Mary Mellowdew

I was there Friday night. I had never before seen it and did not expect to like it, as I generally don't care much for ABT's fairytale fare (like them much better in the olden days, like maybe up to the 70s).. Was wondering during which intermission I would leave. In the end I stayed for the whole thing,. so I guess it was better than I expected, though I did leave as soon as the curtain came down as everyone in front of me had immediately jumped to their feet and started cheering (some even before he curtain fell) and I could not see the cast for the curtain calls I thought Stearns was fine. I was surprised to see that video of him partnering Dvorovenko -- he must have been practically a child, or at least barely a principal the, as I think he was promoted to principal around 2011, which I think was around the time she retired (I remember being in Palermo, Italy in the fall of 2012, taking a tour of the opera house there, seeing a poster for an upcoming performance by her and her husband, and thinking to myself gee I thought she had retired, but then realizing her "retirement" was likely only from ABT, not from gigs like Palermo).' I guess Shevchenko's dancing was okay, but she struck me as way too old to play a teenager, or maybe she was just acting too old./ninnyish I just thought she was not credible as the person I believed she was supposed to be playing. I thought Brandt was fine for her role and Ahn was not as bad as I feared he might be. I thought the scene in her bedroom when Onegin returns was way too drawn out. Too much anguish and dithering . I would have just told that guy to f..k offf and get out of my bedroom . I got the impression Tatiana was anguished because she was thinking of giving him a second chance. Don't know who was responsible for that -- the author, the choreographer, the stager? And I think that was an example of other shortcomings I saw -- too much drama and anxious carrying on, too much fancy partnering, and not enough real dancing (though the corps certainly looked good). When I was deciding yesterday afternoon whether I would go at all, largely because of the heat, I thought well the music is Tchaikovsky, so can't be all that bad -- if I don't like the ballet I can just close my eyes and listen to the music, but was actually disappointed in the music, which I'm not sure I'd ever heard before. The music is often the deciding factor for me in ballets, which may be one of the reasons why I prefer NYCB to ABT. I've learned so much about music, and enjoyed myself, at NYCB.

That is an excellent idea, though I would suggest getting there very early. When I tried to do that last year, arriving maybe 35-45 minutes before curtain, I was unable to get in. They made everyone line up outside and when they finally let people in it was through only one set of doors, so it was a slow process and by that point I did not have time for the gift shop, The apparent reason for this was the Met not wanting a lot of heat pouring into the house. I was thinking of trying it again this week, but don't know what their current procedure is. Hopefully, their AC system is in better shape this year. I was thinking of arriving an to an hour and a half ahead. Alternatively, I may just go late and risk missing the beginning of the performance. I just don't want to have to stand outside in that hot plaza again.

I was not able to exchange my ticket for Fri Jun 21 for one for Thurs Jun 20. The reason was I had a discounted ticket bought in May when they offered 30% off for Mother's Day using code ABTMOM. Although the exact same seat was available for Thurs night that I had for Friday, along with many similar ones in same price range, they would not let me have it unless I paid the difference between discounted and full prices. They said this was because the discount code expired more than a month ago (obviously, since Mother's Day was more than a month ago). I assume the same would apply to anyone who bought the same 30% off tickets offered this weekend, using the Father's Day code, and likely other discount codes as well. So people buying discounted tix should keep in mind that exchange privileges that might otherwise apply likely won't apply unless the discount code is still in effect when they attempt to make an exchange. If you have access to TDF or maybe TKTS, for unpopular ballets like Onegin probably better to wait until very last minute and get rock bottom el cheapo tix, or maybe join one of the community groups to which they have been handing out free last minute tix when even TDF and TKTS can't get rid of all their empty seats.

I also second that. Personally, based on what I have seen, I would rank ABT no higher than 3 or 4 in the US (, maybe 5, based in large part of on what they do and do not perform -- i.e., their repertoire. This is why I find calling them "America's National Ballet Company" so stupid, not to mention confusing to people in other countries, despite what Carolyn Maloney might think. And I would also rank NYCB #1, without question.

If I can't get tix for a performance I can make I will just donate back my tix. I am fully aware that all performances ,everywhere ,are subject to casting changes and I am accustomed to them,. I understand people twist ankles, get COVID, have parents die, etc. (After Hallberg left to spend "part of the year" at the Bolshoi I bought tix for about 5 of his ABT performances here. He showed up for I think 2 of them, and those were occasions when he was either appearing in an important premiere or partnering an "important international star.") But I have never seen anything like this (changing entire cast), except once 12 or so years ago when NYCB had so many injuries at the end of the spring season they could not come up with even a 2d or 3d cast for one of the works on their mixed bill and simply substituted an entirely different ballet for which they DID have a cast, and they announced this on the day of performance by insert in the playbill.

But they are not "America's Nattional Ballet Company" in the sense that the Paris, London ,Copenhagen, Canadian, Australian companies, etc. are. They are not funded, except incidentally, by the US government. The US government does not pay to send them on tours to Singapore and other places in Asia. They are by NO STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION the best dance company in the US, although I guess that is a matter of opinion. Do you think they are the best company in the US?

Don't know if you saw Susan Jaffe interview in Times in past week or so, but she was CLUTCHING notebook with her notes from when SHE did Onegin and talked in what seemed to me a rather BREATHLESSS manner about her experience doing it as a dancer at ABT. Perhaps what ABT needs to do with regard to this work is add a PROMINENT warning in marketing materials and on tickets to the extend that the estate of the choreographer has the final word on casting and that casting proposed by ABT is is just that -- proposed and likely subject to change. What almost warned me off seeing this work was bad reviews ABT got doing it in NYC in past and fact that I am not generally fond of Cranko's works. I guess I am just mad at myself for not following my instincts and wasting money on tickets. So now I have an excuse for not going and subjecting myself to one of those horrible long lines outside the Met.

They are "America's national ballet company" only because they hired some dopey PR person who told them this was how they should brand themselves and if they got a member of Congress to read that in the Congressional record then that is what they would BE! I loved how that blew up in their face several years ago in Singapore when someone who was put out by Misty's performance in Swan Lake started blasting the American government in their social media posts for sending "America's national ballet company" to Singapore. Their marketing, even the font used in their programs, has been out of date for decades. I don't know who does their marketing calls for subscriptions, but I have had some lulus call me -- usually a guy with a valley girl accent who suggests things like " but don't you want first crack at tickets to see Misty?" or "I am SO excited to see Hallberg and Osipova in Giselle. Don't you want to?" Stupid, name-dropping idiots.

Thanks for that heads up on the casting changes on Onegin. I decided to go only because I had never seen it, even though reviews of their performances in the last 20 years or so were not so good. I have tix for Friday night, and am so pissed. About the last three people I want to see do anything are Schevchenko, Stearns and Ahn. Ahn in particular. I have never understood why he has the position he has -- can only assume it had something to do with a need for a male partner of a certain height. I'm sure he is or was a great jumper at some point, but as far as I'm concerned watching him dance is about as exciting as watching a can opener or a stick of wood dance. I also have tix to see Misseldine and Bell in Swan Lake at July 3 matinee. Can't wait for them to cancel that too. Maybe I'll just throw all my tix out the window and forget about it. Susan Jaffe needs to get her freaking act together. I don't know about other patrons but this is likely the last time I will ever buy tix to ABT in advance, if at all. I am fed up with this, sick of giving someone "a chance." And if Jaffe can't do anything, maybe the board needs to step in. If they're going to continue to act this way they need to start OFFERING ADVANCE PURCHASERS A REFUND, I know the fine print says "casting subject to change," but what is the freaking point of announcing casting 3 months ahead if you're always going to change it and won't refund? They think all their patrons are naifs who don't know anything about their company and different dancers? Why don't they adopt NYCB's policy if they some think some dancers "might not be up to it" and might result in bad opening night reviews. To add insult to injury it's going to be 95 Friday and I can only assume they will be using the same policy they used last year, when on very hot and humid days they made people line up single file outside the Met, with a line stretching practically to Broadway, and would open only one set of doors, wouldn't open all the doors because they didn't want "too much heat" getting into the theatre, at least that is what I was told when I complained. I thought I was going to faint. I have never understood why they just accepted the restrictions related to the Met's schedule changes, didn't just find another theater, SO THEY COULD DO MORE PERFORMANCES WHEN THE WEATHER WASN'T SO HOT AND HUMID. In any event, I hope they fold up their tent soon and get out of town for good. I think the weather in Orange County Ca is more mild in summer so maybe they should just move their permanent base to Segerstrom.

I have always thought of them as the red couple and the blue couple (which is how I can tell them apart). I don't recall what you described, but thanks for the heads up as, I will be on the alert when I go Sunday. I am also annoyed by late arrivals being seated. I recall it as being particularly bad in the 4th ring, where (1) people come clack clacking in on that walkway between row B and row C ,(2) the pitch is steeper, making it more challenging for people who have to get up out of their seats (and often for late arrivals who are elderly and not sure-footed) and (3) because that ring so much bigger than rings 1-3 you have more people doing it and annoying others. Fortunately, I am sitting in the orchestra this time, though on the very far side at the end of the row, so I may be in for it if many people in my row are late.

I was wondering that too. Maybe because he's one of the younger principals and she's one of the older at ABT (I think when Makarova and Baryshnikov debuted this in the 70s he may still have been in his 20s and she in her late 30s or 40s; am not sure). In any event, I went because I like Aran Bell and he didn't seem to be scheduled for much this summer when ABT first announced casting --though I did get a ticket to see him partner promising young Chloe Misseldine in Swan Lake) and also because I like Gillian Murphy, who must be at least 44 or 45 and I likely will not go to her farewell performance whenever she finally retires from ABT. To be honest, I think I liked her better 10 or 12 years ago.

I was not particularly looking forward to Ball as Puck a year or two ago, but was amazed when I saw him.

I was also at the Sunday matinee. The last time I had seen Ashley Bouder dance was in Fall 22 in, I think, a ballet that involved waltzing couples, but don't think it was Vienna Waltzes, and she was dancing alone. At that time I was annoyed because I was trying to identify dancers I didn't know well, but she kept appearing in my binocular lenses instead of whoever I wanted to see. She did not seem much different Sunday. I noticed again how much she was using her arms, only this time I was also thinking I wonder if she is using the arms so much to compensate for what she can't do with legs and feet. I was sitting on the side so did not get a good view of her face but she did not seem to do all the smirking and eye rolling that so annoyed me in the past and was perhaps the main reason why I had tried to avoid performances with her in them, going back quite a few years. She still seemed rather thick in the middle, but I think that happens to many dancers as they get older. I remember seeing a social media post of Tiler Peck during the lockdown, I think it was maybe the Swan Lake benefit thing principals from several companies did from home or wherever they were during the lockdown. and not even recognizing her at first. I thought it was a different person She just seemed so much fuller all over (including face) than I remembered her. Maybe I never took a good look at her before or maybe the photo was just unflattering, or I suppose it is possible she had gained some weight or just started to spread a bit. I would have a lot more confidence in Ashley Bouder if she could do Dewdrop again. I thought that was a great role for her. I have only seen her do it on YouTube but would buy a ticket to see it in person if she reprised that role.