The Royal Ballet, Manon, Autumn 2014

[jmhopton]

I too really enjoyed the cinema performance tonight. I saw 3 performances of Manon at the ROH over the weekend of the 4th and 5th of October and then the Nunez/Bonelli performance was the one that didn't engage me as much as the other two (MarQuez/Mcrae and Lamb/Muntagirov). However, the cinema close-ups really draw you into the production and make you feel part of it and really appreciate the superb acting of all concerned as well as the amazing dancing. it was even worth sacrificing seeing all the corps activity which is such an integral part of Manon to see the detail of facial expressions and tiny nuanced movements not always easy to see in the amphi. Bravo to all concerned for a truly memorable evening.

[Ann Williams]

Saw Manon at the cinema tonight with Marinela and Federico and of course loved it.  As one of the many ecstatic tweetings from all over Europe put it  - can't remember his precise wording but this was the nub of it: -'unbelievable watching it in the cinema - the closeups mean that you get so much more of the meaning of the ballet...'.   Exactly.  Marinela in particular really lived and suffered Manon's story and gave it her all, as did Federico.  A very nice tweet from Luke Jennings complimented both the production and Nunez & Bonelli's performances.  Darcey Bussell's presentation was much more relaxed and confident than on her previous outings, and her interview with Deborah MacMillan was excellent (and very amusing). 

[alison]

Good post, Bruce. I don't think that this is supposed to be a 'fans site' in the sense that people are supposed to offer uncritical praise of their favourite dancers and favourite companies.

 

God forbid.

 

When I watched Ed Watson dance the opening night of Mayerling it was one of the greatest nights of my life and it added to my pleasure to be able to say so on here and find others with similar thoughts.

 

Mine too, at least ballet-going ones.  But then there was the last one of his in that run, and for that matter the third one in his first run ...

 

And yes, my thoughts too were on upgrading Hayward to Mary Vetsera in due course.

[FrankH]

This is my first post on this forum. I recently had a long-running but very low-key interest in ballet reinvigorated. Firstly by reading some books, including the autobiography of the great Russian ballerina Irina Baronova, and watching a wonderful DVD called “Ballets Russes”. And then at exactly the right time came World Ballet Day on Youtube, which emphasised to me that ballet dancers are not just marvellously talented, but among the very hardest workers of any performing profession, in arts or sports. And then I saw that a local cinema would be showing live Royal Ballet’s “Manon”.  So of course I booked a seat .

 

To use a cliché, I was “blown away” by what I saw and heard.

 

This was for me one of the most powerful experiences I have ever had at an artistic event.  Much as I liked ballet before, I never would have expected to have been moved in such a deep visceral way, as I was by this truly magnificent work of art.

 

I have not seen any other performance of Manon, so cannot compare Marianela Núñez or Federico Bonelli – or any other of the soloists – with others who have danced these roles. Even had I seen other performances, I know so little about ballet compared with most if not all on this forum, that my comparisons would be pretty worthless. All I can say is that I found the main characters absolutely compelling and believable.

 

And the whole company was also magnificent. These are after all dancers firstly, yet their acting was also first rate, and if you momentarily took your eyes off the principals, you were not let down by the others.

 

I now intend to see if I can attend a performance at the ROH.

 

And learning that the Royal Ballet spends around £250,000 per year on pointe shoes, I intend to add that to my list of “charities” to support.

 

My words seem lame and laboured, as I cannot really put into words what a sublime experience seeing “Manon” was for me. Please forgive my ignorant naïve enthusiasm!

[Melody]

Just got back from the cinema. Odyssey, 20 people in the cinema would be quite wonderful around here - this evening there were two of us. Unfortunately the music cut out a few times during Act 1 but otherwise it behaved fine.

 

Wasn't too impressed by Darcey Bussell, as usual (I suppose mixing up "façade" and "facet" is something that can happen to anyone, but this sort of thing seems to happen to her every time around), and her "see, Manon isn't the only one with a lot of bling" necklace was sort of funny, but I did enjoy the interview with Lady MacMillan, where Ms Bussell seemed to be a lot more relaxed than when staring into a camera or trying to interview Kevin O'Hare.

 

I really liked Marianela Nunez and Federico Bonelli; Gary Avis was wonderfully evil and Christopher Saunders was impressively smarmy, but I thought Ricardo Cervera's Lescaut got a bit lost in among all the other strong characters. There was a wonderfully tense atmosphere during the dance where Manon was being passed around from one man to another and Des Grieux was standing on the sidelines building up a real head of steam. You could tell things were going to go pear-shaped in a hurry. Although he must have been the world's most naïve person if he thought he could just take Manon away from all that and everything would turn out fine.

 

I suppose it's a sign of the times that Des Grieux is caught cheating at cards and Monsieur GM shoots and kills Lescaut, but Manon is the one who gets deported. Seemed rather unfair.

 

Loved the scenery in the Louisiana swamp - it really does look pretty much exactly like that in real life. I was expecting to see alligators wandering across the stage in among all the dry ice.

[Jan McNulty]

Hello FrankH and welcome to the Forum. Thanks for giving us such articulate thoughts about the performance. I do hope you will continue to post.

[Jan McNulty]

I was at the performance on Wednesday evening.  What can I say, from the moment she first appeared I was watching Manon as opposed to Francesca Hayward dancing Manon.  She was totally subsumed into the role and I loved watching her seduced by avarice.  Hers was such an intelligent and nuanced reading of the role that it is hard to believe she is a young dancer at the start of her career.  Edward Watson swept me away as DG.  I loved his interactions with both Francesca and Alexander Campbell as a nasty and all too believable Lescaut.

 

One of the joys of this performance was, to me, the fantastic way the three leads interacted.  I thought that Bennet Gartside was a thoroughly nasty gaoler - a brilliant performance.

 

I was emotionally drained by the time the curtain came down!

 

It was lovely meeting up with fellow Forum members in the intervals too.

[neil]

I went to the cinema screening of Manon last night - my local cinema was packed.

 

In contrast to Melody, I thought Cervera was excellent as Lescaut. Nuñez and and Bonelli were great together although I've never seen this ballet before so can't compare their performances with anyone else's.

 

I was not familiar with the music either and thought it was very well suited to the setting and the story. I was surprised that the music in Act 3 seemed quite different from the first two Acts but on reflection the setting was a different continent.

 

With young children in the house it is so much more convenient to get to the cinema vs going to the ROH itself - I am sure I'll go to several more of the screenings this season.

[Petunia]

I’ve been to the cinema, too!

 

I think Nunez and Bonelli are stunning, authentic and touching. Even in the most intricate duets they radiate thruthfulness – not only in their faces but in their whole bodies…when Nunez lifts her leg in the last pdd it is utter desperation, not just a developpé in second…

 

When Des Grieux began his solo in the first act (that was when the music stopped a few times – ouch) I thought I saw his fingers shaking but when Manon looked at him and smiled and when they started moving together, I sensed a wave of trust and confidence spreading out and enclosing them like a soft blanket. That was an incredibly moving moment.

 

In the party scene there were moments of such a tension, I could feel it even via the screen. As I have seen Manon on Video (I have the Rojo / Acosta DVD), I know there is so much going on in the background and at the sides that shouldn’t be missed but unfortunately the filming didn’t catch all of the action. Also in the first act the camera position was somewhat weird, sometimes the feet were cut off at overall the image lacked depth. That became better afterwards.

 

During the intervals I stayed put although I was not so sure about Darcey Bussell as a host but I enjoyed the conversation with Lady MacMillan a lot. Truly enlightening when she mentioned Sir Kenneth’s obsession with ice skating during the making of the ballet – it’s easy to see in the pdd’s sliding and gliding and spiraling movements!

 

After it was over, my whole body ached from sitting motionless and tensed for nearly three hours. I was quite agitated when I got home, I just couldn’t sleep.

 

 

BTW – did I see Francesca Hayward in the first and last act as one of the deported girls? If so, this is the best example of how life as a ballet dancer teaches you humility…!

[Fiz]

I couldn't sleep either, Petunia. The whole ballet was mesmeric.

[alison]

I gave the cinema a miss last night - apart from anything else, I had work to do - so didn't see this.  Given that the cast wasn't one of my top three, I'm now wondering how those casts would have looked onscreen

 

Petunia, I'm not sure whether Hayward was one of the deportees: I had assumed from hair and skin tone that it was her, but then I saw what I thought was the same dancer in the cast where she was dancing Manon, and she can't have been in two places at once! 

[Don Q Fan]

I thoroughly enjoyed last night's cinema screening of Manon far more than my theatre experience - I think due to the close up nature of the live screenings - even the costumes seemed more vibrant close up than in the theatre.  I like Ricardo Cervera but for Lescaut I prefer Valentino Zuchetti's interpretation especially in the drunk scene which was a lot more humourous.  Marianela and Federico were so credible and the charming wonderful gentleman that is Gary Avis was SUCH a dastardly tyrant as as the Gaoler oh my the leering smarmy grin on his face was pure theatre and made my skin crawl!!!!

Have to say I really liked the addition of some surtitles explaining where the scenes were and even more so the genius idea of showing the main characters during the overture so you know who you are looking for.  Even Darcey Bussell was much improved than the last time I saw her stumbling far less - yes I noticed the facade and facet too - bit cringe making - maybe she is trying too hard bless her!  I agree the interview with Lady MacMillan was fascinating and insightful and helped understand the work of Kenneth MacMillan - I had thought how much one of Federico's moves reminded me of the skaters in Les Patineurs and then next thing Lady MacMillan is telling us Kenneth was into ice skating.....

A great night out far better than my theatre visit - hope Zenaida Yanowsky and Roberto Bolle can blow me away the same way in a fortnight!

Edited October 17, 2014 by Don Q Fan

[zxDaveM]

I gave the cinema a miss last night - apart from anything else, I had work to do - so didn't see this.  Given that the cast wasn't one of my top three, I'm now wondering how those casts would have looked onscreen

 

Petunia, I'm not sure whether Hayward was one of the deportees: I had assumed from hair and skin tone that it was her, but then I saw what I thought was the same dancer in the cast where she was dancing Manon, and she can't have been in two places at once! 

 

Francesca was indeed a deportee - Manon one night, then next night back to the corps. Don't think she'll be doing the corps roles for much longer though...

[Ann Williams]

Does anyone know where I can find a list of London  'Encore' showings of the Manon streaming? I think the cinemas concerned are showing it either tomorrow (19th) or Monday 20th, but I can't find out where exactly and a friend desperately wants to see it now she seen all the comments.

 

Any pointers gratefully received.

[alison]

On the Odeon website, there was a special section for Manon encore screenings.  I don't know about others.  Did you try the old Time Out listing I posted probably in last year's cinema thread?

[ambros1a]

Does anyone know where I can find a list of London  'Encore' showings of the Manon streaming? I think the cinemas concerned are showing it either tomorrow (19th) or Monday 20th, but I can't find out where exactly and a friend desperately wants to see it now she seen all the comments.

 

Any pointers gratefully received.

Ann,

Check this listing http://www.timeout.com/london/film/royal-ballet-live-encore-screening-manon

[Ann Williams]

Many thanks, Ambrosia - this is a really helpful list!

[jmhopton]

Have just seen the 'encore' screening of Manon at our local cinema (Preston). There were about 30 attending and about 60/70 for the live screening on Thursday so quite a respectable attendance. I do hope the ROH and the cinemas carry on with the encore performances as it gives people a choice of dates to attend and also means people can attend more than one performance if they want to (as I did). Today I organised a small trip of 6 and several said they would have seen it again if they'd been to the original performance. The performance by all concerned was really splendid and very emotional. Marianella and Federico were sensational but I must give a special mention to Ricardo Cervera as a flamboyant Lescault who successfully hid his ruthlessness under a strong veneer of charm, and Gary Avis who enhances every performance he is part of.  How such a lovely person can make himself so loathsome as Monsieur GM or the gaoler I don't know but he gives a fantastic performance as both.

 

Re Encore screenings the Odeon website gives a list of their cinema encore screenings. I thought they had a Manon screening on the 23rd but that seems to have vanished.

[Terpsichore]

Having trundled down to London the day before for Shadows of War and Hail Britannia one might have thought I had seen enough ballet for one weekend but I decided to traipse down to the Huddersfield Odeon for the recording of Thursday's HDTV broadcast of Manon from Covent Garden. I am very glad I did for that was my only opportunity to see that production this year. I did not book tickets for this season's Manon at the Royal Opera House for two reasons. One was a very good reason and the other not so good.

 

Taking the good reason first, I can't see everything because there are not days in the week or noughts in my bank balance. If I saw everything that I want to see at the Royal Ballet I would never have time or money for anything else. Now I know the Royal Ballet is the gold standard and I love it dearly but that does not mean that everything else is second best. My beloved Northern won the Taglioni award this year and there is great work coming out of Birmingham, Glasgow as well as Leeds not to mention places like Grantham, Newport and Taynuilt, all of which deserves attention, criticism and support.

The less good reason is that I am a Sibley fan. Manon was created for Dame Antoinette as she recalled at her talk to the London Jewish Cultural Centre on 1 Feb 2014. I was afraid that I would be disappointed by anyone else in the role. A moment's reflection would have persuaded me that such a fear was groundless for many reasons not lest of which is the fact that Sibley is coaching modern ballerinas in that role. But the real clincher came when I saw the rehearsal on World Ballet Day. Marianela Nuñez is not Sibley but as you can see from the clip she is a very convincing Manon.

Manon is a gruelling role demanding a lot from the ballerina and her partner but Nuñez was up for it as was Federico Bonelli who danced des Grieux. They were strongly supported by Ricardo Cervera as Manon's brother Lescaut, Christopher Saunders as GM and Gary Avis as the gaoler of the penal colony.

The presentation was a lot better than in previous years though it did lose sound at the crucial moment when des Grieux picked up Manon's handbag. There were some interesting interviews with Kevin O''Hare, Nuñez and Bonelli though the Royal Opera House team are still some way behind Pathe-Live. They  could do themselves a favour by omitting the gushing and in many cases ill-informed tweets which are very irritating for those of us who actually do go to the ballet regularly.  The Bolshoi and Pathe-Live do not see the need to do that and neither should those behind the Covent Garden transmission.

Edited October 20, 2014 by terpsichore

[alison]

Ah, but it allows Everybody to have his/her say, even if what they're saying isn't really worth repeating, let alone retweeting

[Ann Williams]

Sorry, Terpsicore, but I do NOT regard the tweets as either 'gushing' or 'ill-informed'; I find them - as I'm sure others do - entertaining and often fun, and sometimes revealing in their geographical spread (Spain, Italy Ireland, Germany and more). They are also gratifying in the interest they show in British ballet, and additionally they must be very rewarding for later viewing by  the dancers, musicians and technicians involved in the broadcast.  These tweets are the reason I and many others remain seated during the intervals - we don't want to miss anything!.

[Anna C]

I agree. Of course there were many tweets praising the dancing and/or cast, but I didn't think any of them particularly gushing or ill informed. I agreed with those tweets commenting on how much the tweeter in question was enjoying the performance; it really was a wonderful and very emotional performance. The close ups added immeasurably to the atmosphere and story.

 

I also enjoyed the tweets from other countries giving a flavour of where in the world the ballet was being broadcast. Having not seen a live cinema relay before, I found that the re-tweets added to the experience.

 

Terpsichore, can you give an example of any of the tweets you found distasteful?

[Terpsichore]

I didn't say they were distasteful. Just irritating. 

 

The reason they irritate me is that they state the obvious and are in the wrong place.   

 

As for stating the obvious I am glad that Bruce and Sheila in Sydney liked the show but I would have have been surprised if they didn't. I agree with don Jose and Maria in Madrid that Nuñez and Bonelli dance well but then they jolly well should.

 

The place for tweets is twitter or maybe the House's website.  If I wanted to see them in the interval I would search for them by the hashtag on my mobile phone or look them up on a PC or tablet at home afterwards.  I don't want to read them in Huddersfield.

 

My point is that the Royal Ballet transmissions do not use the intervals as well as they might. Certainly not as well as the transmissions from Moscow or New York. The Met's in-depth interviews with everyone involved in every stage of the creative process are fascinating.   There  was some good stuff yesterday. I particularly liked the interview with Lady MacMillan and Bussell's reminiscences of dancing the role.   I  would have liked to have seen a lot more of that sort of thing.  For instance, some discussion on Georgiadis's designs or the arrangement of Massenet's music which contribute so much to the experience..

 

Tweeting is s not a big deal.  The gushing is my cue to grab a hot dog, But I have to say that I don't feel the need for comfort food in transmissions from Moscow or New York.

[Anna C]

By "distasteful" I meant that the tweets seemed not to be to your taste.

 

They don't seem to bother most people. I suppose people who object to them have the opportunity to pop out to the loo, or grab a drink. If every moment of every interval was filled with interviews or equally unmissable content it wouldn't give the audience any opportunity to attend to calls of nature or stretch their legs.

[alison]

I'd just like it if they all (Bolshoi included) let us know when the "unmissable" interval bits are: many's the time I've nipped out to the loo, or for a bite to eat (Picturehouses being quite civilised like that), or an ice cream, only to come back and find I've missed something of interest.  So in the next interval I stay put, and get, say, 20 minutes of the Bolshoi foyer or something

[JulieW]

Terpsichore - You might have a point about "gushing" but why shouldn't they be - they're from people thoroughly enjoying themselves who want to tell everyone just that. I find "ill-informed" rather rude actually. Why should you assume they are ill-informed? I know who some of them were from and they certainly couldn't be described as that.

[Terpsichore]

.............................. I find "ill-informed" rather rude actually. Why should you assume they are ill-informed? I.................................

 

Only going by what some of them said: remarks such as "first time I've seen Manon" or "I don't know Manon very well". 

 

Of course everybody has a right to express himself - at least for so long as the Human Rights Act remains in force - but surely I also have a right not to read those messages if I choose not to do so and it is difficult not to read something that flashes onto a screen in a darkened auditorium.  The only way to avoid them is to leave the auditorium at the risk of missing something good like Bussell's conversation with Lady MacMillan.

 

As I said, it's not a big deal. It didn't spoil my overall enjoyment of the recording.  I found a coping mechanism at the hot dog concession.  Omitting the voces populorum is my suggestion for elevating a good product into a better one.  If my view is a minority one, tant pis. I am not going to resile from it.

 

However, I would much rather discuss matters like the choreography or the quality of the recording in this space.

Edited October 21, 2014 by terpsichore

[bangorballetboy]

I'd just like it if they all (Bolshoi included) let us know when the "unmissable" interval bits are: many's the time I've nipped out to the loo, or for a bite to eat (Picturehouses being quite civilised like that), or an ice cream, only to come back and find I've missed something of interest. So in the next interval I stay put, and get, say, 20 minutes of the Bolshoi foyer or something

The Met Opera do this. They put a clock up to tell the audience how long the proper interval is before the interviews start again.

[Odyssey]

I'd like to add just one further point about tweets( although I do agree we should be talking about Manon here). When you are in a fairly empty cinema where we follow the general custom of no clapping, it is a warm feeling to know there are others out there who have shared the magic and want to express their enthusiasm

[Fiz]

I think the point of putting Manon on in the cinema was to appeal to the uninitiated as well as those who know the ballet well. Don't be such an intellectual snob!

[alison]

Only going by what some of them said: remarks such as "first time I've seen Manon" or "I don't know Manon very well". 

 

Surely that's un- or under-informed rather than ill-informed?

 

Of course everybody has a right to express himself - at least for so long as the Human Rights Act remains in force - 

 

And, apparently, provided your comments are sufficiently PC (cynic?  me??!!)

[Bruce Wall]

I think the point of putting Manon on in the cinema was to appeal to the uninitiated 

 

Oh, dear .... and here was I thinking they wanted to make money ....  .... LOL

[Anna C]

Crikey, for financial and physical reasons there are so many ballets I haven't yet seen. There's a first time for everything; in fact I saw Manon for the first time earlier this month AND tweeted to say how much I'd enjoyed it. If anyone thinks that I am therefore gushing and ill-informed I suppose they are entitled to do so. In turn I would think them rather rude. ;-)