Scheherezade

I think that you have hit the nail on the head here, Jane. This scene calls for the dancers to ham it up to such an extent that it has to be played with a figurative wink to the audience and that sense of complicity is lost when the scene is played so far upstage. I, too, was disappointed to read that Kaneko's later performance(s) did not match up to Monday night's impressive showing. Could this have something to do with her earlier injury or has she not yet reached the necessary level of consistency? I think it has been suggested that since experience can no longer be gained via a touring arm of the company, castings made on a 'have a go' basis should perhaps be restricted to matinees but whilst this might solve the problem of unsuitability for a particular role, it would not resolve lack of consistency. What, then, is to be done?

I, too, wish that I could have seen Elena's farewell performance. I hope that she will not say farewell to London and that her future performances will not be restricted to the Dying Swan, which is billed for the Albert Hall, and which she danced at a Sadler's Wells gala in the Karl Lagerfeld tutu a few years ago. Perhaps she will dance Raymonda. Or I would love to see what she could bring to Manon. I did see the Rojo/Lendorf Swan Lake on the evening prior to Elena's farewell. I brought along a visiting relative in her late twenties. It was her first visit to the ballet and she told me that it was the most thrilling thing she had seen in her entire life. On returning home, she rushed to Facebook to post how lucky and privileged she felt to have seen such a breathtaking performance. My daughter, who is in her early twenties and frequently comes to the ballet, agreed. We both felt that Tamara gave the most beautifully nuanced performance, quite heartbreaking. I can't remember when I last felt such an emotional charge from a performance of Swan Lake. It was almost like seeing the ballet for the first time and good to know that it is possible to recapture that 'first time' high. I find it interesting and heartening that so many of my daughter's friends in their twenties, both male and female and none of them from a dancing background, clamour to come to the ballet. And, without exception, it is ballet rather than contemporary dance that they love so much. It is, perhaps, something that the middle-aged executives who feel that they need to present a grim, uber-realism to draw young people in to the ballet or opera might like to consider. Ms Rojo seems to enjoy dancing with Mr Lendorf. Or perhaps he enjoys dancing with her, and with ENB. Either way, I hope that he will continue as a frequent guest. I recall his superb Mercutio to Vasiliev's Romeo in the Ashton Romeo and Juliet brought to the Coliseum a few years back by the Schaufuss Ballet. I would love to see his Romeo. Or, perhaps, to have him guest in the forthcoming Sadler's Wells programme. And as other members (Bruce Wall, I think) have pointed out, wouldn't it be wonderful to have Vasiliev guesting regularly in the more rip-roaring parts of the ENB repertoire.

Later posts about Don Q have been far more favourable than the earlier posts. I am not sure whether this is due to the change of casts or the fact that the production has now bedded in. In the last run, I saw the Nunez and Acosta pairing, which although enjoyable - I felt that the more considered, narrative element gave more meaning to the performance -felt a tad insipid when compared with the fabulous Bolshoi Vasipova vehicle. I saw two performances in the current run, the Osipova/Golding debut, which I thought showed a lot of promise before the very real shock of Osipova's fall and, inevitably, the extraordinarily long interval destroyed the continuity, making it difficult to form a true impression of whether this ballet truly fell within the company's comfort zone. The general feedback on Golding and Tsygankova would suggest that Golding could really make something of this role with the right partner and I am sorry that I wasn't there to form my own impression. As for McRae and Salenko - wow! I can only echo the comments of the other posters. And isn't McRae's showmanship exactly what this ballet needs? Pizzazz, technique, charisma - and, in his first performance in this run, easily the longest overhead lift I have ever seen. I also loved Fumi Kaneko as Queen of the Dryads. She made the technical demands look effortless, unlaboured. There was an easy serenity to her dancing. I felt that she inhabited this role far better than Melissa Hamilton in last year's run. I can't remember who danced in the Osipova/Golding performance. This is possibly because she was overshadowed by Francesca Hayward, who was so exquisite as Amour, and perhaps Anna Rose O'Sullivan made slightly less of an impression in the McRae/Salenko performance because Fumi Kaneko was so good. Comparisons are inevitable, aren't they? I was looking forward to Zucchetti's Espada as I felt that he would have the necessary bravura for the role but he did not impress me as much as Hirano and I feel that the same is true of almost anyone's Mercedes when compared with the sassiness of Laura Morera, who holds the eye like almost no-one. I can only reiterate the sentiments of everyone who wonders why she hasn't yet been cast as Kitri, a role which seems tailor-made for her. I don't necessarily agree with the criticisms of the costumes and sets. Whilst the lilac costumes of Kitri's friends may be less than inspired, I have no real problem with the remaining costumes which, along with the white-beige hues of the village square, have more than a hint of sun-bleached southern Spain during a long, hot summer. And I love the hallucinogenic quality of the giant flowers during the dream scene and the oppressively tangled branches framing the gypsy encampment like a Grimm illustration against the setting sun. I may again be in the minority, but I also enjoyed the gypsy scene, which again had the flavour of authenticity and did not overstay its welcome (unlike the tedious caucus race in Alice). All in all, I feel that this Don Q rewards with repeated viewings and, with the right principals, provides a satisfying and even thrilling experience.

Perhaps, where forum members have booked for specific dancers, there is a case for exchanging tickets for others of a similar price/location. I, for one, have two tickets for the 12th (now with Yanowsky and Pennefather) that I would be happy to exchange for Osipova and Bonelli on the 5th (or any other Osipova/Bonelli date apart from 22nd October) as I already have tickets for Yanowsky and Pennefather on another date - and I agree with LinnMM that this role really suits Yanowsky. My tickets are the £6 row B side amphitheatre if anyone is interested but I only wish to exchange them - I do not wish to offer them for sale generally - which is why I haven't used the ticket exchange forum. The box office, of course, does not have any decent seats at this price so I may otherwise have to trade up to £27 or more.

I couldn't agree more and feel that Rojo gets frequently shortchanged on this forum, although I can't imagine why. The only time that I have felt underwhelmed by her was, surprisingly, in her pairing with Nicolas Le Riche in Le Jeune Homme, perhaps because his performance was so sublime. ENB have developed into a force to be reckoned with. Long may they continue!

To be honest, obtaining the information was like getting blood from a stone; I can only imagine that the box office staff have been asked to sell the more expensive tickets where at all possible. After a series of fruitless and unproductive general questions, I asked what seats could be booked that were not available online, and at what prices. I was told boxes and dress circle slips with balcony boxes priced at £15 per seat. I was also told that cheap seats had to be provided to make up for the absence of cheap balcony seats (although presumably not as cheap as £10) and that the view from the balcony boxes was excellent.

Also, as per my recent post in the 'Performances seen' forum under 'Prince of the Pagodas', seats in the boxes are available from £15 when booking by telephone or in person (but not online) with a far less restricted view than at ROH.

For anyone looking for cheaper tickets, individual seats in the boxes can be purchased from £15 upwards by telephoning the box office who, when pressed, admit that they have to hold a number of cheaper tickets to make up for the balcony closure, although they seem singularly reluctant to release this information. Slips seats can also be purchased by telephone and are also cheaper than the seats in the main body of the auditorium. These seats face the stage and are therefore far more comfortable than the ROH slips with a much better view.

Thank you, Janet, I shall be book-ending the working week with Jewels on Monday and Flames of Paris on Friday. It will be interesting to compare Jewels with the RB version and Flames of Paris will be a first for me.

As I haven't posted before, hello to everyone and thank you all for your informative comments and debate upon so many performances. I shall be watching Jewels and Flames of Paris next week and shall be interested to share everyone else's views. As an aside, and for anyone who may be interested, the Zakharova/Alexandrova/ Lantratov Bayadere cast can be seen uninterrupted via Medici TV's free subscription service (as opposed to the piecemeal YouTube option).