Royal Ballet's Manon

[volcanohunter]

The Royal Ballet has posted a trailer for Kenneth MacMillan's Manon, which will be broadcast live (or almost live) to cinemas on Thursday, October 16. The broadcast is scheduled to star Marianela Nuñez and Federico Bonelli.

http://www.roh.org.uk/showings/manon-live-2014

[volcanohunter]

Additional casting has been announced. Ricardo Cervera will play Lescaut, and Laura Morera will be his Mistress.

http://www.roh.org.uk/showings/manon-live-2014

[volcanohunter]

Casting for courtesans, gentlemen and clients has also been posted, so all told it looks like this:

Manon Marianela Nuñez
Des Grieux Federico Bonelli
Lescaut Ricardo Cervera
Monsieur G.M. Christopher Saunders
Lescaut’s Mistress Laura Morera
Madame Elizabeth McGorian
Gaoler Gary Avis
Beggar Chief James Hay
Courtesan Yuhui Choe
Courtesan Helen Crawford
Courtesan Sian Murphy
Courtesan Lara Turk
Gentleman Tristan Dyer
Gentleman Valeri Hristov
Gentleman Valentino Zucchetti
Client Bennet Gartside
Client Jonathan Howells
Client Fernando Montaño
Client Philip Mosley
Client Andrej Uspenski

The PDF version of the program offers a lot less casting information, but there is a synopsis.

http://www.fathomevents.com/media/Default/EventMedia/Manon%20Cinema%20Cast%20Sheet-3.pdf

The ballet will be screening live, starting at 7:15 pm BST, in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Romania and Latvia, and at 7:00 p.m. local time in the United States. You can find the nearest screening by using the "screening search" function.

http://www.roh.org.uk/showings/manon-live-2014

Information about U.S. screenings here:
http://www.fathomevents.com/event/roh1415-manon
What may be some additional Carmike Cinemas locations

http://www.carmike.com/Events/Event/390

Australian screenings will follow in November and Canadian showings in December.

It's a shame that nothing seems to be scheduled for Argentina.

[volcanohunter]

In case you'd like to read the synopsis in German, Spanish, French, Italian or, of course, English, PDF versions of the program can be downloaded online.

http://www.roh.org.uk/showings/manon-live-2014

[Kaysta]

Just got back from it, and Nunez was outstanding as Manon. On par with Diana Vishneva's performance at the Met. So thankful for these screenings.

[California]

I just got back from the Manon screening -- 9 people in the theater in downtown Denver. But from the opening credits, it looks like Goldman Sachs and others are underwriting this, so perhaps the poor attendance isn't fatal to future screenings. Great performances, especially Nunez. But I also thought the camera work was terrific and I hope they release this one on DVD in the next year. I was always being shown what I wanted to see. Several sound glitches in the first act when we had long moments of silence, but no problems after that. I'm so glad they made this ballet available in the screenings, now that we know ABT isn't doing it again at the Met next year (darn).

[volcanohunter]

Great performances, especially Nunez. But I also thought the camera work was terrific and I hope they release this one on DVD in the next year. I was always being shown what I wanted to see.

There's probably a good chance of that. The Royal Ballet's last film of Manon was released by Decca, not the company's own Opus Arte label, so there is a gap in the catalogue. It also wouldn't hurt to contact the Royal Ballet to tell them how much you'd love to see the ballet on DVD.

This screening may have been disadvantaged by the fact that some local companies have not yet presented their first program of the season. Not that there has ever been much cooperation between ballet companies and movie theaters to promote these screenings. For now, I suppose, it's up to us to do the pitching and plugging, because ultimately it's a use-it-or-lose-it proposition.

[macnellie]

Are there any future screenings of Manon in the NYC area? Anyone know?

[volcanohunter]

The intermission features have been posted.

[elena]

I really hope they release a DVD... we don't get the screenings in Puerto Rico. I watched the rehearsal on the RB's stream on World Ballet Day and enjoyed it very much.

[yudi]

My nearest movie theater would show all 5 ROH and 4 Bolshoi ballets! If I drive for 1 hour, I can see Billy Elliot the Musical Live also.

I like the Manon much better than ROH's other ballets so far I saw on big screens, though, I missed some for non-accessibility. It seems N. Osipova would dance Odette/Odile for ROH's Swan Lake on Mar 19 2015. If it is not for her, I am not interested in seeing their Swan Lake again.

[Mashinka]

On the contrary, Osipova is a very fine Odette/Odile if not yet in the first rank. you're right about the production though.

[abatt]

Just got back from it, and Nunez was outstanding as Manon. On par with Diana Vishneva's performance at the Met. So thankful for these screenings.

I saw the film, but I didn't feel that either of the two leads was on par with Vishneva-Gomes. Nunez = Bonelli were very good, but there is a connection and a passion between Vishneva and Gomes that is unrivaled. Also, I think Vishneva's upper body and arms are more fluid than Nunez.

[meunier fan]

For my money the Manon of this particular RB session (still ongoing) is, without exception, Francesca Hayward .... all of 22 years old .... and entirely magical .... and the Des Grieux is - without current peer - Vadim Muntagirov - all of 24 - who has quite suddenly - unexpectedly - and equally magically come into his dramatic own. Never has that meeting pas looked so good in my experience. It is such a shame that those two were not captured on film and let a world hungry for the new be introduced to them. It would, I think, have been a revelation.

[Kaysta]

Just got back from it, and Nunez was outstanding as Manon. On par with Diana Vishneva's performance at the Met. So thankful for these screenings.

I saw the film, but I didn't feel that either of the two leads was on par with Vishneva-Gomes. Nunez = Bonelli were very good, but there is a connection and a passion between Vishneva and Gomes that is unrivaled. Also, I think Vishneva's upper body and arms are more fluid than Nunez.

I enjoyed Gomes more than Bonelli, but I love Nunez. Maybe seeing it up close has swayed me, as I was sitting in the back of the orchestra for the Vishneva/Gomes performance.

[Helene]

For my money the Manon of this particular RB session (still ongoing) is, without exception, Francesca Hayward .... all of 22 years old .... and entirely magical .... and the Des Grieux is - without current peer - Vadim Muntagirov - all of 24 - who has quite suddenly - unexpectedly - and equally magically come into his dramatic own.

I will store this away for when I'm traveling again, and then I will seek them out.

[volcanohunter]

For my money the Manon of this particular RB session (still ongoing) is, without exception, Francesca Hayward .... all of 22 years old .... and entirely magical .... and the Des Grieux is - without current peer - Vadim Muntagirov - all of 24 - who has quite suddenly - unexpectedly - and equally magically come into his dramatic own. Never has that meeting pas looked so good in my experience. It is such a shame that those two were not captured on film and let a world hungry for the new be introduced to them. It would, I think, have been a revelation.

The Royal Ballet couldn't have anticipated that this pair would work so well. Recent experience with Polunin also showed it was possible to push young dancers too hard and too fast. But the Royal Ballet has not been reluctant to repeat repertoire in the cinemas, and if they choose to return to Manon in four or five years, we can still hope that the Hayward-Muntagirov pairing will have lost none of its freshness or magic and that their opportunity to enchant movie audiences in this ballet will still come.

[meunier fan]

For my money the Manon of this particular RB session (still ongoing) is, without exception, Francesca Hayward .... all of 22 years old .... and entirely magical .... and the Des Grieux is - without current peer - Vadim Muntagirov - all of 24 - who has quite suddenly - unexpectedly - and equally magically come into his dramatic own. Never has that meeting pas looked so good in my experience. It is such a shame that those two were not captured on film and let a world hungry for the new be introduced to them. It would, I think, have been a revelation.

The Royal Ballet couldn't have anticipated that this pair would work so well. Recent experience with Polunin also showed it was possible to push young dancers too hard and too fast. But the Royal Ballet has not been reluctant to repeat repertoire in the cinemas, and if they choose to return to Manon in four or five years, we can still hope that the Hayward-Muntagirov pairing will have lost none of its freshness or magic and that their opportunity to enchant movie audiences in this ballet will still come.

I agree. It was just wishful thinking on my part. I'm sure at some juncture the pairing (assuming no desperate physical accident) will come to pass on film .... most happily I only wish that NYCB had similar showings internationally. I, myself, would happily pay above the odds to enjoy all the excitement that I read about here. How I wish the glorious Wendy Whelan retirement performance could have been relayed throughout the world (as surely it deserved) and so many of the NYCB celebrated works by Ratmansky, Wheeldon and Scarlett ... as well as, of course, the ever glittering Balanchine and Robbins masterworks. Surely an audience would grow ... Is this not something that would/should/could deserve WORLD subsidy? In so many ways, after all, Balanchine taught the 20th Century TO dance.

[meunier fan]

Here's a video of Ms. Hayward giving a demonstration of the 'Fred step'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1rBdjfvPFDT75KZgMpdZKdC/ballets-rising-star-francesca-haywards-fred-step

[abatt]

The Royal Ballet couldn't have anticipated that this pair would work so well. Recent experience with Polunin also showed it was possible to push young dancers too hard and too fast. But the Royal Ballet has not been reluctant to repeat repertoire in the cinemas, and if they choose to return to Manon in four or five years, we can still hope that the Hayward-Muntagirov pairing will have lost none of its freshness or magic and that their opportunity to enchant movie audiences in this ballet will still come.

Interesting because Muntagirov has not been particularly impressive in his few appearances at ABT. However, he did look much more polished last season in Bayadere, but no chemistry with Smirnova's Nikiya. I guess part of the problem is that a guest artist who drops in for one or two shows has no real connection to the company or a partner he has not danced with.

[volcanohunter]

The Royal Ballet's Manon will be screening in Australia on November 14, 15, 16, and 19.

http://www.palaceoperaandballet.com.au

It's nice to see the Royal Opera House and Paris Opera coexisting peacefully at the cinema. I'm also encouraged that the distributor didn't balk at presenting two different performances of Manon within an eight-month span. Perhaps it's easier to market when one production is called Manon and the other L'Histoire de Manon.

[Helene]

[Lynette H]

Just to clarify, Hayward and Muntagirov have not yet danced together in Manon, or, so far as I can remember, anything else. In Manon, Hayward was partnered by Ed Watson. Muntagirov appeared with Sarah Lamb, stepping in for an injured Lauren Cuthbertson. Probably sensible to have an experienced partner for a debut performance.

Hayward & Muntagirov are scheduled to appear together in Alice In Wonderland in December and January.

[volcanohunter]

Manon will be screened at Landmark Cinemas in Canada on Saturday, December 6 at 11 am local time, 10 am in British Columbia. The locations currently listed are:

ON - Hamilton, Kanata, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Orleans, St. Catharines, Waterloo, Whitby

MB - Winnipeg (Grant Park)

AB - Calgary (Country Hills), Calgary (Shawnessy), Edmonton (City Centre), Spruce Grove

BC - Campbell River, Courtenay, Cranbrook, Kamloops, Kelowna (Paramount), Nanaimo, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Penticton, Surrey, Victoria

YT - Whitehorse (Qwanlin)

At some locations there will be a repeat screening on Monday, January 26 at 6:30 pm. That will make for quite a ballet weekend: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland on the 24th, the Bolshoi's Swan Lake on the 25th and Manon on the 26th.

http://www.landmarkcinemas.com/en.aspx

In Trail, BC, Manon will be screened on Sunday, December 7 at 9:55 am.

http://www.royaltheatretrail.com/dance

[kbarber]

it seems so shortsighted that they schedule it for a Saturday morning, when all the ballet teachers and most of the ballet students will be unable to go.