in Cuthbertson's final pas de deux with Watson properly. As an expression of love it was simply beautiful.

I noticed from the tweets that I was not the only one who enjoyed the transmission more than the live show. This was a particularly good broadcast, much better than Giselle or Don Quixote.  I think this is a ballet that does work well for cinema but I also think it is a work that needs to be seen more than once to be appreciated properly.

I love the Royal Ballet very much having followed it for nearly 60 years. I love the House more than any other theatre in the world.  I love all the dancers who have ever trod its boards. It is so good to be able to write this review."

Edited April 29, 2014 by terpsichore

[Mary]

I do think one needs to see this ballet more than once, because as many have said there is a lot to take in, a big cast, much detail and the fairly complex plot, as well as new music.  As others have said:-  credit to Wheeldon for making so many good roles rather than just going for a story with 2 leads, and for making interesting and lively work for the corps.

I just had the survey from RB and they are clearly trying to work out whether a second run would be popular-surely the answer must be Yes (  with some new costumes one hopes........) It would also give the chance for a bit of tweaking along the lines suggested by wise ballet forum-ers, of a few minutes off Act 1 ( a bit less Leontes emoting) and a few minutes on Act 3- to tease out the reconciliations a little more.

 

I agree the  Leontes choreography worked better on film, but it seemed to me on second viewing the problem with it was just a little too much of a good thing. He is made to more or less repeat himself. The scene where he imagines Polixenes and Hermione having an affair is briliant because it is dramatic-when he is just shown writhing in torment, -writing rather than dancing, really, -that is less so and needs to be kept to a minimum.

Watson is excellent in himself.

(I really liked his final grey costume- that's how it should be- being able to see the legs does help..........costume designers who put the men in ill-fitting trousers -sometimes with skirts on top as well, should be severely punished)

[Beryl H]

Don't know if it was the cinema's fault but the technical qualities of the transmission were not brilliant, act 1 seemed to be mostly in gloom whereas at the ROH it was very well lit, I missed the sculptural quality that it had live, but a wonderful chance to see the dancers close up, especially Edward Watson (it was good to see him in rehearsal looking relaxed and normal, makes me realise just what a great actor he is, Christopher Wheeldon said he thought of him first and then came up with the role of Leontes). Lauren Cuthbertson looked so beautiful and serene.

 

Likewise the big stage effects lacked the excitement I felt seeing them live, again the stage seemed too dark, they definitely look better from above, and the bear of course, there's a lot to be said for the view from the amphi!

 

The camera did catch Steven McRae's solo in act 2 better than I have been able to though!

[Odyssey]

I just noticed in the cast notes that Christopher Weeldon has dedicated the ballet "in loving memory of Peter Weeldon, My Dad 1935-2014". This adds a poignancy to so many aspects of the choreography.

[Mandy Kent]

re: Darcey..I couldn't concentrate on what she was saying as I was totally distracted by her bizarre collar decoration and matching earrings, sorry for making such a personal comment Darcey but what were you thinking?

Edited April 29, 2014 by Mandy Kent

[aileen]

Can any conclusions be drawn from the fact that many people seem to have enjoyed the cinema transmissions more than the live performances at the ROH? Does that confirm my view that the story and the emotional impact of the piece are driven by the acting rather than the choreography? Personally, I feel that a successful ballet should always be better seen live. Given previous comments about Watson's 'over-acting' when he has been seen at the ROH I'm quite surprised that similar criticisms have not been made when he was viewed up close in the cinema. Regarding sweat patches, these were clearly visible even from the amphitheatre at the performances which I have seen.

Edited April 29, 2014 by aileen

[Fonty]

 We had loss of sound in both Act 2 and 3; picture break-ups similar to watching Sky when the weather is bad and the funniest of all was during the first interval when Darcey asked Mr O'Hare a question his reply was replaced by Abba singing some song or other. thankfully the sound was restored before Darcey talked about Act 2.

 

 

Sorry, this did make me laugh.  I am just trying to think what song might be appropriate.  Dancing Queen seems much too obvious. 

 

I am really enjoying reading the reviews of the live cinema performance.  I have always been a bit nervous about ballet on screen, as I have frequently found the ones shown in tv to be annoying - too many close ups of faces and not enough of the twinkling feet.  I had another engagement last night, so could not go, but I shall definitely try to see a future cinema performance. 

[aileen]

Although I think that the cinema transmissions are a brilliant innovation, personally I would always prefer to see a live performance. I have seen some screenings from the Bolshoi but they left me a bit cold. I haven't seen any ROH transmissions because of the extortionate price of the cinema tickets which are not much less than acceptable seats at the ROH (plus, unless I go to my nearest cinema which frequently gets booked up, the journey to the ROH is only marginally longer).

[Odyssey]

Although I think that the cinema transmissions are a brilliant innovation, personally I would always prefer to see a live performance. I have seen some screenings from the Bolshoi but they left me a bit cold. I haven't seen any ROH transmissions because of the extortionate price of the cinema tickets which are not much less than acceptable seats at the ROH (plus, unless I go to my nearest cinema which frequently gets booked up, the journey to the ROH is only marginally longer).

I couldn't agree more about the preference for a live performance, although I do think the cinema provides an enjoyable and different experience. The cost of tickets may not be so very different, but if you don't live close to London, then travel/ food can make it expensive.

[Ian Macmillan]

A cinema performance is, of course, something different from being 'there' but I was delighted that the streaming last night (seen in Cambridge, with no tech problems) gave me an opportunity to catch the first cast and to pick up on detail missed at the ROH.  And above all, for me, was Zenaida Yanowsky's mesmerising performance in the central role of Paulina that binds so much of the narrative together.  Recalling comments on the early performances, I saw nothing OTT in Edward Watson's Leontes - perhaps the facial close-ups eliminated some of the gestures - and, after Lauren Cuthbertson's Act 3, I feel she has arrived at a point of some maturity that must bode well for her future.

 

The intelligently wrought Prologue and Act 1 were over in what seemed no time at all; and Act 2 will always be over long for me, I fear, with some minutes that might usefully go to Act 3 to allow the action time to breathe.  Yet on second viewing, I'm sure that this is a worthy addition to the Royal Ballet's narrative repertoire - a 'keeper' as was said some 200 posts back.

[penelopesimpson]

Oh, yes, a second run please.

[Terpsichore]

I think there is a place for live transmissions to the cinema and I am particularly grateful for the HDTV transmission on this occasion because it enabled me to pick up important features of the production that I had previously missed even though I have good eyesight and was in a good seat.

 

Of course it is better to see the show in the theatre for all the reasons I have stated in previous posts. If the ballet is staged again in the next year or so it would suit me very well as I don't like to see two performances of the same show back to back or even in the same season even with different casts. A gap of a few months or even a year is ideal as it enables me to reflect on the work and appreciate it properly. 

 

On the whole Pathe Live which transmits from New York as well as Moscow does a better job than the ROH. They have a very good presenter.  Darcey Bussell could be good in some other role in an HDTV production.  Perhaps giving her reminiscences or even interpreting some of the choreography as Rojo did with Swan Lake. I have to count to 10 and remind myself how much I enjoyed her dancing whenever I see her in a relay. 

 

But that is a minor detail. It was a good broadcast so far as the good folk of Huddersfield were concerned. The lady next to me enjoyed it so much that she started clapping and one or two timid souls like me supported her.  She seemed to like it so much that I lent her my red programme from the House.  She was overjoyed.

Edited April 29, 2014 by terpsichore

[Petunia]

Broadcast was flawless, no glitches at all. Sadly there were only about 30 people in the audience. No popcorn   but also no applause  

Wonderful to see everything from front and middle!

 

Edward Watson sometimes reminded me of expressionistic silent movies. He’s such a great dancer, he doesn’t need so much explicit choreography. But I liked how his torment was shown by him twisting around the statues and fantasizing about the Hermione / Polixenes relationship.

 

I found the stage settings and costumes thoroughly beautiful. Liked the men’s coats, they looked regal and warrior-like, like Azerbaidjanian dancers. And the colours were fabulous.

 

The choreography for Lauren Cuthbertson was really wonderful, esp. the beginning and the end of Act 1 (trial scene). I went to see the broadcast with one of my adult students and heard her gasp when she did the unassisted arabesque turns.

 

In the whole I was very much moved by both Cuthbertson and Zenaida Yankovsky, how expressive she is with her tiniest movement!

 

I felt really uneasy when Cuthbertson was thrown around, I feared for the baby!

 

Didn’t feel the first act was too long. However, I’d condense Watson’s agonies just a little bit. There were moments when the choreography was somewhat mickeymousing the music, sadly I had to wince a little.

 

The whole flight / shipwrecking scene was absolutely ingeniously designed. The real big theatre machine bombast! Loved the billowing curtain which then became the waves!

 

I’m sorry to say that I was also very underwhelmed by Darcey Bussell’s presentation.

 

Loved the beginning of Act two with the flute, Sarah Lamb was a convincing 16 year-old in her first solo. My heart just melted when Steven McRae wore her like a slinky purple silk scarf around his neck.

 

Magical Bohemian party scene, great music there by the musicians on stage.

 

I am probably the only one here who liked the men’s costumes. Bohemia’s shores seem to be a crazy mélange of the Black Sea, the eastern Adriatic, Greece and all the Balkans.  As the choreography clearly showed .

 

I was happy to see so much challenging and fun choreography for the corps - I shouldn’t call them corps, since they looked like a bunch of individuals to me, I really became personally interested in every dancer, they are so wonderful, each and any of them.

 

I should write some more about McRae, I love his energy, his flawless technique and his intelligence. But this time I felt here he could be a little less brilliant… would love to see some innocence – the first love leaves most of us a little “dazed and confused”, isn’t it so? Both of them looked a tiny bit too smart after the very first beginning. (I’d be curious to see Vadim Muntagirov in this role).

 

When the last act started, I was a little tired (it was 11 pm by then), so I didn’t mind the act being comparatively short. It was dense and intensive and without any of the redundancies of the first act. Was fascinated by Hermione’s slow “awakening” and when she did her solo from Act 1 again, she transported such a maturity and sensitivity through her movement I couldn’t believe it. I had only seen her as Alice on video and liked her a lot, but from now on I am in love  .

 

All in all I felt so elated and animated when I left the cinema!

On my bike ride home through the splendid spring night I smelled the sweet scent from the trees and heard the nightingales, singing  their little tails off in every bush and shrub I passed.

[zxDaveM]

enjoyed the cinema viewing, despite Vue cinema doing their best to ruin it! Again!! The whole of the first act was projected such that the bottom 2-3ft of the screen were missing - i.e. the most we saw of dancers feet were when they were on pointe - and we might catch a glimpse of an ankle! When Lauren was 'dead' on the floor - all we saw was her chin and nose poking up over the bottom of the screen. Thankfully it was fixed for Acts 2 & 3. Act 2 was glorious! The close-ups were sensational, and the framing was generally beautifullky done to capture those gorgeous pdds between Steven and Sarah. They showed an interesting mix of angles - including from a grand tier box, which i'd not seen before.

Will I go again? Probably not to that particular cinema, despite it being only 10mins from my front door.

[Tony Newcombe]

Interesting that there were problems in the odd cinema. I attended a Vue cinema in Bristol and luckily everything was fine. This particular ballet works beautifully in the cinema

[GTL]

I didn't see last night's cinema transmission but, reading all this praise, I have to commend the Royal Ballet for doing so well in the wake of the tragic death of their colleague Emma Maguire's mother Anne yesterday morning (see News item).

http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/6728-emma-maguire/

Edited April 29, 2014 by Grand Tier Left

[sonik1965]

could not get last night but i have to say i like the cinema relays as i get a better view as i seem to get my fair few tall people in front of me, i no it dont beat being at the roh but it does give

u a chance to see another cast or see it more closer & on another plus u dont have to pay london prices for food + drink.

[Ann Williams]

'...>I haven't seen any ROH transmissions because of the extortionate price of the cinema tickets which are not much less than acceptable seats at the ROH<...'

 

WHAT!!  It would have cost me £95 to get an 'acceptable' seat at the ROH - had one been available - to see last night's performance, as opposed to the £12 I paid at the Vue in unglamorous Shepherd's Bush.  This afforded me an extremely comfortable seat with a glorious, unimpeded view of the screen, with all the bodies - head to toe - fully in view at all times, sensitive close-ups of dancers' faces when appropriate and immaculate camerawork at all times.  I don't know how they do it.  Long may it last, and heaven bless all those who made this privilege happen.

 

I'm not saying I'll never book to see a live performace again - there's nothing to touch the thrill of 'being there' after all - but.... 

[loveclassics]

My ticket cost me £13.50, an absolute bargain in the expensive environs of Canary Wharf. Lovely seat, very quiet and appreciative audience though sadly not nearly enough to half fill the small auditorium.  The transmission was technically faultless and the only thing that annoyed me was the house lighting which was prone to dim and then get brighter during the performance.  Not sure if this was an intentional tie-in with the action.

 

Have to agree with Mandy re Ms Bussell's odd collar.  At one point I speculated that her unease was due to distraction from the crystals picking up stray radio signals, possibly from passing UFO's?  They looked like the flight deck controls on the USS Enterprise.

[aileen]

Ann, your definition of what is an 'acceptable seat' is obviously different to mine. I was thinking of a seat around £30 and, last time I looked, a cinema ticket for a ballet would cost me £20 plus the booking fee.

[Mary]

I consider my ticket a wonderful bargain at £13- I can't see that as extortionate for 3 hrs of top quality ballet..! my usual amphi perch is fantastic but it could well cost £40-50 ( and the seat is half the size..)

 

It seems to me an absolutely wonderful and marvellous and wholly positive  thing that many more people can see a performance- it is never going to replace the live experience but not everyone can go to the theatre and last night broadcast the RB to 29 countries and a huge audience which must surely be good.

 

I say- let's have many more live screenings. I do so wish they had been around when I was a very poor student as £13 is indeed more affordable than most theatre seats, and I wish they had had them when my Mother was alive as she was no longer able to get to London and would have been thrilled to go.

 

I know quite a few people who have been for the first time- who will now go to "the real thing".

Those of us lucky enough to experience both live and cinema performances have the added bonus of perhaps seeing an extra cast and getting different viewing angles -whereas whichever seat you are in at ROH-great as it is to be there- you miss something.

 

I too cycled home in Cambridge  on a cloud of joy- how great not to have to get the late train.

 

 

It was unfortunate they picked a night with a higher than average female audience to close the ladies loos in our cinema though! Having to nip downstairs to the pub did very slightly take me down to earth in the interval.....   :-)

[alison]

The scene where he imagines Polixenes and Hermione having an affair is briliant because it is dramatic-when he is just shown writhing in torment, -writing rather than dancing, really, -that is less so and needs to be kept to a minimum.

Yes, I like that bit, too.

 

(I really liked his final grey costume- that's how it should be- being able to see the legs does help..........costume designers who put the men in ill-fitting trousers -sometimes with skirts on top as well, should be severely punished)

Didn't Ben Gartside dance that in his coat on Saturday? I thought at the time it looked a little odd - and cumbersome.

 

a wonderful chance to see the dancers close up, especially Edward Watson (it was good to see him in rehearsal looking relaxed and normal, makes me realise just what a great actor he is

Yes, he said in one of the preview interviews that the role had taken a lot out of him mentally and emotionally (my words, not his).

 

re: Darcey..I couldn't concentrate on what she was saying as I was totally distracted by her bizarre collar decoration and matching earrings, sorry for making such a personal comment Darcey but what were you thinking?

I thought, having read the review of BRB's "Les Rendezvous" the day before, that she was doing it in tribute to the costume designs for it: it seemed to me that the colour scheme was very similar

 

Does that confirm my view that the story and the emotional impact of the piece are driven by the acting rather than the choreography?

(And mine). I'm not sure it does: just that being able to see close-up brings additional benefits compared with, say, being stuck halfway up the amphi.

 

I had another engagement last night, so could not go, but I shall definitely try to see a future cinema performance.

You could always wait for the DVD: LOVEFILM seems convinced that there will be one, along with the Lamb/McRae Sleeping Beauty.

 

Sadly there were only about 30 people in the audience.

 

I felt really uneasy when Cuthbertson was thrown around, I feared for the baby!

 

I should write some more about McRae, I love his energy, his flawless technique and his intelligence. But this time I felt here he could be a little less brilliant… would love to see some innocence – the first love leaves most of us a little “dazed and confused”, isn’t it so? Both of them looked a tiny bit too smart after the very first beginning. (I’d be curious to see Vadim Muntagirov in this role).

(I cut your post down to the bits I wanted to reply to, Petunia). I suppose that, being a "foreign" company, and with the Germans not having any proprietorial feelings towards it audiences were always going to be rather more limited. I'm always surprised, over here, at how well the RB productions sell and how badly the Bolshoi tend to, even in a much more limited range of cinemas.

 

I too was worried about the baby - and wondered whether all the dancing Hermione was doing was viable on a real, heavily pregnant body .

 

I preferred Muntagirov in the role, I must say. Still brilliant, of course, but less "flash" and more believably youthful/in love.

 

enjoyed the cinema viewing, despite Vue cinema doing their best to ruin it! Again!! ...

Will I go again? Probably not to that particular cinema, despite it being only 10mins from my front door.

Thanks. I really think I'll keep well away from that one, even if it means having to travel further. Not that I fancy trying to get home from there at 10.30 pm, anyway.

 

I didn't see last night's cinema transmission but, reading all this praise, I have to commend the Royal Ballet for doing so well in the wake of the tragic death of their colleague Emma Maguire's mother Anne yesterday morning (see News)

 

Indeed. I was very proud of the company last night - and that was well before I discovered what had happened.

 

Ann, your definition of what is an 'acceptable seat' is obviously different to mine. I was thinking of a seat around £30 and, last time I looked, a cinema ticket for a ballet would cost me £20 plus the booking fee.

Suburban Odeons are around £15, with a 50 p booking fee if you feel the need to book in advance. Or, if your £20 is a Picturehouses £20, it's well worth looking at membership, which takes it down to about £13, I think - and gets you free tickets for "standard" film showings.

[Ann Williams]

Aileen, at what cinema does it cost £20 to see a live transmission?  Vue and Odeon cinemas all seem to charge around the £12/£13 mark.  And when I say an 'acceptable' seat, I simply mean a seat where I can see the stage without one or more impeding heads as I can do in the cinema, so for the purposes of my posting I chose a seat in the dead centre of the Grand Tier costing £95 -  my normal 'seat' is a standing place at the back of the stalls circle, but these are increasingly hard to come by and my days of being able to stand for long periods are similarly becoming rarer!