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An evening of angst

"As One," "Rushes – fragments of a lost story," "Infra"
The Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
19 February, 2010
 
by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2010 by Judith Cruickshank
 
How do directors plan triple bills?  What kind of common or contrasting elements do they look for?  The obvious link between the three works shown on the latest mixed bill from the Royal Ballet is that they were all commissioned by that company.  And, what’s more, in the last two seasons.  Quite a plus for a company which has frequently been criticised for basing its repertory around a few, full-evening heritage works.

So, are we  celebrating a new creative spirit at Covent Garden?  In the event it turned out to be a somewhat dispiriting evening; strong on angst, but with little to cheer anyone who believes that there is a future for classical dancing, rather than just classically trained dancers.

Triple Bill from Birmingham Royal Ballet

Quantum Leaps
Powder, E=mc², The Centre and its opposite
Birmingham Royal Ballet
Sadler’s Wells Theatre
10-14 November, 2009

 by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2009 by Judith Cruickshank 
 
On a brief visit to London last week Birmingham Royal Ballet showed two programmes; artistic director David Bintley’s reworked version of his full-length Cyrano and a mixed bill which consisted of a revival of Stanton Welch’s Powder, Garry Stewart’s The centre and its opposite, first given as part of the company’s small-scale tour last season and a new piece by Bintley himself: E=mc²; surely the world’s most famous equation. 

"Isadora" Returns to the Royal Ballet

"Isadora," "Dances at a Gathering"
The Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House
London, England
11 March –- 21 March, 2009

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2009 by Judith Cruickshank

Monica Mason doesn't give up easily on something she believes in. Earlier this season she allowed Will Tuckett's production of “"The Seven Deadly Sins"” a further run of performances, despite the lack of enthusiasm with which it was initially received. Now we are presented with a new version of Kenneth MacMillan's “Isadora”, almost universally - and in my view understandably - disliked at its full-evening premiere in 1981 and dropped from the Royal Ballet repertory soon after.

Eonnagata

Eonnagata
Sylvie Guillem, Robert Lepage and Russell Maliphant
Sadler's Wells Theatre
London, England
26 February-8 March, 2009

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2009 by Judith Cruickshank

Just how much the average spectator gets out of a performance of Eonnagata, which is described as being “conceived and performed by Sylvie Guillem, Robert Lepage and Russell Maliphant”, will to some extent depend on how much he or she knows about the Chevalier d'Éon. The central thread of the piece – it can hardly be described as a ballet, although it certainly requires dancers – is the life of this curious 18th century Frenchman whose actual gender was a source of much speculation.

Three Debuts in a Royal "La Bayadere"

"La Bayadère"
Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
28 January, 2009

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2009 by Judith Cruickshank

   Following a seemingly interminable run of 'The Nutcracker', the Royal Ballet embarked on Natalia Makarova's production of 'La Bayadère' with a seriously diminished roster of principals. Both Alina Cojocaru and Sarah Lamb are on the sick list with seemingly long-term injuries, Federico Bonelli has now joined them. David Makhatelli is also injured and Marianela Nuňez has cancelled her scheduled performances as Gamzatti and Nikiya. This resulted in continuous changes from the original cast list and saw the Royal Opera House debut of the Hamburg Ballet's Silvia Azzoni who was drafted in to dance Nikya to Ivan Putrov's Solor, which she did to considerable acclaim from the fans.

Ondine

Ondine
Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House
London
29 November – 6 December, 2008

by Judith Cruikshank
copyright 2008 by Judith Cruikshank

Immediately before embarking on a long run of its dull and expensive “Nutcracker” (how is it that Peter Wright can produce such a sparkling version for the Birmingham Royal Ballet and such a bland, stodgy production for Covent Garden?) the Royal Ballet gave just four performances of Frederick Ashton's “Ondine”. This ballet was famously created as a showcase for Margot Fonteyn, and anyone who has seen photographs of the ballerina on holiday, frolicking in the sea, can easily see how suited she was to the role of a water nymph who falls in love with a mortal.

A Rare Royal Triple Bill

"Serenade," "L'Invitation au Voyage," "Theme and Variations"
Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
London, England
October 28 - November 10, 2008

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2008 by Judith Cruickshank

Triple bills are something of a rarity at Covent Garden these days, when the repertory is based firmly around full length blockbusters which are assumed to be what will fill the house and also attract the new, younger audiences for which the management yearns. Personally, I suspect high ticket prices may have something to do with the lack of younger audiences, and reports of swathes of empty seats during the recent run of "Manon" would seem to undermine the view that full-evening works are all people want.

Either way, the mixed bill which opened on 28 October for a run of just five performances promised well; two Balanchine masterpieces and the revival of a ballet by an English choreographer, first given in 1982.

Beautifully Schooled, But..... the Mariinsky in London

Mariinsky Ballet
Apollo, Middle Duet, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, The Prodigal Son
Sadler's Wells Theatre,
London, England
13 -16 October, 2008

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2008 by Juditih Cruickshank

There was some surprise when earlier this year it was announced that the Kirov Ballet and Opera would be giving a short season at Sadler's Wells. Until now, the company had always appeared in London either at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden or at the London Coliseum, and the rebuilt Sadler's Wells, with its big stage and excellent sightlines, is still very much a people's theatre. But come the company did, now officially called the Mariinsky, bringing an all-Forsythe evening, and a mixed bill of ballet, plus a splendid production of Rimsky Korsakov's opera “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”. All were given just two performances.

The Australian Ballet

"Les Présages," "Rites"
The Australian Ballet
Sadler's Wells Theatre
London, England
7-11 October, 2008

by Judith Cruickshank
copyright 2008 by Judith Cruickshank

Nobody could accuse the Australian Ballet's artistic director David McAllister of timid programming for overseas tours. Sure, the company brought "Swan Lake" when it visited the London Coliseum a few years ago and it's also being shown in Manchester on this trip.

But we are not talking about the Petipa/Ivanov version currently being given by the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden. This is Graeme Murphy's radical re-working of both story and choreography. And for this fleeting visit to Sadler's Wells, McAllister chose to bring a historic revival and a work which draws on Australia's own ancient aboriginal culture.

Morphoses in London

Morphoses
Sadler's Wells Theatre
London
September 24 - 27, 2008

by Judith Cruikshank
copyright 2008 by Judith Cruikshank

Morphoses arrived for its second Sadler's Wells season with far less in the way of advance publicity and for a far shorter run; just two performances each of two programmes. At the time of the company's debut last year it struck me that expectations had been raised so high that had Christopher Wheeldon presented Pavlova and Nijinsky in a previously unseen Petipa masterpiece, flanked by beautifully danced and immaculately reconstructed lost works by Balanchine, many commentators would still have expressed disappointment.