Mashinka

Although I would swap MacMillan's R&J for Ashton's version any day, I have to say that the present crop of RB dancers seem to have resuscitated the old warhorse. I am however bitterly disappointed that the performance by Francesca Hayward and Cesar Corrales wasn't recorded for posterity. In my opinion it was the best interpretation of the ballet that I've seen in decades and as Ms Hayward actually won the Critic's Circle award for 2019 for her Juliet I'm clearly not the only one to have been awestruck by her.

There is no explanation given. I have asked a ballet researcher who knew a former company member and it seems a powerful personality in the ballet world opposed the grant. After all the years that have passed it would be difficult to prove if that is true or not, but what I was told left a very bad taste.

Ballet in the Blitz: The Story of a Ballet Company by Mona Inglesby with Kay Hunter. Published in 2008 by Groundnut Publishing. ISBN No.978-0-9527141-7-0 Apart from oblique references to the International Ballet, I knew little about it before reading this book, Quite a few famous names among former teachers and dancers, including Moira Shearer and Maurice Bejart. Of great significance was Ms Inglesby's close collaboration with Nikolai Sergeyev, in fact it was she who passed his notations on to Harvard. That such a successful company was refused even a modest request for public funds remains inexplicable

Two of London's landmark buildings, the Royal Albert Hall and the south bank Globe were in serious risk of closure so the money came just in time, the weekend before theatres throughout the country staged a demonstration by way of decking the facades with ribbons. The last great disaster to hit was the second world war and in Britain at that time there was a surge of artistic activity in the ballet world despite conscription taking out a generation of male dancers. Having done a lot of reading during lockdown I can't help thinking that if someone of the calibre of Mona Inglesby was around today, a way would be found to get those dancers stuck at home onto some sort of stage. Theatres bombed? No problem. Dance in cinemas, dance in factories, dance in holiday camps. There has to be a way to get people back on a stage. No danger in dancing a solo. Or a pas de deux with a co-habiting partner. A challenge for clever choreographers to keep dancers apart? Open air seems the solution, the restrictions on theatres opening on the continent wouldn't tempt me into a theatre, only single tickets sold, no interval, no refreshments, no toilets and an orderly departure strictly supervised by ushers. Then there is the question how much will this cost? Prices will have to surge to make up the loss from all the empty seats. Not sure audiences will embrace that particular aspect of 'new normal'.

Right now money to keep venues open is the priority. We are told there is no possibility of theatres opening this year. However with outdoor activities being approved of I'm surprised no one has shown any initiative to stage outside performances. Not ideal of course but with stewards to maintain social distancing it is actually a possibility. Might even bring in the so badly needed fresh audiences.

We may have to wait for a viable vaccine before theatres re-open, 6-18 months is the general opinion.

The Opera House has now notified patrons that the entire season is now cancelled.

Can't speak for middle America but they definitely noticed in Britain. Quite a lot of detail on this libel case on line, but here are the bare bones. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberace_v_Daily_Mirror

Perhaps to you, but not to anyone else.

Asking to keep ticket money is one thing but not sure that in the current circumstances it's wise for some patrons to do so. One of the regulars I know is likely to find himself unemployed after all this and perhaps the world in the aftermath is a more frightening prospect than the actual virus.

Most of this is bewildering to me. I used to know a former Trock, he had a great sense of humour and I always naively imagined that was the primary requirement, 'Drag' has always been popular this side of the pond but has a very different form. Here's the Irish version. Used to work the other way too. Vesta Tilley is still remembered as Burlington Bertie and a few years later Marlene Dietrich dressed as a man and kissed a woman in a nightclub before joining the camp followers and following the legionnaires across the desert. In the end it's all just entertainment. Isn't it?

Here in the UK we applaud the medical profession on Thursdays, we come out of front doors, stand on balconies or lean from windows to clap, shout and cheer, next time I do this I'll be thinking of doctors and nurses worldwide. We're all in this together. https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2020/mar/26/clap-for-carers-applauding-the-nhs-during-coronavirus-in-pictures

All sorts of things get brushed under the carpet at the RB and inquiries tend to be damage limitation jobs. This outcome is pretty much as I expected.

No, the government wants the population to catch the virus to develop 'herd immunity'. Worrying if like me you're over seventy with asthma. The Astana Ballet in Kazakhstan plans to perform as usual without an audience and live stream the performance. Good idea.

Covent Garden remains open as do all theatres in London though there is some evidence that ticket sales are declining in the West End. ROH has very elderly audiences compared with other European houses, especially for ballet and I think they should consider closing the House during the day when all and sundry wander in and should open an hour before performances, strictly for ticket holders only.

Domingo's London performances have now been cancelled. The timing is a disgrace, they sold the tickets and then made the decision. People will have booked flights to London to see him, were I one of them I would be seeking compensation. My in box is overflowing with email messages of anger from outraged opera fans this morning. Putting aside other considerations the ROH can't afford ill will in a season where attendances have dropped off a cliff. The sheer dishonesty of promising a singer, getting in the money and then announcing that he won't be singing is downright theft in my opinion..

The Grigolo incident caused bemusement, as he appears to have touched an extra's prosthetic belly during a curtain call in front of a couple of thousand people. The RO is struggling to sell seats this season and the truly ghastly, highly unpopular production of Lucia scheduled later is unlikely to sell at all without Grigolo. Domingo is still singing throughout Europe and despite his declining vocal abilities and the unsavoury accusations still has a massive fan base partly made up of travelling fans. Don Carlo is likely to be a sell out. I smell hypocrisy too.

Just heard the news that the great Kirk Douglas has passed away. He was 103, so a terrific innings. May he rest in peace.

If a new principal male dancer is to be appointed I would have thought the obvious choice would be Cesar Corrales. Personally I would like to see Fumi Kaneko and Breatrix Stix-Brunell promoted at some point.

A real 'marmite' work, I think it's a masterpiece.

I have also been aware of his suspension for some time and thought the RB would keep it under wraps but this morning the story is on the front page of The Times. As that paper is behind a pay wall here is a link to the fullest account else where. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7945375/Royal-Ballet-choreographer-Liam-Scarlett-suspended.html Like Ashton fan I would like to think these are allegations that will be refuted, but unlike other such cases in the arts world these are not just historical and as social media was involved, hard core evidence will exist. A tragedy for the Royal Ballet and could not come at a worse time for the ballet world with a ten year jail sentence handed to a former RB principal for indecency with young girls and a former ENB dancer awaiting trial on similar charges.

A Raymonda reimagined as Florence Nightingale and set in the Crimean war? I imagine the crusades are on the politically incorrect list like so much else. Wild horses wouldn't drag me to this one.

The fate of Elizabeth's mother and her stepmother's death after childbirth are sometimes cited as reasons for her unmarried state. Considering marriage with princes of several nationalities was a clever political ploy, though she seemed to be genuinely fond of the French contender The Duke of Alençon, her 'little frog'. A French alliance against Spain would have been extremely advantageous at the time but perhaps even Elizabeth would have baulked at having the formidable Catherine de Medici as a mother in law.

Balanchine is getting a lot of stick here but he's not the only choreographer to be inspired by Japan, there was Ashton with Madame Chrysanthème (now lost), MacMillan's Rituals and Ratmansky's Dreams of Japan. I remember a critic opining that all choreographers seem to have a Japanese ballet in them somewhere. The performance styles of the far east intrigue and fascinate, MacMillan's Rituals came not long after a Kabuki company performed in London and he copied the make up and the costumes, though they were of course adapted for greater movement. The most recent Butterfly I saw was sensational, set in the 1940's it became a seedy story of buying and selling female flesh. When Butterfly's friends turn up for her wedding they are wearing their school uniforms. At the end Pinkerton was actually booed, perhaps because in that version he was recognized as a paedophile. It was a Glydebourne production, lots of images available on line for anyone interested.

So we're banning Butterfly as well as Bugaku then?