Mum and I were back at our favourite ballet venue, The Royal Opera House. We had gone primarily to see Carlos Acosta dance in Kenneth Macmillan's The Song of the Earth. But the evening started with Frederick Ashton's The Dream, a ballet of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. It was lovely to see this old favourite as a ballet and after a while I even managed to tune out the whispering child sat behind us.
The changeling Indian boy was adorable and I was impressed at how long he 'slept' at the back of the stage. It was a shame that Marcelo Gomes in the role of Oberon seemed a little unsure at times, however the dancer covering for Puck was incredible. Unfortunately it was a last minute change I can't remember who was dancing, he had all the spring you would expect from Puck, even from the Amphitheatre you could see the mischievous glint in his eyes.
It was Johnathan Howells in the role of Bottom who really stole the show. He was amusing and made a convincing enchanted donkey. I am eternally impressed by men dancing en pointe and Howells managed to skip and jump while wearing hooves on his hands and a great big donkey head. Even in human form Howells was exactly like I imagined Bottom to be, although perhaps the hair was a bit too wild for me...
We had an obligatory ice cream in the interval and then it was back for Song of the Earth. I have not seen a ballet with singers before and this was the place to start. The music by Mahler was enchanting and the singers standing on alternate sides of the stage blended in and became a seamless part of the piece. Carlos Acosta was as captivating as usual, but a pleasant surprise for the evening was Marianela Nunez who was unbelievable in songs two and six.
I would definitely take the opportunity to see this pair of ballets again but would request that children are kept quiet by their families and that the Royal Opera House bans paper and plastic bags from the auditorium.
The changeling Indian boy was adorable and I was impressed at how long he 'slept' at the back of the stage. It was a shame that Marcelo Gomes in the role of Oberon seemed a little unsure at times, however the dancer covering for Puck was incredible. Unfortunately it was a last minute change I can't remember who was dancing, he had all the spring you would expect from Puck, even from the Amphitheatre you could see the mischievous glint in his eyes.
It was Johnathan Howells in the role of Bottom who really stole the show. He was amusing and made a convincing enchanted donkey. I am eternally impressed by men dancing en pointe and Howells managed to skip and jump while wearing hooves on his hands and a great big donkey head. Even in human form Howells was exactly like I imagined Bottom to be, although perhaps the hair was a bit too wild for me...
We had an obligatory ice cream in the interval and then it was back for Song of the Earth. I have not seen a ballet with singers before and this was the place to start. The music by Mahler was enchanting and the singers standing on alternate sides of the stage blended in and became a seamless part of the piece. Carlos Acosta was as captivating as usual, but a pleasant surprise for the evening was Marianela Nunez who was unbelievable in songs two and six.
I would definitely take the opportunity to see this pair of ballets again but would request that children are kept quiet by their families and that the Royal Opera House bans paper and plastic bags from the auditorium.
Just saw my mum got the answer re: Puck on Facebook, Michael Stojko was fabulous in the role ;-)
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