Some ROH trips and Rhapsody / Tetracyts Art of Fugue / Gloria

Having been to the Royal Opera House four weeks out of six this year I'm finally getting around to blogging. Two performances of Giselle have been my definite highlight Steven McRae gave a shining crisp performance of Albrecht dancing with Roberta Marquez. I couldn't miss Marianela Nunez and Thiago Soares in Giselle so I went back for an emotional matinee performance, reinforcing why I can't miss seeing a cast with this pairing at least once in a run. I went back to see Liam Scarlett's Hansel & Gretel again in the Linbury, I was excited to see James Hay dancing the role of Hansel and I wasn't let down. I had hoped to get a seat in the main arena but ended up back on the stage side seating where I sat last year. However, the staging had been changed for this second time out and now I can say that this is a ballet 'in the round' or at least with two sides. Other outstanding performances from Ryoichi Hirano dancing the role of the witch again, Donald Thom as the Sandman, not a bringer of dreams and Bennet Gartside as the father, a man at the end of his tether. 

We also headed to the Opera for my Grandparent's diamond wedding anniversary and my grandmother's 80th birthday. Carmen was the pick of the night and we ate in the Amphitheatre restaurant before and were very well looked after by the staff. Now it's safe to say that my grandmother and boyfriend's mother were the only people in our party of eight that were really genuinely excited to be at the opera, the rest of us were only sure that we would see some great performances. By the end of the evening we were converted, a truly fabulous evening with familiar melodies, lovely staging and beautiful performances. So my Royal Opera House budget is going to go out the window this year.

Most recently mum and I headed back for another Saturday matinee to see the latest triple bill. We picked our performance to see James Hay and Francesca Hayward debut in Ashton's Rhapsody and treated ourselves to front row of the orchestra stalls. Set to Rachmaninoff's Preludes on a Theme of Paganini with a backdrop that had note of a Turner the moment the curtain rose we were on tenterhooks. The whole piece is carried by the central couple and the man in particular and James was amazing straight out of the box. We hadn't seen Francesca dance before but she gave a stunning performances, incredibly light and as a pair they shared great chemistry and performed with a sparkle. But not to forget the strong team supporting them the six couples dancing as the corps were beautiful, not distracting from James and Francesca but complementing them beautifully. The whole cast deserved the rousing applause they received as the curtain came down. 

Next up was Wayne McGregor's new 'company' work for twelve dancers and the casting was impressive although a shame to see the piece relying on so many principals and not making the most of the company's full range of dancers. I read the programme and had read some interviews ahead of the performance so I knew a little about it but was confident in the work of McGregor not mention the dancers he had collected on stage. However, I was lost by the dark lighting, the mathematical patterns were a distraction and at times there was too much going on for the eye to take in. The flexibility of the cast was astounding as they bent into a number of shapes, however by the end I was waiting for the dancing to start and felt cold. The costumes were not my favourite, at times see through and on occasion ill fitting and I failed to see why on a dark stage with a black background it made sense to dress a dancer in an all black unitard. It was sad that due to injury and illness the performance couldn't take place in the afternoon, but i'm not sure I would go back to it again although I would love to see Rhapsody again.

Finally Macmillan's Gloria, no applause allowed during this performance, which for the most part the audience managed to abide by. Inspired by Vera Brittain's Testament of Youth this ballet depicts the futility of war. Edward Watson and Ryoichi Hirano formed a strong heart for this ballet set against a stark background which brought the desolation of a battle field clearly to mind. The men in muddy ripped uniforms and the girls in ghostly greys all with drawn hollowed faces danced a moving piece, supported by the Royal Opera Chorus with the soprano sung by Anush Hovhannisyan from the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme. I'd like to see this piece again.

Alice in Covent Garden

Last year we were disappointed to miss the debut of Alice in Wonderland at the Royal Ballet. We caught it on the TV and loved it but it is never the same as seeing it for real on the stage. This year we got organised I became a friend and we secured tickets for Alice (amongst other things).

Yesterday after a delightful afternoon at the V&A seeing the golden spider cloak, the British design exhibition including Kit William's fabulous golden masquerade hare and finally the Cecil Beaton royal photography exhibition mum and I headed to Covent Garden.

We enjoyed a light dinner at Cafe des Amis behind the opera house and then we headed in for a magical evening. One thing that Disney have done is sanitise Alice, my childhood memories of the book with the slightly ominous ink drawings has been replaced by a cute blonde girl and a jolly smiling purple cat. Tim Burton's movie adaptation perhaps pushed it too far in the other direction but the combination of Christopher Wheeldon, Joby Talbot and the wonderful Royal Ballet has hit the spot.

The special effects that I couldn't imagine on stage filled your vision and the drew you into the mysterious world of Lewis Carroll's mind. Lauren Cuthbertson proved that she created the role and her performance emanated a childlike wonder at the weird and wonderful things around her. Her performance skills along with the special effects meant I really believed that she could not only dance but grow and shrink as well. My only disappointment was the giant ballerina legs and arms, for me they detracted and I'd be interested to see the show without them.

I particularly love the way that the guests at Alice's tea party are realised later as the residents of Wonderland. Edward Watson translated wonderfully from a kindly Lewis Carroll to a slightly panicked and at times bewildered white rabbit. He was seemingly everywhere at once and it felt like by the end he had run a marathon keeping Alice out of trouble.

Fernando Montano replacing Eric Underwood as the caterpillar was a particular highlight for me. His body isolations and undulations really did verge on the exotic insect side of life. Another particularly special animal is the Cheshire cat, a giant animal created by a number of dancers, this Cheshire cat is mysterious and mischievous. It reminded me a bit of War Horse where you forget that the actors are there after just a few minutes. In this case I still wonder how so many people can make this jigsaw of cat parts come together so cohesively that you can almost here him purr!

Jumping on to the Mad Hatters's tea party with giant teapots and tea cakes Steven McRae gave a manically mad performance and his skilled tapping meant he was a strong part of the percussion section. You couldn't help but feel sorry for James Wilkie in the role of the sleepy dormouse continually shoved into the teapot. I would have loved to see more of this lovely trio although the March Hare was rather forgotten.

The flower dance was beautiful with whirling colours and patterns. Then on to the garden for some interesting gardening techniques and croquet. Painting the roses red, or maybe not, the three gardeners, with James Hay delivering a beautifully funny performance when his tree just wouldn't stay red. Laura Morera delivered a crazed red queen with precision and a touch of comedy. The flamingoes were perfect both the dancers and the puppet variety, having worked with puppets I know how hard it is to give a really believable performance and to carry it off while dancing impeccably was a real feat on everyone's part. Meanwhile the hedgehogs were adorably cheeky and I wish I could take one home with me.

The court room scene was just the way I had imagined it as a child reading the books and I haven't forgotten Jack the Knave of Hearts. This is his trial after all and if the crime was a great performance then Frederico Bonelli was guilty. He gave an engaging performance and throughout it felt like he was just a touch older than Alice after more than she was willing give. But at the end I was pleased to see that he got the kiss he had worked so hard to earn. Bonelli is my one to watch list and I'll be looking for him on the cast lists.

So my overall impression, I'm already planning tickets for next year's performance and I shall be bringing P with me as part of his slow education in the wonderful world of ballet. I need to see Alice again as there was so mich going on I know I missed something good. Perhaps next time i might be able to work out which came first Wheeldon's choreography or Talbot's music. It was as though they shared a dream in the creation of this ballet as both parts worked seamlessly throughout and nothing grated.

I have just one question, any chance of Through the Looking Glass? I'd love to see the Jabberwocky and Tweedledum and Tweedledee realised on stage at the Royal Opera House. Now I'm off to plan how I'm going to fit in the current Royal Ballet triple bill...