alison Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 From what I read in one of the recent Gillian Lynne interviews, I understand that it's [edit: Miracle in the Gorbals] not a revival, more rechoreographed from scratch. Or am I confusing it with something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 I believe you understand correctly Alison. I think it is in the spirit and style of the original. Here is a review of B&B from the Birmingham Mail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Arrowsmith Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 From what I read in one of the recent Gillian Lynne interviews, I understand that it's not a revival, more rechoreographed from scratch. Or am I confusing it with something else? That is what Gillian Lynne is claiming (and there certainly are some errors of fact in her claims in the FT interview last Saturday) - but her work builds on the creative archaeology that has taken place over the past four years, sifting the memories of others who danced in the original, many photographs and designs - as well as the musical prompts that the score suggests. Lynne has made conscious changes to Helpmann's original - but the spirit of his ballet is probably more in evidence than the claims being made for it. Its subject matter sounds timeless. What will be interesting to see is how well a different generation of dancers encompass something inherently theatrical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Pigeons Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Gillian Lynne said in an interview in the Friends of BRB magazine that only Pauline Clayton could actually remember every step of her solo. I get the impression that this is a reconstruction of style and spirit rather than accurate restaging of the original work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Pigeons Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Sorry, just re read my last effort. That should be Pauline Clayden of course. With apologies to all concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 BRB's Shadows of War programme (La Fin du Jour, Miracle in the Gorbas, Flowers of the Forest) starts next week (8th October) at the Birmingham Hippodrome before moving to London and Plymouth. Can we please use this thread to discuss? I have moved a couple of posts from the B&B thread as they are discussing Gorbals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Am looking forward to seeing this programme at Sadlers on the 18th October. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Was there no notation for Miracle in the Gorbals? Or film? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 The always wonderful James Barton has written a blog piece for the Birmingham Hippodrome about the recreation of Gorbals. It's a great read! https://birminghamhippodrome.wordpress.com/2014/09/16/james-barton-on-brb-and-rehearsing-with-a-legend/ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terpsichore Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 Was there no notation for Miracle in the Gorbals? Or film? Maybe my memory is playing tricks on me for it was a long time ago but I think I saw a scene from that ballet in the late 1960s or early 1970s and Sir Robert Helpmann was definitely involved. It may have been the gala for Ashton's retirement in 1970 which Sir Robert presented though as that evening was devoted to Ashton I am not sure why one of Helpmann's ballets would have been included. At about that time Dame Ninette de Valois was giving a talk at the V & A so it may have been something to do with that. There were certainly a lot of photos of the performance and some found there way into books which somehow got lost when my late mother moved from Surrey to Harrogate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 Go see it! Wonderful performances this afternoon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stirrups36 Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 Looking forward to seeing it tomorrow night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Pigeons Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 (edited) Sorry, I am a clot. I've written my review but posted it on the Beauty and the Beast thread.If someone brighter than me could move it I would be excessively grateful. Thank you. Edited October 9, 2014 by Ian Macmillan Done - see 14, below. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Macmillan Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 See 13 above - this is Two Pigeons' post, copied from the other thread, and now deleted there. There does not appear to be a straightforward way of moving an individual post between threads: Posted Today, 06:38 PM I was at the Hippodrome last night and found much to enjoy. I have reservations about La FIn Du Jour as I think its meaning and style has got slightly lost over the years. Needless to say, the company danced it extremely well and with real energy but for me they did not capture the underlying threat of what was on the horizon. I was privileged to see the first cast over 30 years ago, can you believe it is so long, but I still remember Merle Park and Jennifer Penney's understanding of the 1930s chic. I felt Maureya Lebowitz and Mathias Dingman did very well and once the company were in evening clothes I felt they got nearer the style I remember. When it comes to Miracle in the Gorbals I think I felt very much as I did when I saw the ENB revivals of Ashton's Apparitions and his Romeo and Juliet. How well these works have stood the test of time is something on which every viewer will have a different opinion. I would like to express my sincere thanks to Gillian Lynne and David Bintley for giving me the chance to see this work which was of such importance to the development of the Royal Ballet companies' repertoire. The performances were exceptionally sincere and heartfelt with special mention to Delia Matthews as the suicide and Cesar Morales in Helpmann's role of the stranger. This ballet stands or falls by the credibility of his performance. I only ever saw Helpmann once in 1979 in an entirely different role but I totally believe the stories of how magnetic and unforgettable he was in everything he ever did. Cesar is probably a much quieter presence but no less compelling for all of that. I am seeing the ballet again tomorrow night and will see how it fares on a second viewing. There is much to take in and it is a very intense 40 minutes. I will be very interested to hear how other balletomanes view the work. We finished the evening in fine style with ballet which is very close to my heart, Flowers of the Forest. Again praise to Mathias Dingman leading the second part, well supported by Elisha Willis and the first part, led by Iain Mackay was a sunny joy. The men danced their hearts out in the Scottish Ballad but I did get very annoyed with the new lighting effects. There was one point when I wanted to shout out 'for Heaven's Sake, turn the lights up'. I was at the premiere of this ballet in 1985 and have seen it a number of times in the intervening decade. As an aside, I think there is a mistake in the programme which says that Vyvyan Lorrayne danced at the Birmingham premiere. It is my memory that it was Margaret Barbieri but I may be wrong. it was a while ago. Either way, the old back cloths and lighting were perfectly fine to set the scene without the new dramatic changes. I do realise that it depicts great loss in battle without everything having to turn red. The programme was due to finish around 9.50 but it overran last night. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Pigeons Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 Many thanks Ian. I promise not to do this again (I hope). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terpsichore Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 Am looking forward to seeing this programme at Sadlers on the 18th October. I shall be at the evening performance. It would be lovely to meet you at last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted October 10, 2014 Author Share Posted October 10, 2014 See 13 above - this is Two Pigeons' post, copied from the other thread, and now deleted there. There does not appear to be a straightforward way of moving an individual post between threads: There ought to be: I must have used it when I was performing all that surgery the other day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 Tick the little tick box on the left hand side of the post number. Another box appears with various options including one to move a post. To move the post you need the URL of the thread that you want to move it to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Terpischore I will be at the matinee but I'm sure we could arrange a meet up in between performances if you are not too late into London will PM you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nottsballetlover Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Just come out of matinee Shadows of War in Birmingham. Just amazing, what a triple bill! Will write more when I get home. Having a quick drink before catching train as I feel emotional! BRB so stunning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisG Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 I was at this afternoon's matinee too. So much to enjoy but what a shame it was so sparsely attended. It made an interesting contrast to the ENB Lest We Forget programme in that the links to war were much more oblique - 'Shadows' was very much the key word. I felt that Miracle in the Gorbals got a bit West End at times but it was very much a worthwhile excavation. You could see how the subject matter and style might have affected the young Kenneth MacMillan. And yet his contribution to the programme was paradoxically the sunniest thing on offer. La Fin du Jour was a delight throughout, with Celine Gittens and Yvette Knight standing out especially. I was conscious of the patched together nature of Flowers of the Forest - the shift in tone in the middle is sudden and not entirely satisfactory. I did however feel that the lighting was perfect, matching the changing mood of the piece. Finally it was nice to see a name check for my favourite band Fairport Convention in the programme - surely the first time they've ever been linked with ballet! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nottsballetlover Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Just home from Shadows of War matinee in Birmingham and scribbled my thoughts down on the train. I concur with ChrisG above that it was a shame it was poorly attended but the audience (myself included) responded warmly to what for me, was one of the best triple bills I've ever attended. Usually I find at least 1 in the 3 pieces dull but today I was engaged in all of them and found something wonderful in each piece (none of which I had seen before btw). With Fin de Jour, although I failed to connect at all with impending war, I loved the piece. Superbly complex Macmillan lifts of the girls by the boys, with all 4 main roles shining throughout: Celine Gittens, Tyrone Singleton, Yvette Knight and Brandon Lawrence. Miracle in the Gorbals I found very powerful and moving and was gripped throughout and felt the story really flowed well. I'm assuming The Stranger is supposed to be a Christ figure; Cesar Morales shone with a kind of divinity in this (possibly helped by amazing lighting on him). Delia Matthews as suicide was sublime. What a wonderful recreation of a past work - one of the best short ballets I have seen for many years. The Bliss score was played blissfully by RB Sinfonia. And Flowers of the Forest was a wonderful end piece. I particularly loved the Britten Scottish Ballad section accompanied brilliantly on double pianos - 2 Steinway's in the orchestra pit! I was utterly swept away all afternoon. BRB is truly a dazzling company to watch right now. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisG Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Can't help thinking that the title of the programme may have put people off attending. The only direct reference to war was the sound of bombing before Miracle, and even that felt a bit tacked on. I agree however that it was a wonderful triple bill. Can't wait for the American one in the spring! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 I'm looking forward to seeing this next week. I like seeing something that I haven't seen before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terpsichore Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 Terpischore I will be at the matinee but I'm sure we could arrange a meet up in between performances if you are not too late into London will PM you I have exchanged my evening ticket for a matinee ticket - mainly to enable me to meet you but also to see MurleyDance's Hail Britannia at The Shaw Theatre in the evening. You may want to check your email. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Anyone got a run time for Shadows of War? I will be at the matinee tomorrow 18/10 happy to catch up with you Terpsichore and LinMM in the intervals. Not sure where though as long time since I have been to Sadlers Wells! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Pigeons Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 If it's any help, last week we had 25 mins for Fin du Jour, 40 for Miracle and 30 for Flowers. However, it all overran and curtain down was around 10.10. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Thank you for the timings! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 I'd guess curtain down was about 10.25 tonight, so be warned. Some of the overrun might be due to the first-night party taking a long time to return to their seats, or it may have been due to the time taken to erect the set, I don't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 (edited) Attended this last night and enjoyed the triple bill MUCH more than I did the dreary (a note should be sent with haste to the lighting designer that not everyone in the audience can see in the dark) and oh, so twee BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. That latter was Bintley back on his CYRANO fringes. Not a happy place to be. SO dispiriting. There is NO question but that these dancers deserve better. Certainly better they MUST have if they are to grow. (Thank heavens for the very fine Wright productions this Company is fortunate enough to possess.) Much as with Bintley I prefer my MacMillan early and, thus, I VERY much enjoyed the delicately entrenched brightness of LA FIN DU JOUR and certainly Ian Spurling's vivid deco design. Celine Glittens glittered. Brandon Lawrence is a good dancer with an enchanting smile but he must - simply MUST - work to make his placement more precise. That, too, will contribute to more clarity in his partnering. Tyrone Singleton was thankfully more able on both counts. I SO appreciated the opportunity to see Gillian Lynne's re-vitalisation/re-visualisation of Helpmann's MIRACLE IN THE GORBALS. It transported one immediately back to a time where the decoration of the choreography was certainly simpler and served to do naught but make the stealth of the narrative pungent. I so admired Michael Benthall's courage in his scenario's depiction of the hypocrisy inherent in the Church of England, an institution founded in at least part on deceit. Things, sadly, have not changed in that institution's regard and consequently this piece can still be in that aspect timely. Indeed as I was watching it I felt there might perhaps be a contemporary narrative ballet to be made in a similar light. I would love to see Scarlett tackle such on this fine company. There could I think be much to explore in a one act work that might husband this particular period piece (i.e., MIRACLE) given that same institution's continuing duplicity in its treatment of so many sectors, (e.g., women and gays). Iain Mackay was outstanding in his depiction of the irreverent minister - effectively cloying at his own collar at several junctures - and all the BRB cast clearly shone in their characterful fulfillment. Delia Mathews brought a glowing dignity to the Suicide victim who suffered both physical as well as spiritual indignity at the hands of her so-called protector and Elisha Willis enriched her prostitute with a self-respecting stature so oft missing in MacMillian's frequent one-dimensional depiction of such. Cesar Morales glowed as The Stranger without being sanctimonious; no small feat in this instance. Lynne's knowingly theatrical deployment of Bliss' score was enticingly rich in its West End detail. In that regard her work here reminded me much of DeMille's as first etched on this same stage. The best in this triple bill was kept for the last in Bintley;s (happily on a much more secure EARLY footing) FLOWERS OF THE FOREST and its ever osculating Celtic swirl. I well remember the glory of Yoshida radiating in the Four Scottish Dances the last time I saw this fine piece in the same venue and the stunning Nao Sakuma was I felt every bit her equal. Certainly there could be no doubt but that the exemplary Tzu-Chao Chou was a thrilling thunderbolt of eviscerating exactitude. What a gift that artist is. A word of SPECIAL thanks to the EVER glorious Marion Tait (in MIRACLE) and Jonathan Caguioa throughout for giving virtual masterclasses in meaningful character development through movement which me, myself and I have always believed to be (indeed cherished as) BRB's hallmark. So refreshing. Edited October 18, 2014 by Bruce Wall 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 I saw this programme today when I enjoyed meeting three other forum members. I didn't find La Fin du Jour particularly engaging although there was plenty of complex lifting and passing around of the two female leads. I felt that there was a mismatch between the period costumes and the fairly modern choreography. Maureya Lebowitz really stood out for me. I found Miracle in the Gorbals very absorbing. It must have been fairly revolutionary at the time (in terms of both subject matter and choreograph) but does not perhaps have quite as much resonance today. It was very well acted and danced. You didn't need a synopsis as the story was so clearly told. Flowers of the Forest was a suitably crowd pleasing finale. It was full of charm without being saccharine and cleverly incorporated elements of Scottish dancing. It was danced with great character by the whole cast. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted October 18, 2014 Author Share Posted October 18, 2014 I so admired Michael Benthall's courage in his scenario's depiction of the hypocrisy inherent in the Church of England, an institution founded in at least part on deceit. Things, sadly, have not changed in that institution's regard and consequently this piece can still be in that aspect timely. I hate to point this out, Bruce, but the Gorbals are in Glasgow. The minister would therefore be Church of Scotland, or Presbyterian, or something, I think - quite a different kettle of fish. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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