bridiem Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 6 hours ago, capybara said: Having the synopsis in advance is helpful............ Very helpful, even though (or maybe especially because) it's extraordinarily long. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 Approximate running time for the first night act 1 1900-1950 act 2 2020-2050 act 3 2120-2145 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 1 hour ago, bangorballetboy said: Approximate running time for the first night act 1 1900-1950 act 2 2020-2050 act 3 2120-2145 the half hour intervals seem a bit excessive - especially the 2nd one! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 1 minute ago, zxDaveM said: the half hour intervals seem a bit excessive - especially the 2nd one! Perhaps the sets are very elaborate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 1 minute ago, bridiem said: Perhaps the sets are very elaborate? not from what they were saying in the insights, though we didn't get THAT much info about the sets. They seem to be movable tables and hangings, from what I recall. Perhaps the opening night intervals are longer for sponsors drinkies! lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 I’ve been wondering about this ballet of whether it would really stretch to 3 Acts and might be more fitting as a one Acter 🤔. But we shall see one lives in hope! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 3 hours ago, bridiem said: Very helpful, even though (or maybe especially because) it's extraordinarily long. Agreed and excellent that the Insights are now available. It’s great that Christopher Wheeldon ensures audiences have such material and I’ll enjoy doing a bit of homework before seeing performances, as I’m sure many people will do. I wish others followed this practice. I’ll be very interested to see what material is provided for the revival of Woolf Works where in the past there’s been little by way of synopsis and no cast list naming characters despite dancers and the creative team referring to characters by name. It all seems rather alienating with audiences denied information that some may find helpful. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 10 hours ago, capybara said: Having the synopsis in advance is helpful............ But not a great sign? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 1 minute ago, JohnS said: Agreed and excellent that the Insights are now available. It’s great that Christopher Wheeldon ensures audiences have such material and I’ll enjoy doing a bit of homework before seeing performances, as I’m sure many people will do. I wish others followed this practice. I’ll be very interested to see what material is provided for the revival of Woolf Works where in the past there’s been little by way of synopsis and no cast list naming characters despite dancers and the creative team referring to characters by name. It all seems rather alienating with audiences denied information that some may find helpful. I worry that we're heading towards an expectation that audiences should have done their homework before attending. I don't think that's desirable for a narrative ballet. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 Just to clarify I wouldn’t wish to give the impression that homework should be compulsory to enjoy a performance! What I very much welcome is having the opportunity to look at relevant material made readily available. That may enhance my enjoyment of the performance but enjoying the performance should not be contingent on doing homework. And as I suggested, there’s quite a contrast between the material made available for Like Water for Chocolate and some other new ballets. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 52 minutes ago, JohnS said: Just to clarify I wouldn’t wish to give the impression that homework should be compulsory to enjoy a performance! What I very much welcome is having the opportunity to look at relevant material made readily available. That may enhance my enjoyment of the performance but enjoying the performance should not be contingent on doing homework. And as I suggested, there’s quite a contrast between the material made available for Like Water for Chocolate and some other new ballets. I am of the same view. I find it rewarding if I have a fuller understanding of a choreographer’s intention with regard to narrative and / or characterisation. In the case of this ballet, Christopher Wheeldon has highlighted the aspects of the novel, he is drawn to, and how he has dealt with these will add to my involvement when I see the ballet for the first time. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 2 hours ago, Lizbie1 said: But not a great sign? But probably necessary in the case of this novel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBBB Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 5 hours ago, zxDaveM said: the half hour intervals seem a bit excessive - especially the 2nd one! Drinking time for the first night sponsors 😉🥂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 1 hour ago, MrsBBB said: Drinking time for the first night sponsors 😉🥂 my thoughts exactly! 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art_enthusiast Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 4 hours ago, MrsBBB said: Drinking time for the first night sponsors 😉🥂 I have to say, I do hate sitting next to people at the ROH who smell very pungently of alcohol (it has happened to me quite a few times). I understand that it can be the done thing at evening performances, but don't you need to remain clear headed enough to actually concentrate on the performance... 🤔 Anyway, very much looking forward to opening night. I found the clip of Joseph Sissens (as Mama Elena's past love, I believe) performing with Laura Morera in one of the Insight videos (Music and Design) extremely evocative and beautiful. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 It’s possible to have a drink and not be incapable of concentrating on the performance. I am a first night patron and I’m pretty sure you won’t be sitting beside me so no need to worry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art_enthusiast Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 1 hour ago, bangorballetboy said: It’s possible to have a drink and not be incapable of concentrating on the performance. I am a first night patron and I’m pretty sure you won’t be sitting beside me so no need to worry. I don't doubt it. I was referring to those who literally give off alcoholic fumes to those around them, which can't be comfortable for anyone. Good to know I won't be sitting next to any pointlessly rude or petty individuals, so thank you for that information. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 1 hour ago, art_enthusiast said: I don't doubt it. I was referring to those who literally give off alcoholic fumes to those around them, which can't be comfortable for anyone. Good to know I won't be sitting next to any pointlessly rude or petty individuals, so thank you for that information. perhaps you shouldn’t insinuate that first night patrons are all drunkards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 I don't think that art_enthusiast was insinuating that. It's certainly not what I took from it. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 50 minutes ago, bangorballetboy said: perhaps you shouldn’t insinuate that first night patrons are all drunkards The comment from art_enthusiast was a legitimate response to MrsBBB's suggestion that the long intervals would be drinking time for first night sponsors. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art_enthusiast Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 2 hours ago, bangorballetboy said: perhaps you shouldn’t insinuate that first night patrons are all drunkards My comment referred to "people at the ROH" in a very general sense. It certainly wasn't directed towards any specific group. Perhaps you should refrain from reacting impulsively. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard LH Posted May 29, 2022 Share Posted May 29, 2022 On 29/03/2022 at 10:57, whatkindofbird said: I just can't see Fumi as Mama Elena 😂 even though she was an impressive Satan in Dante. I don't think Fumi Kaneko will have a problem in acting the role of a selfish, controlling sort of person (as witness her Odile debut, and her Gypsy Girl in Two Pigeons, as others have mentioned) but in terms of age, I do wonder about her, and Melissa Hamilton, portraying the mother of (respectively) Yasmine Naghdi and Akane Takada. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Perregrino Posted May 30, 2022 Share Posted May 30, 2022 I attended all three Insights and Chris Wheeldon emphasised more than once that, in light of the changes to the narrative in relation to the original novel, and the use of ‘flashback’ sequences to inform the audience why characters are “why they are” in the present, to get more from viewing the ballet, he recommended reading the synopsis beforehand. It is by no means mandatory. I don’t think that in any way this is any indication of weakness on his part or of the production. I may be proven wrong on seeing it but I applaud the fact that a synopsis has been made available before time for anyone who wants it. I took two friends to (different) performances of Swan Lake. Both had never seen it and both felt in the first interval that they wished they had read the synopsis first rather than taking it for granted that the story would tell itself. A nine year old godchild told me to watch the film Frozen before seeing the stage production if I wanted to enjoy it because it is not obvious from the stage production what the story is. Similarly before the pandemic I worked my way through the cannon of Harry Potter books before taking a godchild to see it. Again not essential but it certainly added to my enjoyment of the production. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted May 30, 2022 Share Posted May 30, 2022 I don't think that a long, detailed synopsis describing characters' motivations etc should be necessary to enjoy a work. A list of characters, a small amount of 'back story' if necessary, and an outline of what happens should suffice. (And it should always be available on the cast sheet, given that programmes especially at the ROH are so expensive. Although of course now, cast sheets aren't so readily available either, unless you're very motivated...). When I go to ballet with people who don't go much, I don't think they ever read a programme/cast sheet/synopsis in advance (or maybe at all). Whether that's good or not, I suspect it's not unusual. So I think that what happens on the stage does need to be pretty clear. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted May 30, 2022 Author Share Posted May 30, 2022 The synopsis is helpful, I think; but an accompanying list of characters (with their relationship - Month in the Country style) would have been a useful addition. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted May 30, 2022 Share Posted May 30, 2022 Information about the proposed strikes from TfL, for anyone going on 6th June (in particular): 'Between Friday 3 June and Sunday 10 July, RMT strike action will be taking place across various London Underground stations. Between these dates, journeys may be impacted by short notice station closures, although we are doing everything we can to keep stations open. On Monday 6 June, severe disruption across the network is expected from start of service until 08:00 on Tuesday morning, with many stations, especially those in the centre, closed. Train services will still run but will only be stopping at stations that are open, which could change throughout the day due to staffing levels. You are advised to avoid travelling on Monday 6 June. If travel on Monday 6 June cannot be avoided, please travel after 08:00 and complete journeys by 18:00. On Tuesday 7 June, some stations may still be closed at the beginning of the day and you are advised to travel after 08:00.' 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candleque Posted May 30, 2022 Share Posted May 30, 2022 Nice picture story in the Guardian of LWFC rehearsal. Happy to see Mayara Magri in one of the pictures. Guessing she plays a sister. Must say that the Royal Ballet marketing dept seems to be doing a good job on promoting this new work. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art_enthusiast Posted May 30, 2022 Share Posted May 30, 2022 4 minutes ago, Candleque said: Nice picture story in the Guardian of LWFC rehearsal. Happy to see Mayara Magri in one of the pictures. Guessing she plays a sister. I believe she is Rosaura (the older sister Pedro is told to marry). 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted May 30, 2022 Share Posted May 30, 2022 31 minutes ago, Candleque said: Nice picture story in the Guardian of LWFC rehearsal. Happy to see Mayara Magri in one of the pictures. Guessing she plays a sister. Must say that the Royal Ballet marketing dept seems to be doing a good job on promoting this new work. Which is already been culled for the Links tomorrow (which will have much of interest and is well worth perusing). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted May 30, 2022 Author Share Posted May 30, 2022 49 minutes ago, Candleque said: Must say that the Royal Ballet marketing dept seems to be doing a good job on promoting this new work. They are but there are still A LOT of tickets to shift. I feel, however, that they could have given more prominence to the fact that the Insights are available to watch on YouTube, especially on social media. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheilaC Posted May 30, 2022 Share Posted May 30, 2022 In Tune, on Radio 3, this evening (about 15-20 minutes in) had interviews with Joby Talbot and the guitarist Tomas Barreiro to discuss Like Water. The programme played a piece from the new ballet, plus an excerpt from Alice and started with an extract from Talbot's Ink Dusk Moon. Sorry if this should go in the new music theme! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art_enthusiast Posted May 30, 2022 Share Posted May 30, 2022 (edited) 3 hours ago, bridiem said: Information about the proposed strikes from TfL, for anyone going on 6th June (in particular): 'Between Friday 3 June and Sunday 10 July, RMT strike action will be taking place across various London Underground stations. Between these dates, journeys may be impacted by short notice station closures, although we are doing everything we can to keep stations open. But I thought the strike had been postponed until Monday?https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/jubilee-tube-strike-cancelled-euston-b2090213.html "Around 80 staff at Euston and Green Park were due to stage a walkout on Friday 3 June, causing the stations to potentially shut over the busy long weekend. But the industrial action has been halted following successful talks between the RMT union and London Underground chiefs." Edited May 30, 2022 by art_enthusiast 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted May 30, 2022 Share Posted May 30, 2022 19 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said: But I thought the strike had been postponed until Monday?https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/jubilee-tube-strike-cancelled-euston-b2090213.html "Around 80 staff at Euston and Green Park were due to stage a walkout on Friday 3 June, causing the stations to potentially shut over the busy long weekend. But the industrial action has been halted following successful talks between the RMT union and London Underground chiefs." My TfL email about this came about 5pm today so is pretty up to date. I think it may be that more significant strike action had been planned on 3rd June/over the bank holiday period but is now likely to have less impact though still maybe some. The strike on 6th June has been planned for a while but I'd been hoping it would be called off (and I suppose that may yet happen) but if it does go ahead it sounds as if it will have a big impact. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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