Mary

Yes the Balcony- never again.

The downstairs loos at the Coliseum always seem very inconvenient- a long trek, and much queueing on stairs- so I am sorry ROH are following this idea.

I hope the generous and well positioned amphi provision is unaffected by all the work.

It is a shame if this whole project- which must be costing a fortune- reduces the audience experience while just making room for- more shops I presume.

Willl inspect the lavatorial facilities at ROH with interest, But honestly they have always been so much better than many places I could mention.  For example: Just back from the Barbican- queuing for the whole interval- 5 cubicles, one out of order. Apparently only 3 in the gents!

No wonder they were all in great demand though- my partner and I were the only people in the Hall not clutching a plastic pint of lager.  Having a line of people all clutching these, shuffling over your toes to get to their seats is really quite nerve-racking. Being shouted at by a tannoy in the foyer was also  rather unpleasant. I don't think I will be going back for a while.

How funny Sim I fell asleep wondering who would be able to do that pas de deux and 'Lamb and McRae' was the last conscious thought! I hope to see them.

Just back from the live screening and-though I admit to not being at all a great admirer before-  I thought Osipova was simply wonderful. This is a role just right for her and in Act 3 she was mesmerising.

I did very much enjoy in Act  1 Alexander Campbell-and Arestis all the way through: a vision of poise and hauteur; also, Watson- a joy to see him in a classical role, and he was, I thought,  a great partner for Osipova.

The ballet as a 3 act piece was much better than my memory of the last time I saw it in 2004, though still doesn't quite add up to more than the sum of its parts and some moments are a bit awkward.

How very sweet- thank you Bruce.

I agree that after watching them the idea of dancers' superior technical ability today seems absurd!

Sorry for all fans of the bros,, David and Bruce, especially, who cannnot get to this. It is part of a BFI initiative so maybe will be available in some form online later? Some of it is on youtube but not all. But possibly it will form the basis of a new documentary- certainly worthy of it.

The Gene Kelly Clown routine was included and all credit to Kelly.  I believe it is on record that Astaire ( a nice man, no racist and a great jazz lover) did try more than once to work with them but the studios were against it- not just because of the segregation of the time ( shameful to recall) but, perhaps it was a question of wanting complete control of the presentation of one of their  greatest stars.

The point was made that the Brothers were always cast as ' speciality dancers' with a special slot in the film, rather than having a lead role or even a speaking part. Black and white performers would not be shown interacting. Later on Harold did work in film and there were some interesting clips of his appearances.  Yet not only are they some of the best dancers of the 20th century, they were excellent singers and actors, and sang convincingly in 3 languages as well. On top of it all their sheer charm shone through in the interviews and home movies( one endearing one of dancing with  Harold's little boy),Though they may have had something to be angry about, they were philosophical, and really came across as most loveable people.

I do hope others manage to see this.

Thanks! I see it's at the Ritzy, Brixton and Hackney Picturehouses TODAY- Stratford on 4 Nov, and more round the country- well worth going.   Fascinating dance history, and the most joyous music and dance you will see for some time.

I saw a marvellous presentation of clips and some previously unseen home movies of the Nicholas Brothers last night- presented as part of BFI Black Stars season, by Bruce Goldstein, New York cinema man and lifelong fan who made a documentary about them in 1991. 

They are the most sensational dancers and have a definite balletic grace though apparently they were entirely self taught. A short clip of Fred Astaire  (who was also a huge fan of theirs) dancing with them in the back lot of a studio was a most exquisite moment.

My attempts to post a link are not working but I will try again....It has a limited series of showings at Picturehouse cinemas including Brighton on Sunday-but so well worth seeing if you can; the film Stormy Weather featuring one of their best routines is also on limited release.

It seems to me a very forgiveable thing for us all to want to see Muntagirov in everything, impractical though it is. But I agree with those who are not sure Rudolf in Mayerling is really his role. It remains, of course, to be seen.

He would be perfect in Sylvia - as I type I am looking at the poster on my wall of Cope and Bussell, looking beautiful  in that beautiful ballet - which really had the most lovely sets. Not sure who I see him with.....

Of all sad words of tongue and pen

The saddest are these: 'It might have been'

But I sometimes think the very ephemeral nature of ballet is one of the things that makes it so moving.

Yes sailor costumes were not as good....Should have said how good were Kaptsova and Skorvstov. He managed to overcome the pale pink dungarees with huge assymmetric buckles which showed great strength of character.

Wow-I thought The Golden Age was a great start to the season-I wasn't expecting much as I had somehow got the idea it wouldn't be very good...

I was quite wrong.

 Lobukhin gave an amazing performance-I couldn't take my eyes off him-as the villainous gang leader-elegant and yet savage- the moment when he removed hat and gloves finger by finger  bristled with menace.. Having great music by Shoshtakovich helped, but the ballet was a good example of the way successful ballet doesn't depend on a terribly sophisiticated or high quality literary source. It just worked because of the clear story, strong characters, lovely costumes, exciting pace, fantastic dancing, .

Not the most subtle or insightful piece perhaps but wonderful entertainment.

Krysanova too was -well, sensational is not too strong.

Second time I have seen Lachlan Monaghan this week- his Neptune was fizzing with excitement and technical verve- superb performance. One to watch.

I thought the effects were very nice and it was good to see very imaginative use made of relatively low tech options- the little model boat, sparkling on the sea, the silk sheets billowing as waves, the birds wafted through the air on fishing rods. All beautiful. The flying sequences unusually well done and entirely right for the piece.  I also liked very much the opening and closing 'sea effects' from the score. (A bit hard to hear at times, at first I thought it might be crisp packets...)

 I have to agree overall it didn't quite work;  the masque should not have taken over as it did, (oh no not those straw hats again !)  and for me the music just didn't create drama sufficiently. It is a very hard play to turn into a ballet. I wonder what might work better that hasn't been done to death.

But the dancers were great and the stage looked beautiful .

I agree Bruce. I would like to see more variety and more colour in a 3 Act sonnets ballet though. I really admired Wink's choreography but felt it was just a little too subdued in the design.

If Brandon Lawrence was once more cast as the poet I would certainly be first in the queue for a ticket: he was stunning.

I was disappointed that the programme didn't print the sonnets in question: I could have done with reading them before the performance, because trying to take them in while watching the dancing, as Mary says, was something I found difficult.  Also, I suspect that Wink is better appreciated from above: at ground level, if you happen to be sitting in the wrong place, the screens get in the way of the dancers rather too much.  It was intriguing, and I would like a chance to get to know it better.

 

I found that The Moor's Pavane worked rather better seen close-to, Mary, so that may have had something to do with your lack of appreciation.  I was also surprised that, unlike in previous years, there didn't seem to be any discount for the weekday matinee performance: that can't have encouraged people to come (and I didn't register any school groups), especially if they were already going to see The Tempest.  Possibly too much Shakespeare all in one go?

No matinee discount but a very generous 20% for booking 2 shows at once. My ticket was less than  a live screening. I don't think it was the price- I do think the audience would have been better for the programme including The Dream (indeed I very much wish I had seen that instead.)

Noticed there were TWO hooks in the ladies loos though so that's an extra point :-)

At today's matinee I liked Wink very much, though thought it would have been better without the irritating stage furniture- making the dancers mess about with screen things really does not add to the choreography.  I found it interesting that I could not listen to the sonnets readings and concentrate on the dance at the same time. Maybe I am getting old or maybe it is about the way the brain works. I find I need all my attention on the dance.

Brandon Lawrence shone with his elegant, musical dancing.

The Moor's Pavane was well danced but perhaps I was too far away and found it a little hard to engage with this chamber piece. or maybe it just didn't quite work this afternoon. Others applauded very warmly so I think this was possibly  just me.

This was my first viewing of the Shakespeare Suite and I thought it had good moments. The Hamlet sections were for me the only really succesful parts as the music, costume and style made sense by casting Hamlet as a kind of 50s existentialist, suave and hep in black- which was a  witty and appropriate concept and really fabulously danced by Lachlan Monaghan- new to me but I shall be watching out for him now. Otherwise I was not sure the music-Duke Ellington jazz- really worked for the rest of the piece.

I very much admired Tyrone Singleton's great stage presence once again, but disliked very much the choreography of the  Othello section- just quite inappropriate music and staging for the story in my view. Desdemona smothered in full view to jolly jazz dance tunes- not good taste.

I found the Shrew and Titania/Bottom sequences too similar and the merry prancing a bit boring after a while.The Macbeths were much more effective especially the lovely Celine Gittens' Lady Macbeth- very powerful and full of menace.

The finale  when all the characters wove in and out in character and then surged together had great power and inventiveness.

 BRB has some really super dancers. The show was fantastically  good value for £14 ( with a 20% multiple booking reduction). How sad to see so many empty seats upstairs- a real shame.

Looking forward to The Tempest

Agree- it was wonderful, I danced down Floral Street and down and up the escalator.

Hayward was a perfect Lise, so musical- such lovely arms-   and she and Sambe were so fresh and convincing as young lovers it brought a tear to the eye: the music was so perfectly conducted by B Wordsworth;  the humour was there, bubbling underneath all evening but not overdone, the tone was just right. I was most impressed by the evidently v talented young David Yudes as Alain.

Brava, bravo!

Alain is  David Yudes tonight I see- a debut?

Just tried again and the RB class seemed to be on again-so, hope springing eternal I tried watching, but it juddered along very badly and then- cut out again to some talking heads JUST as McRae was poised to spin across the studio- curses upon them! Can't help but laugh that I put myself through that tooth-gnashing annoyance again.

What a shame and a spoilt opportunity, I almost wish I   hadn't told people about it now as it will hardly have switched anyone on to ballet.

Shame they cut off the end of the RB class which looked like one of the best bits.........I was enjoying it so much, and they suddenly moved to an item about ballet fashion..well, I am sure many want to see that, but could they not have waited 5 minutes grrrr

I enjoyed reading the book, but share the view that it really did need proper editing.Topics and themes recur, sometimes rather randomly, throughout, so that it is dangerous to assume the summing up in one chapter is the last word for posterity on a subject.

This might account for the way some reviews do rather misrepresent the views in the book. The Spectator review makes two quite strong points by quoting one remark rather than another. For example, it claims that Sir Peter 'witholds judgement'on the new RB Director but in fact in several places he makes strongly positive and supportive statements about Kevln O'Hare and the good job he is doing-e.g. at the end ('with Kevin at the helm the way ahead looks good and exciting') . It also brackets together 3 ballerinas as being rudely dismissed by him- but this is at best a great simplification of much more nuanced comments,  and in fact he makes appreciative comments about Alina Cojocaru .

The book might have been properly crafted and put together. On the other hand it does have a certain immediacy which, as others have said, sometimes gives the impression of listening to a late night monologue, which I found rather enjoyable.  Also, the great love for ballet that shines through redeems a great deal.  Sir Peter must know The Nutcracker better than most of us. Yet he says that hearing some parts of the 'glorious' music  has the power to make him believe in God. How marvellous to still feel like that.

I see your points Alison. Isn't it better for those who do not live in Town though?

The matinee yesterday was the  first ballet I have been able to get to for months- what a  tonic. Ovcharenko's solos were thrilling and, for me, the highlight.

However, I was delighted to see Semyon Chudin, having loved his performances in the live screenings. It's a bit of a shame that the role of the bad Marquise did not really give him the opportunity to shine (and the bad hair day at the end, caused by being guilotined I guess, was a sad sight to behold).

I agree that this was a new, revivified, electrifying Bolshoi, with everyone feeding off one another to stoke up the excitement.

For me the production was- well, a bit silly really, but it was fun, colourful and entertaining.

Not only that, but a very quiet, attentive audience too.

Subtle? Not exactly..but who cares...on this occasion it was just what the Dr ordered.

The Times gives it 4 stars and apart from not finding the first ballet very interesting, is full of enthusiasm for Silent Echo and Run, Mary, Run, as I liked the black humour of Facada I might also like this one, suspect I will find the (non) lighting of Michael Hulls in Silent Echo to be a drawback though.

That's a good point.

However, I usually  listen to the consensus on Ballet Forum...!

I was still hesitating about buying a ticket ( they are v expensive too..)-and it isn't often Ballet Forum SAVES me any money :-) - but this time, thanks......

What a terrible shame about the waste of  Polunin though, I would so love to see him dance on stage again.