ABT Fan Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 If anyone is still on the fence about which cast to see, I recommend one with Roxander as Mercutio. It's a must see. https://www.abt.org/performances/summer-season/ Link to comment
Becki Lee Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 Cassie just posted that she is out for Wednesday evening. Link to comment
ABT Fan Posted July 6 Author Share Posted July 6 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Becki Lee said: Cassie just posted that she is out for Wednesday evening. Boylston replaces her, so she is now doing two Juliets in a row - Wed and Thurs. Also, Camargo has been replaced by Bell, so Thursday it’s him with Boylston. Too bad they couldn’t have replaced Trenary with a debut. I’m very surprised they didn’t throw Brandt on given her experience dancing with Cornejo and her ability to learn roles on the quick. That seems like a missed opportunity. Edited July 6 by ABT Fan Link to comment
abatt Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 Cassie was replaced last week in woolf works so I am not surprised about her withdrawal as juliet Link to comment
DPell Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 Bell is filling in on Thursday for Camargo, per ABT’s Instagram. Link to comment
aurora Posted July 10 Share Posted July 10 (edited) There's interesting casting for R&J listed in stories on the @abtofficial instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stories/abtofficial/3409246521776700076/ For both last night and today's matinee Carlos Gonzales is listed as Mercutio. But today's matinee additionally lists a "Lead Mandolin"....Roxander. I know other places have a Lead Mandolin dancer rather than Mercutio lead the Mandolin dance (I think Royal Ballet does this), but ABT never does. Its rather good news for anyone at the matinee today though! Edited July 10 by aurora Link to comment
fondoffouettes Posted July 10 Share Posted July 10 1 hour ago, aurora said: There's interesting casting for R&J listed in stories on the @abtofficial instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stories/abtofficial/3409246521776700076/ For both last night and today's matinee Carlos Gonzales is listed as Mercutio. But today's matinee additionally lists a "Lead Mandolin"....Roxander. I know other places have a Lead Mandolin dancer rather than Mercutio lead the Mandolin dance (I think Royal Ballet does this), but ABT never does. Its rather good news for anyone at the matinee today though! Interesting. I see Roxander has reposted the story with the text "surprise show" overlaid on it, so evidently this was a last-minute change. Link to comment
angelica Posted July 10 Share Posted July 10 29 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said: so evidently this was a last-minute change. I love these surprises mid-season. Chloe's promotion, now this. Link to comment
abatt Posted July 10 Share Posted July 10 (edited) Don't all the 5 mandolin dancers do the same choreography. It is Mercutio that has the lead in this section. I looked at my program from last night and there is no part listed for Lead Mandolin Dancer. Under Mandolin Dance the program listed "CARLOS GONZALEZ and ...(five names from the corps)." So did Roxander only do the Mandolin dance in the matinee, or did he take over the role of Mercutio for the matinee. Edited July 10 by abatt Link to comment
ABT Fan Posted July 10 Author Share Posted July 10 (edited) They split the Mercutio role basically because Geregin was replaced. Gonzalez did Mercutio for the most of the ballet, and Roxander did Mercutio’s part in the mandolin dance, but they called that the Lead Mandolin dancer to avoid confusion. I’m guessing they did this because Gonzalez did Mercutio last night and also will tomorrow and Roxander is doing it tonight. So, to limit exhaustion for both of them they split the role this afternoon. Edited July 10 by ABT Fan Link to comment
abatt Posted July 10 Share Posted July 10 I think that would be very confusing unless Roxander were wearing the costume of the mandolin dancer rather than the costume of Mercutio. Link to comment
DPell Posted July 10 Share Posted July 10 ABT’s story has Alexei Agoudine as Capulet. Does anyone know if this is his debut in the role? Link to comment
nanushka Posted July 10 Share Posted July 10 (edited) 14 minutes ago, DPell said: ABT’s story has Alexei Agoudine as Capulet. Does anyone know if this is his debut in the role? Hi ABT rep page lists only Escalus and Friar L for the ballet. Edited July 10 by nanushka Link to comment
lunaysol Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 (edited) I saw the matinée today. Thomas Forster didn't do much for me and sadly neither did Christine, I hate to say - I didn't feel like they had chemistry. I actually feel like he had more chemistry with her when she was in her lifeless sleep at the end, and I felt like she had really good chemistry with Paris (Crispini I think if my memory serves). The highlights for me were Carlos Gonzalez as Mercutio and Jake Roxander as the "lead mandolin" - I think they split the role a bit so they would not be over stretched. At first when I read the program + the casting on their IG I was confused but that's what I've parsed together from other comments here and elsewhere. I felt like during their pas de deux the turns were too fast and rushed, I found myself worried they weren't timed right and would fall out of them which takes me out of the moment. Also a lot of bad behavior at the Met today - several phones ringing in every act, chatter in the audience, lots of phone & smart watch screens lighting up brightly. I think I was sitting in front of Christine's mom and possibly her husband though, which was kind of nice! Overall I enjoyed it but was definitely not my favorite production. The costuming really masks everyone and makes everyone look the same, making it difficult to find my favorites. Edited to add that I actually thought Joo Won Ahn was fantastic as Tybalt - his death scene was phenomenal IMO. Edited July 11 by lunaysol Link to comment
nanushka Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 (edited) It is a very “heavy” physical production, I agree. A lot to take in, making focus sometimes harder. Color scheme, costumes, layers, textures —it’s all a lot, like an overstuffed canvas — not enough clarity of composition and form. Edited July 11 by nanushka Link to comment
Frmrdncr614 Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 44 minutes ago, lunaysol said: I saw the matinée today. Thomas Forster didn't do much for me and sadly neither did Christine, I hate to say - I didn't feel like they had chemistry. I actually feel like he had more chemistry with her when she was in her lifeless sleep at the end, and I felt like she had really good chemistry with Paris (Crispini I think if my memory serves). The highlights for me were Carlos Gonzalez as Mercutio and Jake Roxander as the "lead mandolin" - I think they split the role a bit so they would not be over stretched. At first when I read the program + the casting on their IG I was confused but that's what I've parsed together from other comments here and elsewhere. I felt like during their pas de deux the turns were too fast and rushed, I found myself worried they weren't timed right and would fall out of them which takes me out of the moment. Also a lot of bad behavior at the Met today - several phones ringing in every act, chatter in the audience, lots of phone & smart watch screens lighting up brightly. I think I was sitting in front of Christine's mom and possibly her husband though, which was kind of nice! Overall I enjoyed it but was definitely not my favorite production. The costuming really masks everyone and makes everyone look the same, making it difficult to find my favorites. Edited to add that I actually thought Joo Won Ahn was fantastic as Tybalt - his death scene was phenomenal IMO. I don’t agree with this take at all. I found their performances to be genuine and grounded in technique and emotion. I grew up watching the gold standard (Ferri/Bocca) and their performance brought tears to my eyes. I think it’s easy to critique as a patron, but as someone who has trained over 20 years in classical ballet, I have the utmost respect for both Christine and Thomas and both their performances today. I saw them last year as well and the connection they have has developed since last season. Gonzalez was strong as Mercutio. I was disappointed in the Harlots. Lensi carried the trio. The casting of the Harlots can really enhance the comedic aspect of the story and today, that fell flat. Lall got lost in the mix and Marshall appeared overly focused on the choreography. Link to comment
jackie987 Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 I just came back from tonight's R&J. Some quick thoughts (this was only my second R&J, so I'm curious to hear others' opinions!): I was really disappointed that Trenary was injured, as I was not excited to see Boylston (I get a student discount on tickets, so I'm unable to exchange them). I will say, however, that I think this was the most artistry I've seen from Boylston and I was surprisingly enraptured by her for most of the performance (though I don't remember there being that much running in this role??). Cornejo was, for me, disappointing. (I also thought Bell was supposed to replace him, but maybe I misread all the cast changes.) Some of his jumps were beautiful, but he was mainly inconsistent. He also only used his arms for the press lifts (if that's what they're called) during the PDD in Act I! Roxander as Mercurtio was truly the star of the show - and the audience knew it. I had high expectations and he was basically flawless. I truly can't wait to see him perform principal roles. I also really liked Zhurbin as Tybalt. Link to comment
aurora Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 10 minutes ago, jackie987 said: Cornejo was, for me, disappointing. (I also thought Bell was supposed to replace him, but maybe I misread all the cast changes.) Some of his jumps were beautiful, but he was mainly inconsistent. He also only used his arms for the press lifts (if that's what they're called) during the PDD in Act I! Bell is replacing Camargo and dancing with Boylston tomorrow. I disagree on Cornejo. I thought he was very good. I think Boylston is too tall a partner for him, and so some of the lifts felt like they lacked amplitude. But I was happy the lifts and partnering was all secure, and I felt like they had a strong rapport. Link to comment
laurel Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 2 hours ago, lunaysol said: I saw the matinée today. Thomas Forster didn't do much for me and sadly neither did Christine, I hate to say - I didn't feel like they had chemistry. I actually feel like he had more chemistry with her when she was in her lifeless sleep at the end, and I felt like she had really good chemistry with Paris (Crispini I think if my memory serves). The highlights for me were Carlos Gonzalez as Mercutio and Jake Roxander as the "lead mandolin" - I think they split the role a bit so they would not be over stretched. At first when I read the program + the casting on their IG I was confused but that's what I've parsed together from other comments here and elsewhere. I felt like during their pas de deux the turns were too fast and rushed, I found myself worried they weren't timed right and would fall out of them which takes me out of the moment. Also a lot of bad behavior at the Met today - several phones ringing in every act, chatter in the audience, lots of phone & smart watch screens lighting up brightly. I think I was sitting in front of Christine's mom and possibly her husband though, which was kind of nice! Overall I enjoyed it but was definitely not my favorite production. The costuming really masks everyone and makes everyone look the same, making it difficult to find my favorites. Edited to add that I actually thought Joo Won Ahn was fantastic as Tybalt - his death scene was phenomenal IMO. I completely disagree with this. Forster and Shevchenko were fantastic this afternoon. They've been favorites of mine since before the pandemic, and today they proved they are better than ever. They danced so beautifully together, and with every pas de deux they seemed to melt into the choreography, melt into the music, and melt into one another. I can't believe they were relegated to a Wednesday matinee, while the same old ABT mediocrities are still assigned the evening and weekend spots. Wednesday mats are fine for an important debut like Misseldine's, but for two wonderful dancers who move like an emotional whirlwind, it's just wrong. I've been avoiding ABT for just this reason, but Forster and Shevchenko are, for me, the only reason to see R&J this week. I will always go out of my way to catch them when they are teamed. Carlos Gonzalez was very good as Mercutio. His performance skills have improved since his not great appearance as the "Revolutionary" in Like Water for Chocolate last year, where he lacked the required brio and panache. Both that role and today's Mercutio need someone like the young Herman Cornejo. Jake Roxander, waiting in the wings for those opportunities. When Roxander cut loose as the Mandolin soloist in Act II's wedding procession, everyone else on stage essentially vanished. All eyes on Jake. Perhaps this wonderful MacMillan production is not to everyone's liking, but I love it, and I was delighted to see it once again. I consider it the kind of ballet ABT needs to program, especially after sitting through ABT's two latest lapses in judgment, Like Water for Chocolate and Woolf Works. There's nothing wrong with good ballets by Wheeldon and McGregor, but ABT never gets them. Still hopeful that the new management will finally break away from the errors of the past and bring us some ballets that are worth spending money to see. They have a growing number of excellent and promising young dancers rising through the ranks, and management needs to provide them with the best and most entertaining showcases possible. We are burdened these days with bad behavior, bad weather, bad news, and the ballet is what I seek out for a break from our troubled reality. Bring on the fantasies, the fairy tales, the Ashton works, anything with great choreography and wonderful music, and great dancers to whisk us away for an aesthetic high. Link to comment
jackie987 Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 18 minutes ago, aurora said: Bell is replacing Camargo and dancing with Boylston tomorrow. I disagree on Cornejo. I thought he was very good. I think Boylston is too tall a partner for him, and so some of the lifts felt like they lacked amplitude. But I was happy the lifts and partnering was all secure, and I felt like they had a strong rapport. Thank you for the correction! I quickly checked on social media, but seems like all of the stories had disappeared. Yes - I agree that they did have a good rapport. And I hadn't thought about the minimal height difference, so that makes sense. Link to comment
abatt Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 (edited) 9 hours ago, jackie987 said: I just came back from tonight's R&J. Some quick thoughts (this was only my second R&J, so I'm curious to hear others' opinions!): I was really disappointed that Trenary was injured, as I was not excited to see Boylston (I get a student discount on tickets, so I'm unable to exchange them). I will say, however, that I think this was the most artistry I've seen from Boylston and I was surprisingly enraptured by her for most of the performance (though I don't remember there being that much running in this role??). Cornejo was, for me, disappointing. (I also thought Bell was supposed to replace him, but maybe I misread all the cast changes.) Some of his jumps were beautiful, but he was mainly inconsistent. He also only used his arms for the press lifts (if that's what they're called) during the PDD in Act I! Roxander as Mercurtio was truly the star of the show - and the audience knew it. I had high expectations and he was basically flawless. I truly can't wait to see him perform principal roles. I also really liked Zhurbin as Tybalt. Yes, Roxander was definitely the star of the show. They should have renamed it Mercutio and Friends. Cornejo sometimes looked like his old great self, but at other times was low energy or sloppy. As lovely as Boylston was, there was no chemistry here between these leads in my opinion. Promote Roxander. He is a star. The audience went wild when he danced. What is Jaffe waiting for. Edited July 11 by abatt Link to comment
ABT Fan Posted July 11 Author Share Posted July 11 I can’t wait to see Roxander again on Saturday (I saw his Mercutio last year). I saw the clip on IG of his entrance for the page bows! Wow. 😂 Hope he does that again Saturday. Link to comment
California Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 1 hour ago, abatt said: Promote Roxander. He is a star. The audience went wild when he danced. What is Jaffe waiting for. Roxander was just promoted to soloist in March 2024. He needs to do a couple of lead roles before promotion to principal, I would think. Misseldine did Onegin and Swan Lake before being promoted. So the big question now is casting for the fall, Nutcracker, and perhaps the winter touring (if there is any!): https://www.abt.org/people/jake-roxander/?type=performer Link to comment
abatt Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 Puck in Midsummer was a lead role, and he was outstanding. 14 minutes ago, ABT Fan said: I can’t wait to see Roxander again on Saturday (I saw his Mercutio last year). I saw the clip on IG of his entrance for the page bows! Wow. 😂 Hope he does that again Saturday. It wasn't only the quality of the dancing, which was remarkable. It was also his characterization. He was the most vivid character on stage. Link to comment
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