JMcN

As Rock said earlier "Let's give the guy a chance"! It's all very well saying that an iconoclast would be welcome (paraphrasing) but I'm equally sure that any Director needs good administrative skills and perhaps the incoming incumbent has spent his time building on these skills while biding his time to lead the company in new directions firmly from the front. No-one knows how he will perform in the role. The time to discuss that must surely be a couple of years in the future when he has got a season or two of his own under his belt.

Alexander Campbell is listed on the roster of the Royal Ballet for the 2011/12 season as a soloist. All his many fans at BRB are very sorry that he is moving across but wish him well with his new company. Alex has had leading roles with BRB since the day he joined the company and is a wonderful Cyrano, Prince Florimund and Will Mossop amongst others. I hope the management and audiences of the Royal Ballet treasure Alex as much as BRB has.

Hear Hear, Leigh and Rock! I've got many happy memories of Kevin O'Hare as a dancer and as company manager of BRB for three years. I cried for the first time watching ballet at one of Kevin's performances (in my early ballet watching days) - it was a big tent performance of Giselle with Samira Saidi as Giselle and Kevin dancing Albrecht. He is still my definitive Edward II and one of my most favourite Oberons. He was also terrific as both Beenstock and Prosser in Hobson's Choice. He and his brother Michael (now ballet master at BRB), along with Joseph Cipolla, were synonymous with BRB for many years until their retirements. I can also remember him organising a charity gala that was really good fun during his time as a dancer. As company manager my experience of him was as a member of the public and I think he was a terrific public-facing ambassador for the company. I do not know him personally but looking back at his education and career who can doubt that the best of the traditions of the Royal Ballet will be in safe and generous hands alongside any plans he may have to move the company forward. All the BRB fans I know are thrilled by his appointment.

Congratulations to Kevin O'Hare on his appointment as Director of the Royal Ballet.

BRB COPPELIA – THE LOWRY – JUNE 2011 BRB were at the Lowry last week for six performances of Sir Peter Wright’s Coppelia. It is a lavish production with gorgeous designs by Peter Farmer. Sir Peter Wright made this production in his final season as Director of BRB in the Spring of 1995 and it still comes up as fresh as a daisy. He has a wonderful knack of producing the classics with respect but keeping them sparkling (Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and Nutcracker for BRB also spring to mind). Sir Peter was at the opening performance on Wednesday evening and I believe the company did him proud not only that evening but throughout the week. The opening night honours went to Nao Sakuma, Cesar Morales and Michael O’Hare. Over the years, Nao has refined her characterisation of Swanilda and she infuses her performance with lightness and joy as well as technical dexterity. Even her fingertips have meaning!. Cesar Morales was a fun-loving but gentle Franz. He has got such a beautiful line that he is breath-taking to watch. There was plenty of sparkle between them. Michael O’Hare brings Dr Coppelius to life with just the right mix of mischief and pathos. Alex Campbell (sadly for BRB fans moving to the RB next season) was terrific as the lead in the Call to Arms in Act 3. All the company were on excellent form; it is always great to see BRB as they bring life to all the characters no matter how minor and this ability enhances every performance. I could feel this silly grin spread across my face for the whole performance. Nao and Cesar also danced the leads on Saturday afternoon with Valentin Olovyannikov as an impish Dr Coppelius. Next up we had Elisha Willis and Matt Lawrence. Elisha continues to blossom with every performance and the two I saw her do last week were no exception. I particularly like the way she gets so cross with both the doll and Franz. Her Franz was Matthew Lawrence who gave a strong performance; his acting is clear and vivid and his dancing was excellent. Well I don’t think anything could have prepared us for the performance we saw on Thursday evening. Carole-Ann Millar and Jamie Bond were jaw-droppingly phenomenal! Carole-Ann has an amazing technique and her leaps are breathtaking. Her hoppy bits in her solos have to be seen to be believed (sorry I don’t know the technical term). Alongside all the technical pyrotechnics she had really got under the skin of Swanilda and gave a beautifully nuanced characterisation. Jamie Bond was her perfect foil as a jack-the-lad, out for a laugh Franz. It was absolutely terrific. The final cast we saw was lead by the always glorious Ambra Vallo and Tyrone Singleton. Ambra is both sweet and mischievous and Tyrone is a real jack the lad. He was really in-the-zone for the whole performance, as was Ambra. There was a terrific connection between them. One of the Dr Coppelius was the veteran David Morse. We are so lucky to be able to see his performances. He is such a subtle actor; he brings his characters to life with an economy of movement that somehow conveys a real depth of emotion. I was moved to tears at his sadness that the doll has been broken and again at the end when he is on his own (unitl the doll really comes to life and he joyously departs). I’ve only concentrated on the leading roles but I must stress again that the whole company were looking to be at the top of their game. This is quite an achievement given that we are nearing the end of a long season and that they have just come back from a very successful 3-week tour of Japan performing Sleeping Beauty, Daphnis and Chloe and The Dream. Coppelia is on in Birmingham this week, followed by an exciting David Bintley double bill and a final few performances of Coppelia in Dublin.

I'm not sure about spirituality but I do know that WATCHING BALLET KEEPS ME SANE. It was a friend who first said this to me and she is so right. I haven't had the best of years this year and goodness only knows what dark place I would currently be inhabiting if I hadn't been going to watch ballet and dance. I've never been to Varanasi but I have holidayed in Nepal and I can't say that I had any spiritual sensations there. I have felt serenity in the Buddhist temples of Burma and Sri Lanka and in the cathedral city of Durham here in England, in the Winter Gardens in Sunderland and in Martinmere - one of the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust sites. Nothing, however matches the sensation of watching ballet.

Do you ever sit in a theatre and get shivers down your spine even before curtain up? It happened to me yesterday afternoon in leeds. Micaela Paolacci made her debut as Giselle with company veteran Hiro Takahashi as her Albrecht. I found their performances deeply moving and was in floods of tears by the end. Micaela was a joy from her first entrance; she was as light as swansdown, shy but entranced by Albrecht. Hiro was obviously fond of her but very conscious of his position. When Giselle realised that Abrecht was not whom he seemed her descent into madness and her death was really shocking and Hiro found an enormous depth of emotion in his guilt and despair. Micaela was fragile and ethereal in act 2 but showed gutsy determination to save her love from his doom. The Wilis were impeccable and implacable. It was really threatening to see them hopping across stage in arabesque, absolutely in unison and very quiet. Victoria Sibson is always a vivid actress and she was breath-taking as Myrtha. An afternoon of sheer magic. Pippa Moore and Javier Torres were the leads in the evening. Even in a couple of performances their already superb interpretations had deepened. It was a stunning performance throughout and a wonderful way to end the Spring tour. This week has seen some wonderful performances of this glorious production of Giselle.

Does anyone know where CNB are appearing in Spain in the Autumn of 2011 and the dates? Thanks in advance, Janet

NORTHERN BALLET - GISELLE - LEEDS - MAY 2011 Northern Ballet opened the final week of their Spring Season with a new production of Giselle. It is a very traditional production beautifully staged by Yoko Ichino. Pippa Moore and Javier Torres led the first night cast. Pippa was sublime in the eponymous role. She was an easily led young girl with a bad heart. She really believed that “pretend” villager Albrecht loved her and she blossomed in his love. She was truly heart-breaking in her “mad” scene. Javier Torres was every inch the louche young nobleman out for a bit of fun. It was only when it was too late that he realised the tragedy he had caused and he was filled with remorse. Both leads danced beautifully and effortlessly. I found their performances profoundly moving. Hiro Takahashi was a tour-de-force as Hilarion; he has a very strong stage presence and his dancing was immaculate. Victoria Sibson made Berthe come to life with her very clear mime and vivid acting. I really wouldn’t want to cross the very glacial Myrthe of Georgina May. Act 1 was full of fun and flirtation. I very much enjoyed the sparkling peasant pas de six and the way the villagers were enjoying the harvest festival and eating the grapes off the vine. Act 2 was exemplary. The Wilis were ethereal and sinister and danced with a fabulous synchronicity. This afternoon’s cast was led by Julie Charlet and Tobias Batley and again they were both terrific in their roles. Julie was very flirtatious and brought a quality of mischief to Giselle in act 1 and she was as light as swansdown in act 2. The orchestra sounded absolutely magnificent. This production provided an enormous contrast in style to the widely toured Cleopatra and showed off the terrific versatility and talent of the Company. This is the only scheduled week for this production but I really hope that it comes back to the rep very soon. At least I have got 2 more opportunities to see the production on Saturday.

Although she is still not shown on the website, Momoko Hirata has joined Angel Corella's company from Birmingham Royal Ballet. I have seen her mentioned in a review of the American tour. Momoko is one of my favourite dancers. She is still my dream Princess Aurora. She'll be very much missed by her fans at BRB.

The Liverpool Everyman Theatre is shortly to be knocked down and rebuilt. The closing production is Macbeth, featuring some of Liverpool's favourite actors. I saw the performance last night - what can I say other than it was utterly magnificent. With a "thrust" performance space and minimal set it gave the actors every opportunity to shine and they all took the opportunity with both hands! The set consisted of a split wall with various stairs at the back of the performance area - it gave the impression of a fortress wall from both inside and outside depending on how it was used. With the judicious use of dripping water and dry ice it gave a very good impression of a bleak and dour winter in Scotland. The opening scene with the witches had a giant table hung from the ceiling on which they manipulated figurines (a bit like the control room in the last war where operators pushed the ships into position with long rods). It was incredibly effective. The actors dress was modern but somehow timeless. David Morrissey gave an intelligent and multi-layered performance of the tortured eponymous anti-hero; it was impossible to take your eyes away from him. Julia Ford gave a beautifully understated performance as Lady M; it was all the more powerful for its understatement and much more effective than the histrionics one sometimes sees. It was above all ane ensemble piece. I couldn't believe the time when I looked at my watch on the way out - the near 3 hour performance had just flown by. The theatre has posted some photographs on its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2004304463907.2119045.1132493006&notif_t=like I must say that I have done well with Shakespeare this year - three great productions - Antony & Cleopatra at the Playhouse, Comedy of Errors (Propeller) at the Lowry and now this truly wonderful production of Macbeth.

There is a really eclectic mix of shows listed on the "What's on at Quarry Hill" page on Northern Ballet's website. Some of them sound really intriguing. Of especial interest is Northern Ballet's Choreographic Showcase on 16/17 June, Wayne Sleep and Phoenix Dance Theatre's Declarations programme. Here is a link to the "What's on" page: http://northernballet.com/boxoffice/indexa.aspx

The guests did have to get to the Abbey a couple of hours before the ceremony. It can't have been fun for any of them!

I lost the power of speech when I saw the "hats" worn by Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie! I loved the scene where the happy couple drove off in the Aston Martin and I loved her evening dress too. The news has just shown them disappearing off on honeymoon to a secret location in a helicopter.

BRB MIDSCALE TOUR - SOUTHWEST - 2011 For the past few years in the Spring, Birmingham Royal Ballet has split into two parts and toured smaller venues in their target areas of the North East and South West of England. This year, sadly, the tour was only for one week and I had to decide whether to go North or South. I chose South and saw six performances in Yeovil and Truro. These tours, since their inception, have been one of the highlights of my ballet-watching year. The smaller venues provide a more intimate viewing of the programme and usually the more junior members of the company get plenty of opportunities to shine. Additionally, these tours show over and over again how the company members meld together and the sense of “one-ness” is terrific. The programme this year was slightly different in that we had one short work and excerpts from the upcoming international and main scale tour. In the South West, the evening started with David Bintley’s sublime Allegri Diversi. Allegri Diversi is set to two pieces of music by Rossini and is for 3 couples in an ensemble piece and one couple in a long duet. There is lots of fast intricate footwork and some interesting lifts. The three couples perform together, singly and in twos and threes. The duet is very intricate with some gorgeous solos for the leading couple. All three leading couples were superb in their roles. It was interesting to see how different the leading lady’s role looked when danced by Jenna Roberts, who is taller and leggier than Nao Sakuma and Elisha Willis. Chi Cao, Cesar Morales and Joe Caley were their perfect foils, all three showing a clarity of line and deftness of foot that was a delight to watch. In the ensemble I particularly enjoyed William Bracewell (who only joined the company last August and is IMHO “one to watch”), Mathias Dingman and Chris Rogers-Wilson as well as Vicki Marr, Lei Zhao and Samara Downs. I wasn’t sure how the excerpts would work but actually they worked really well. It was different to see the company dancing to recorded music rather than a live orchestra. We saw the “nocturne” duet from Sir Frederick Ashton’s The Dream, the corn duet and some ensemble work from Coppelia, the gpdd from Sleeping Beauty and the evening finished with the flute dance, Fanny Essler pdd and Clog Dance from La Fille Mal Gardee. The Dream duet is divine in its delicacy and complexity and I really enjoyed all the performances we saw. I think the Coppelia excerpts were the hardest to pull off out-of-context but Vicki Marr, as one of Swanilda’s friends, beautifully mimed the significance of the ear of corn leading into the attractive duet for Swanilda and Franz. Of all six performances, I particularly admired that of Nao Sakuma and Chi Cao. They really gave meaning to the roles out of their usual context and danced beautifully. Chi was particularly vivid when “saying” to the friends “couldn’t you just pretend to have heard the corn rattling?”! Nao and Chi, for me, gave the performance of the week with their one performance of the Sleeping Beauty gpdd. It showed off their technique, their acting and their exquisite musicality - it was absolutely gorgeous. We had two superb Widow Simone’s during the week. David Morse has been dancing this role for at least as long as I have been watching ballet and he gives a beautifully subtle performance that brings out both the laughs and the pathos of the role. Rory MacKay is much newer to the role and is absolutely hilarious! He does not over-egg the pudding and his affection for Lise is very obvious. All the Lises and Colas that we saw were terrific but Carole-Ann Millar and Joe Caley brought a particular enthusiasm to their performances that left one with a giant smile on one’s face! It had been an excellent week and I am now waiting with bated breath for next year’s midscale tour.

Birmingham Royal Ballet are performing Coppelia again this summer at The Lowry, in Birmingham and in Dublin. We have been treated to some excerpts during the midscale tour and Carole-Ann Miller was outstanding! I can't wait.....

I personally wouldn't describe this prodution as ballet. The whole piece was performed in the UK a couple of years ago as "The Chinese Acrobatic Swan Lake" and I was fortunate to see a performance at the Lowry (it was also shown at ROH!). It may not be ballet but it is fantastic entertainment and I was on my feet yelling and cheering at the end with the rest of the audience. It's on again in the UK this year.

They are both listed as members of Norwegian National Ballet. I can only find a Norwegian list of the dancers. http://www.operaen.no/Default.aspx?ID=26985

I was at the world premiere of Northern Ballet's Cleopatra in Leeds on 26th February and saw four more performances over this weekend in Edinburgh. I am in love with the production! Unusually for me, I saw the first night from the Dress Circle which gave me the opportunity to see the overall effect. In Edinburgh I was back in the front row of the stalls! David Nixon and Claude-Michel Schoenberg (the composer of amongst other works Les Miserables) have taken the few facts known about Cleopatra and have worked up a libretto that covers her life from her marriage to her brother Ptolemy (her father had decreed that, as was the practise in Egypt, the brother and sister should marry and, more unusually, rule jointly) through her relationships with Caesar and Mark Antony and ultimately to her death. Each of these major events is covered with the corps roles filling in the chaos between the events. The whole scenario is held together by the snake god Wadjet sliding through the whole piece looking after and guiding Cleopatra. The action opens with Cleopatra slowly rising from a crouched position alone on the stage. Wadjet appears and they dance together. One way of interpreting this is Cleopatra waiting to die and thinking back over her life. The set is a white box with steps at the back and giant pillars floating at the sides. Each scene is set using projections. It is extremely effective and the creative team have obviously done a lot of work on using appropriate images and effects that really enhance the action. The lighting, particularly from upstairs, is spectacular. The imagery created by some of the poses is very evocative of Ancient Egypt. Early on, Wadjet lifts Cleopatra over his head. The arch of her body suggests the cosmetic spoons I have seen in museums (the museum in Liverpool has some super ones). At the end of the duet, dancing girls and boys fill the stage. Two priests bring Ptolemy on and he walks across the shoulders of the boys. It is the wedding of the 10-year old Ptolemy to his 17 year-old sister. Despite his youth he does not want to share the throne and their duet is a children's spat, which he thinks he has won. Cleopatra's hand maidens appear to help his bathe and he is drowned. Cleopatra is the Queen. The Romans arrive! Mark Antony is very much Caesar's right hand man and is looking out for him. He won't let him go near the rug until he has made sure that it is safe. The rug unfolds and Cleopatra starts her seduction of Caesar. They have a child. The way this is depicted is ingenious. They are rolling together in a long sheet and one of the hand maidens picks up the end and starts rolling it around her arm. It looks surprisingly like a baby. Caesar takes Cleopatra to Rome. The senate is not happy and this episode culminates with the Ides of March. A period of chaos follows in Rome and the act ends with Octavian, his sister Octavia and her husband Mark Antony taking control. In act 2, Mark Antony arrives with his soldiers in Egypt and is seduced by Cleopatra. He is something of a hedonist and takes to the decadent lifestyle made available to him. We see Cleopatra encouraging him in an orgy and he drinks and becomes drunk. Octavian and Octavia arrive. There is a "scene" between Octavia and Cleopatra from which Octavia leaves and agrees vengeance with her brother. Octavian defeats Mark Antony and orders him to commit suicide. Mark Antony begs Cleopatra's help, which she gives. After he has died, she remembers Caesar and then dances her dance of death with Wadjet. As she dies she is received into the heavens with the Egyptian gods. Martha Leebolt was glorious in her creation of Cleopatra. She is powerful as the Queen seducing two of the most powerful men in the world. She is also a mother who loves her child. She gives a beautifully nuanced performance moving from young girl to mature woman facing death. Her Ptolemy is Giuliano Contadini who gives the role a child-like petulance that is perfect. Javier Torres smoulders as Caesar. He is a mature man not really believing his luck that he is being seduced by the young queen. There is a beautiful scene where they are on a boat on the Nile and the corps are dancing and having fun. Tobias Batley was every inch the Roman aristocrat as Mark Antony. He and Martha have a terrific on-stage rapport that was absolutely sizzling. The most passionate duet is the final one between Cleopatra and Wadjet, perhaps fittingly as it is her dance of death. Martha and Kenneth Tindall were so exciting to watch (particularly at Saturday evening's performance in Edinburgh) that I forgot to breathe! The opening night in Leeds was greeted with rapturous applause and most people in the dress circle were on their feet cheering. In Edinburgh, I was able to see another cast. Julie Charlet was wonderful as Cleopatra and gave a different but equally valid interpretation. Martha seemed almost to have the weight of statehood on her shoulders and you got the impression that her seductions of Caesar and Mark Antony were driven as much by the need to secure her position as Queen of Egypt as passion. Julie was altogether more flirtatious and wild. Her Ptolemy was Ben Mitchell and they were very well matched in their duet. Caesar was played with gravitas and passion by Hironao Takahashi. Ashley Dixon was a soldier masquerading as an aristocrat and was wonderful as Mark Antony. Darren Goldsmith was incredibly sensuous as Wadjet. Again the final duet was breathtaking. The choreography for the duets is inventive with some very original lifts. They are all really sensual. The orgy scene looks very effective and all the dancers look as though they are enjoying themselves! The scenes for the Roman soldiers are particularly effective with the soldiers stamping around and showing their strength. As well as the effective set, I think the costumes are superb. I particularly like the dancing girls first costumes that have small bells attached that add to the Eastern feel. I like the score but it doesn't, on the whole, have an Eastern feel. I hope I have given you a flavour of what I think is a terrific production and the stunning performances I have seen.

Propeller Theatre Company is an all-male company that specialises in Shakespeare. Last night we saw their latest production, Comedy of Errors, at the Lowry. Edward Hall, the artistic director, directed the production. I have seen a number of their productions and I think he has a real flair for producing modern, accessible versions. There isn't much of a set and the costumes were modern and casual. The males playing the female roles are not the "Stage Beauties" of Shakespeare's day, they are men in female clothes. The production was absolutely HILARIOUS! As with many companies the actors were multi-disciplined and played instruments; when they were not in role they were wearing sombreros as part of the ensemble and the music had a Latinish feel. During the interval the cast appeared in the vast open spaces of the Lowry foyer and gave a concert! I do not know if they are able to do this at every venue but it certainly added to the fun of the evening. All the cast were superb in their roles and I particularly enjoyed Dugald Bruce-Lockhart's portrayal of Antipholus of Syracuse. I noticed in the programme that the company are performing some dates in America: Harvey Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music - 16-27 March University Musical Society, Power Centre, Ann Arbor, Michigan - 30 March - 03 April Huntington Theatre Co, BU Theatre, Boston - 18 May - 19 June I would highly recommend seeing Propeller if you want an evening of laughter that leaves you feeling elated and wanting more as you leave the theatre

BRB - LA FILLE MAL GARDEE - BIRMINGHAM, 5TH MARCH 2011 Sir Frederick Ashton’s La Fille Mal Gardee is a ballet that uplifts the soul it is so gloriously happy. BRB gave a week of performances at their home base, the Birmingham Hippodrome and I was fortunate to see two contrasting performances on Saturday. In the afternoon, Ambra Vallo was Lise and Cesar Morales was her Colas. The incomparable Michael O’Hare was the Widow Simone and James Barton was Alain. This is a quintessentially English ballet, even though the story is French! Ashton has created believable characters that you really care about and has given them, IMHO, some of the most beautiful choreograph ever made. Ambra is not an Ashtonian dancer in the way she moves her upper body but her footwork is superlative and she brings a real warmth and passion to the role that makes her unmissable. Cesar was a more gentle, contemplative and deeply romantic Colas than we usually see. Their interaction together was a joy to behold - it think most of the audience melted with them as they melted into each other in the beautiful duet before the storm and again in the final duet. Ambra also had a real emotional connection with Michael O’Hare as her mother too. James Barton gave a wonderful interpretation of Alain. His Alain was no simpleton but a youth from a wealthier background who perhaps had been over-protected and had no social skills at all. He was by turns hilarious and deeply moving. The entire cast was utterly involved in the performance, which was exquisite from start to finish. I did wonder, having been so carried away to 7th heaven in the afternoon, if the evening performance would match up to expectation. It most certainly did. Elisha Willis and Jamie Bond were a delight together. Elisha was absolutely radiant as Lise and Jamie Bond was a cheeky, loving Colas. They were magical together. Rory Mackay was the Widow Simone and gave a beautifully understated performance. Again with Alain, Mathias Dingman was able to bring a real and moving depth to the characterisation. When you go to watch a BRB performance you go to watch a company and all the dancers give their all to the performance. Wonderful stuff Saturday was a day filled with magic in Birmingham and I came away with my soul uplifted. Fortunately the programme shows that BRB are performing Fille on tour in the Autumn (to Sunderland, Sadler’s Wells and Plymouth).

I prefer sitting in the stalls, preferably on the front row and preferably on the left hand side of the auditorium. I started trying to sit on the front row many years ago when I discovered in a lot of the older theatres there was not enough rake in the stalls and I ended up sitting behind enormous heads! I discovered I liked the left hand side when I started aiming at that end to watch the action at the card table in Onegin. Sitting in different parts of the row/theatre definitely gives a different perspective on the performance but I do have this preference.

This is really good news, especially as it looks as though the DVD is all region. This is the production that was filmed by the BBC and shown on terrestrial television in the UK on Christmas Day. I thought it was a very good recording although they never come over as well as sitting in a packed audience in a theare and watching it live. From the running time it looks as though they have cut out the fillers between acts. I hope they would be included in the special features as they were very interesting.

For the past couple of years Sylvie Guillem has been performing with the likes of Russell Maliphant and Akram Khan. She has just performed the role of Manon in Milan. Here is a blogger's view of the performance: http://gramilano.com/?p=2715&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Martha Leebolt has won the "Outstanding female performance (classical)" at the UK's National Dance Awards. She is one of my favourite dancers, she inhabits every role she dances and this award is very well deserved. Congratulations Martha!