Mary

It might not be the best production of Don Q- true enough. But on the plus side you get:

A lot of fun

Great casts

Plenty of dancing

Some wonderful virtuoso set pieces in which to enjoy your favourite dancers showing off

A bit of silliness and a few naff moments to provide a chuckle

What's the problem??

Just what the Dr ordered!

Great to read different points of view-that's very interesting Jane S!

57 minutes ago, yumiko said:

I guess so.

My laptop shows this page, but smart phones show the current or old page.

Well, I would definitely give ROH some feedback!

I don't have that at all- how very odd. Is it the future?

That is true Alison. But he is the resident choreographer and a very high profile presence at ROH. He is bound to be influential, and, he is also by all the evidence a nice man and a good mentor, so I think his approach is bound to be imitated by the young.

However, though some of his own work I think is very good- ( only some in my view) he is not a good model to imitate, in my view- the over-intellectualization, the over-use of supporting effects and technology, and the extreme movement,- none of this, in my view is a good model for a young choreographer starting out. They are areas to move into perhaps as a confident and experienced artist-maybe.

Good question. Reading all these comments, I am starting to wonder how many seats have a 'restricted view' ?

What percentage was it pre refurbishment and what, after?

That is, supposing we define restricted view as any kind of restriction.

New theatres may often be a little hard of seat and stark of decor but, all the ones I know have perfect sightlines......

54 minutes ago, Richard LH said:

 

Yes it would be good if a bit of Ashton-like joy or silliness could be included in some of these  new works. 

Quite agree- but could someone who has seen it tell us if there was in fact any such joy or silliness? The second photo in the Guardian review certainly hinted at some of the latter....

Thanks for the warnings. I was going to go as a birthday treat but have given away my ticket and am now making other plans. Can't judge without seeing it, but, from all the comments here and reviews it does not sound calculated to lift the  spirits.  Also, only just noticed the ticket says 'Restricted view' and I don't remember seeing that on the website.

11 minutes ago, capybara said:

Maybe Morera felt it was a farewell to the Gypsy Girl?

I thought that Muntagirov was fabulous too.

i did wonder that. She came on with eyes blazing and took command of the stage throughout her appearances, dancing with extraordinary energy and focus. The audience loved her.

As for Muntagirov - I think Floss said he is not quite 'ordinary' enough for this ballet and I take the point: he is never and could never be, ordinary..... but his lissom elegance was such a lovely foil to the 'earthiness' of Morera's character-  - and I do wish I could see them dance together more often- which helped the audience see that they were not 'meant to be' as a couple.

His acting in the comic scenes with Cuthbertson was perfectly judged- not overdone, and with a real sense of genuine annoyance underlying the fun. Then in the soaring emotion of the final pas de deux his sublime lines could only heighten the exquisite poignancy. 

Much sniffing all around in the amphi!

For me it was one of those performances to store up and always remember.

Laura Morera was on fire tonight!

'Royla ballet'

8 hours ago, FLOSS said:

It may not be "realistic" in the way that MacMillan claims for his characters and their narrative experiences which seem far closer to the big emotions of verismo opera than  anything that people experience in every day life. Ashton's approach is smaller scale and I think more emotionally truthful than is generally served up in a MacMillan dram-ballet. Ashton's relies on the audiences' recognition of characters their emotional states and situations. None of his characters are ever going to end up dying in a Louisiana swamp or in a suicide pact and his Romeo and Juliet is far more concerned with the personal tragedy of the young lovers  than presenting the narrative as an epic opera house-scale tragedy.

Absolutely agree.

I feel very sorry for anyone who finds Macmillan 'realistic' in that sense- their lives must be so terrible I am surprised they would have time or energy to go to the ballet...

The reason so many people report weeping in Two Pigeons is precisely because the ballet speaks to the ordinary emotional experience of normal people, and that is what Ashton does so well in my view.

This headline is surely not the publicity the ROH wants..

Not very fair though to call the Friends 'members' and say they pay 'up to £2000 for the opportunity to buy in advance' ( all making it sound much more 'elitist') when the vast majority pay less than £100 Friends membership , and being a Friend is not solely about getting early booking.

Was Campbell with Yuhui Choe, Darlex?

I thought they looked very nice together in the rehearsal.

Couldn't agree more re Two Pigeons being so very moving, and also the pairings being good ones.

I know what you mean: I finally managed to get one of these rehearsal tickets: but hoping I won't be treated to a run through of  the bit where Frankenstein chucks body parts round the  stage....🙂

The Nicholas brothers are true dancers of fabulous quality -  surely not  a novelty act of the sort  you describe above Douglas? I get the feeling they would have been enormous stars if they had not been black in that time and place.

I know their work was cut out in segregationist cinemas- but, is that a separate ( terrible) issue?

An enjoyable film- thanks.

He doesn't need any drawing out does he! How nice to see a young man overflowing with enthusiasm for his work and life in general.

It is a lovely insight into the theatre too.

I recall a lively discussion on the forum about the 'flowers for men' issue a year or two back- I think 90% of us thought it was jolly high time this changed.

I can now spend a happy hour over my cup of early grey musing on which of the principal men will get the first posy from me. and what flowers would be most suitable.......

🙂

Lucky you. I have a theory that Mr Fiennes is incapable of being in a bad film, so hopes are high.....

2 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

But Don Q is only being performed in Birmingham.  I know that London members do make the journey to Birmingham but this is surely aimed at the Midlands area where there would be little option for the public to see it otherwise.

 

BRB have had mixed programmes including new works for many years so they don't strike me as particularly peculiar.  Nine Sinatra Songs has been known and loved by BRB fans for a long time and it is exciting that BRB audiences will be able to enjoy the joys of Ballet Black too.  

Don't Ballet Black get to Birmingham? I thought they did.

You know a vast amount more about BRB tours than I do- so I am sure you're right- but I can't help feeling there

is a change of focus in the air though.

We will see.

Mulling it over- I can't help wondering if it really is such a great idea to put on Acosta's Don Q considering RB are doing it this summer..and then we have the Bolshoi bringing their Don Q later in the summer as well and we'll have had live screenings of both. Yes it's nearly a year but many ballet goers -hard pressed in their pockets these days- do try to vary what they see over long periods of time, after all.

It strikes me the modern mixed bills are trying to look more like ENB. But, the whole point about BRB was always its own- very precious - identity.

I speak with no great knowledge but this does rather look to me like a cost-saving programme- BRB  have suffered bad cuts have they not? and the year must have been put together with a very careful eye on cost. No more new large scale works.

It does seem a bit thin and it is such a great shame that the tour is getting smaller- but in these days not really surprising. Alas.

That said, I was very saddened last year to lose companies like Ballet Black and English Touring Opera from Cambridge..then lo and behold they have re appeared. So, it might not be forever.

I saw somewhere- was it while I was at the Bolshoi live screening? that this is going to be live screened- or was it wishful thinking?

Of course Jan-quite right -  I realise it is not a ballet. It wouldn't be right to make a direct comparison . But I thought the overall standard of dancing last night left something to be desired, regardless of style. And Bourne's choreography doesn't always satisfy me. That's the word- it was just unsatisying in parts- I was longing for some real dancing to that music - in any style you like! at times.

It is hard, as others have said not to think, while watching it, of the many Swan Lakes one has seen- and also, having a ballet principal in the  middle of it did rather point up the contrasts.

(I was trying to explain the similarities and differences  to a traditional ballet Swan Lake to my husband, who often goes with me but is not an expert- and by the time I had said something like 'Matthew Ball should be good in Matthew Bourne's ball scene' I realised I'd lost him....)

Matthew Ball's performance tonight was excellent. Otherwise I fear I am in a minority....I realise Bourne is not really for me.

It's a good many years since I saw the MB Swan Lake.  I can remember thinking the early scenes dragged a bit, and just wanting to watch the swans which I thought in that first run were really beautiful and poetic....This time  it was  much more so. The first 45 minutes seemed to go on and on with far too little dancing ( and the wonderful music thrown away) and a great many repetitive and rather feeble jokes-  I thought. My companions all said 'Too long'! as we came out of part 1- and felt the points were very laboured..'we get it'- no need for the hitting us over the head with the points....the royalty jokes and ballet pastiche seemed interminable and not really funny, and the storyline was impenetrable.

However, the swan scenes still seemed very poetic and beautiful- even if as others have said Ball's presence does rather show up other dancers ( and he  very noticeably had about 4 muscles for every 1 of the other dancers on stage!)

In the last scene the swan corps came into their own in their circling, hissing frenzy- a very powerful scene indeed.

Ball's black swan could not compete with my memory of Adam Cooper- noone could! and there was a slight shade of 'nice boy pretending to be bad' I thought. But nonetheless he was compelling to watch. And his good swan in the last scene was powerfully moving.

It was definitely worth the trip. But- for me,  there was just too much padding.

Also, although The Queen was excellent- and of course there were many good dancers  -  I didn't feel the overall quality of dancing was quite sharp and consistent enough.

It has made me really appreciate the amazingly high standard of dance throughout the company in RB, BRB, ENB though - oh and many other companies I have seen in the past years- all the more.