ABt Onegin Met 2024

[DPell]

Was anyone at opening night last night?

[California]

Several of us were there on opening night. Just a few quick things for now:

Jake Roxander and Zimmi Coker, as Lensky and Olga, were the real stars of the evening. So much energy and joy in their dancing! It's sad that this was their only performance this week. 

Cory Stearns and Christine Shevchenko were technically very secure in the treacherous partnering. Their expressiveness was fine, although not as riveting as others in those roles. 

The corps was a joy to watch in each act. I love the two racing diagonals in the first act and the women were in sync (everybody in the air at the same time). The party and ballroom scenes in II and III are wonderful to watch and I love the choreography. 

A lot of empty seats, although I couldn't see the entire theater. Apparently they were selling seats Tuesday afternoon for $30 to help fill the place. This ballet is certainly worth seeing with any cast and I encourage people to give it a try.

[Novice123]

According to an usher 2500 were sold.  Family terrace was opened up.  

[ABT Fan]

18 minutes ago, California said:

Several of us were there on opening night. Just a few quick things for now:

Jake Roxander and Zimmi Coker, as Lensky and Olga, were the real stars of the evening. So much energy and joy in their dancing! It's sad that this was their only performance this week. 

Cory Stearns and Christine Shevchenko were technically very secure in the treacherous partnering. Their expressiveness was fine, although not as riveting as others in those roles. 

The corps was a joy to watch in each act. I love the two racing diagonals in the first act and the women were in sync (everybody in the air at the same time). The party and ballroom scenes in II and III are wonderful to watch and I love the choreography. 

A lot of empty seats, although I couldn't see the entire theater. Apparently they were selling seats Tuesday afternoon for $30 to help fill the place. This ballet is certainly worth seeing with any cast and I encourage people to give it a try.

Thanks for this. Still kills me that I didn't get to see Roxander/Coker who were replaced for their second show when I originally had tickets. Not a surprise that they were outstanding. How were they together? I always thought they could be a good partnership, but I haven't seen them dance together in anything yet.

Edited June 19 by ABT Fan

[California]

16 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

Thanks for this. Still kills me that I didn't get to see Roxander/Coker who were replaced for their second show when I originally had tickets. Not a surprise that they were outstanding. How were they together? I always thought they could be a good partnership, but I haven't seen them dance together in anything yet.

They seemed to have a real chemistry to me. I don't see options for them later in the season. Perhaps the pas de trois in Swan Lake? Roxander is doing Mercutio in R&J. 

[California]

27 minutes ago, Novice123 said:

According to an usher 2500 were sold.  Family terrace was opened up.  

Good grief -- the Met holds about 3800. Even with all those super-cheap seats, only 2500 sold!

[abatt]

I agree that the stars of the evening were Coker and Roxander.  So glad I was able to see them.  My only critique of Roxander is that his landings are often with a thud.  He needs to work on that.  

I thought Shev improved as the ballet went along.  By the third act she was much more engaging.  The first act, however, was a bore.  That duet between Onegin and Tatiana in Act I in her bedroom should leave you breathless.  It was all very technically correct but devoid of passion.  You could see every preparation.  None of it looked spontaneous in Act I.  She was more commanding in the third act, which seemed like a better fit dramatically for her.  Cory was fine.  My real complaint is with Shev's portrayal, not Cory's.  Presumably she will improve over the course of the week.  

[abatt]

1 minute ago, California said:

Good grief -- the Met holds about 3800. Even with all those super-cheap seats, only 2500 sold!

Ask yourself how many of those seats were sold at a steep discount - TDF or Rush Tickets, or the discount that was offered through ABT.  I'm guessing quite a bit of the orchestra would have been empty without these discounts.

[nysusan]

I mostly agree with abatt & California. Roxander & Coker were definitely the stars of the evening. I had only seen him in showy virtuoso roles before so I was happy to see that he is able to tone down the fireworks and dance a serious role without having to pull out every trick in his book. His form, jumps & elevation were still great but not the focus of his performance. Coker's dancing was lovely and she was very bright and engaging. And I agree that they had great chemistry. Not so much Shevchenko and Stearns.

 

Agree that Shevy & Stearns were strong technically but the way they related to each other seemed nothing more than dutiful until the 3rd act. The drama definitely picked up there but they had lost me by then, the first 2 acts were so dull.

 

I remember enjoying Onegin back in the days of Vishneva/Gomes and Ferri/Bolle. I am going to see Misseldine/Forster/Bell/Hurlin but in future seasons I think I will skip it unless ABT ups its principal dancer quality in a very big way. Shevy & Stearns were technically strong but no more than competent in any other aspect and that is nowhere near enough.

Edited June 19 by nysusan
edited to add: The 2nd act was not dull but the drama there was between Stearns, Roxander & Coker, to me Shevy was still a blank till act 3

[Novice123]

5 hours ago, California said:

Good grief -- the Met holds about 3800. Even with all those super-cheap seats, only 2500 sold!

According to the usher, they consider 2500 sold out for ABT.  

[Papagena]

5 minutes ago, Novice123 said:

According to the usher, they consider 2500 sold out for ABT.  

Honestly I'm surprised that Onegin on a Tuesday (and without an international superstar like Ferri or Vishneva) filled that many seats. 2500 is equivalent to filling the theater across the plaza. 

[Helene]

It would not be surprising that in a theater as big as the Met that 2500 seats is considered a sell-out.  I don't know whose performance of any ballet would fill up 3800 seats in NYC.

[Novice123]

1. For casual ballet fans, attending any ABT performances is a special event and people are excited about attending.  Last night, many people stood up and applauded at the end.  Even the "grump" old ladies near me, while grumpy during the show were happily applauding at the end.  It must count for something.  While ABT may not be the best ballet company in the US, I know aspiring dancers who would do anything to be an apprentice there.  

[Josette]

33 minutes ago, Papagena said:

Honestly I'm surprised that Onegin on a Tuesday (and without an international superstar like Ferri or Vishneva) filled that many seats. 2500 is equivalent to filling the theater across the plaza. 

No. of Seats              Theatre

1,100        Mariinsky, St. Petersburg

1,740         Bolshoi, Moscow

1,979         Palais Garnier, Paris     

2,256         Royal Opera House, London

2,359         London Coliseum

2,586         Former State Theatre, New York

2,745         Bastille Opera House, Paris

3,000        Segerstrom Auditorium, Orange County, CA

3,146        San Francisco War Memorial Opera House

3,156       Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles  (Last dance performances sold out - July 2019 for The Royal Ballet)

3,800       Metropolitan Opera House, NY

 

[Papagena]

18 minutes ago, Novice123 said:

1. For casual ballet fans, attending any ABT performances is a special event and people are excited about attending.  Last night, many people stood up and applauded at the end.  Even the "grump" old ladies near me, while grumpy during the show were happily applauding at the end.  It must count for something.  While ABT may not be the best ballet company in the US, I know aspiring dancers who would do anything to be an apprentice there.  

Thank you for this comment - I was really encouraged seeing the enthusiastic audience reactions last night via Instagram and wondered about the vibe in the theater. 

ABT is a strange company in terms of reputation - despite their considerable ups and downs, their glory days are imprinted into minds of ballet students (and some audiences). There are few US-based companies that had as many superstar dancers or as much glamour as ABT did in the 70s and late 90s/early 00s. So I think there is always a nostalgia factor as well as the hope that you'd be the dancer to slide right on time for another Golden Era at ABT. It's difficult because their Golden Eras seem to rely on star dancers, while NYCB has a more holistic greatness due to their rep, dancers, and adaptability. 

[Helene]

I didn't realize War Memorial in San Francisco was so big, nor that Mariinsky Theatre was so small.  I would have guess wsthat it would have been the Mariinsky Second Stage that was smaller, but it has 1830 seats (plus room for 2500 staff members according to Wikipedia).

According to this article in The Guardian, the Bolshoi Theatre was increased to 2200 seats during Soviet times, but was restored to back to 1720 during the restoration in the 00's.  We were there in March 2005 for one of the last performances before the reno, and it felt a lot smaller than the Former NYST, but, in reality, it would have been less than 400 seats smaller at the time.

I can't find an exact number, but from the seating plans here, the New Stage at the Bolshoi is significantly smaller, with half the number of rings.

[volcanohunter]

Yes, between 2018 and 2022 Onegin played at the Bolshoi New Stage, which seats about 850. Tickets there were much less expensive than for the main stage, so it did always sell out (5,000 RUB vs. 15,000 RUB, when the ballet last played in October 2022).

Unfortunately, the architects felt compelled to include a royal box, which takes up the best viewing space on the rings. 90% of the remaining seats on the rings have poor sight lines. However, orchestra seats at the new stage have vastly superior sight lines to those at the main theater, which are pretty terrible, unless you have a child sitting in the seat in front of you (and by female standards I'm tall).

In Toronto Onegin now plays at the Four Seasons Centre, which seats 2,070. If memory serves, during the last run the top ring was opened for all performances. But though it's well attended, Onegin never sells out. Tickets aren't cheap.

Edited June 19 by volcanohunter

[ABT Fan]

Today’s matinee was quite the performance. I’m so happy I could witness Misseldine’s major debut on the Met stage.

Her Tatiana was technically extraordinary. Acting- wise she has a lot of room for growth, but remembering how young and inexperienced she is, her character development was quite good. The first half or so was lacking in depth and she and Forster as Onegin had a rather passion-less bedroom scene. Their partnering was excellent throughout though. Forster, in general, was dramatically disappointing which I found surprising, given he’s such a good actor. He did have some truly fine acting moments, but, in my opinion, Onegin requires a nearly oversized presence which he lacked. At times he kinda disappeared. In contrast, whenever Bell or Curley came on they overshadowed him. It should have been vice versa. Technically, Forster was excellent- he always had a gorgeous split grand jete, which we get to see frequently here. By the final scene, Misseldine and Forster were able to tap into the drama and they were quite heartbreaking. Misseldine ripping up his letter was done so well that people clapped (the audience was really rooting for her). 

Bell and Hurlin as Lensky/Olga could not have been more perfect, or more perfectly paired. Technically, dramatically, chemistry-wise, it was all there.

Curley was a powerful yet sensitive Gremin. His partnering of Misseldine was very secure. Both he and Bell will make incredible Onegins one day. 

Edited June 19 by ABT Fan

[volcanohunter]

28 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

Misseldine ripping up his letter was done so well that people clapped (the audience was really rooting for her). 

Aaargh! I hate it when that happens. Instead of a tragedy, the ballet turns into a spectator sport.

Edited June 19 by volcanohunter

[ABT Fan]

19 minutes ago, volcanohunter said:

Aaargh! I hate it when that happens. Instead of a tragedy, the ballet turns into a spectator sport.

It wasn’t like people started cheering, but I see your point. I didn’t find it distracting, surprisingly. It’s been so many years since I’ve seen Onegin I can’t remember if this has happened before.

Another thought on today: apprentice Miyake really stood out in the corps scenes - technique, charisma, charm. Get that man into the corps and doing some solo work please. I know he did Neopolitan in SL earlier this year so I hope to catch that in a few weeks.

[matilda]

Today was my first time seeing Onegin so I have no frame of reference, but I thought Misseldine's debut was a great success, especially for someone so inexperienced in lead roles. The dramatic depth and nuance will come with time; the foundation is there though. On a pure dancing level, she moves like liquid and has a Mariinsky-like quality. Forster's acting seemed fine to me but again, I have no frame of reference. He danced and partnered beautifully, and I enjoyed his performance. A shame he was promoted so late in his career. 

Totally agree for the praise for Hurlin and Bell. I remember when these two were newcomers and now they dance like seasoned pros with charisma to match technique. Bell nearly stole the show with Lensky's moving solo before the duel. 

Overall, I liked this ballet more than expected. The story moves along and the narrative is clear, and the sets are gorgeous. I only saw this performance because of the casting-swap drama, but I'm glad I got to see these particular dancers. ABT isn't looking so bad after all 

Edited June 19 by matilda

[Helene]

There's nothing that a modern-day Tatiana can do about a contemporary audience's emotional reaction to her or Onegin. 

[MRR]

2 hours ago, Helene said:

It would not be surprising that in a theater as big as the Met that 2500 seats is considered a sell-out.  I don't know whose performance of any ballet would fill up 3800 seats in NYC.

The Boylston/Camargo opening night Swan Lake is on track to.  

[volcanohunter]

8 hours ago, Helene said:

There's nothing that a modern-day Tatiana can do about a contemporary audience's emotional reaction to her or Onegin. 

In this case I think there is. She can tear the letter in such a way that the audience won't react quite so spontaneously, for example, by starting the tearing more slowly, rather than diving straight into it. Slower tearing would actually suggest how difficult it is for Tatiana to do it. (Personally, I would like to see her kick him in the shins, but the source insists that, for reasons I can't fathom, she still loves the guy.)

There was a recent example in Toronto with the parallel scene, when Onegin tears up Tatiana's letter. When Guillaume Côté attempted to return the letter, Jurgita Dronina promptly buried her face in her hands and her torso shook violently. This prompted some in the audience to giggle. When Larkin Miller tired to return the letter, the audience could see Svetlana Lunkina's features drop, then her eyes well up with tears and then cover her face. Zero giggling on the part of the audience.

Edited June 20 by volcanohunter

[Helene]

I might not laugh out loud, but I find sobbing in nearly every type of performance, whether it be ballet, opera, or theater, to take me out of the performance and roll my eyes before I can think about it.  I've even cut a stream of La Boheme short before hearing Rodolfo sob between his sung "Mimi!"s.

I know you're supposed to feel for Onegin, but I never will.