MANON

<img src="http://www.royalballet.org/Custom/Icon/Main/0203ManonMain.jpg" alt="" />
<small>From the Royal Ballet website</small>

Short synopsis from the RB website

Casting in this order: Manon, Des Grieux, Lescaut, Monsieur GM, Lescaut's Mistress, the Gaoler

31 Jan (mat), 8 Feb
Tapper, Makhateli, Harvey, Drew, Palmer, Page

31 Jan (eve), 6 Feb
Guillem, Cope, Maloney, Dowell, Nunez, Tuckett

3, 19 Feb, 4 Mar
Bussell, Bolle, Cervera, Saunders, Morera, Tuckett

1, 6 Mar
Guillem, Murru, Maloney, Dowell, Nunez, Tuckett

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For Trust and Friends Members
30 Jan Open Rehearsal 11:45am

For Everyone
18 Jan Insight Day 10:30-4:00pm

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Friends Advanced Postal Bookings deadline 20 September

Advanced Public Postal Booking/ Online Ticket Application
Available: 19 October
Deadline: 30 October

Telephone and Online Booking 3 December
Phone: +44 (0)20 7304 4000

<small>[ 18 January 2003, 08:26 AM: Message edited by: sylvia ]</small>

Presume Cojocaru, Rojo and co. will get their chance in the next run of Manon in May?

Good to see Benjamin up there at the front though, don't you think?

Benjamin's on maternity leave, it was announced on the injury slip on last night's Swan Lake.

New dates and brand new casts

5 (mat), 10, 19 May
Tapper, Urlezaga

5 (eve), 26 (mat), 31 May
Cojocaru, Kobborg

7, 16, 26 May, 2 June
Rojo, Acosta

Just an update - the tba for Guillem's Manons should be Massiomo Murru. From his website.

Nothing yet on who's replacing Benjamin-Tewsley. but I guess it will be one of the other three casts.

Benjamin and Tewsley are replaced by Jaimie Tapper and David Makhateli, principal with Houston Ballet.

<img src="http://www.houstonballet.org/uploads/pageimage/DMakhateli.jpg" alt="" />

The image and bio's on theHouston Ballet website.

I've edited the original post to reflect the change.

I'm a bit disappointed that no one else within the RB will replace Tewsley. Oh well, will be interested to see someone new so I'll hold on to my ticket.

<small>[ 20 January 2003, 07:25 PM: Message edited by: sylvia ]</small>

The ROH website has updated it's Manon casting to include Lescaut, Monsieur GM, Lescaut's mistress and the Gaoler. I've edited the original post to reflect the change.

<small>[ 18 January 2003, 08:26 AM: Message edited by: sylvia ]</small>

Thanks as always Sylvia. What would we do without you?

I dare not think Stuart. At the Manon Insight Day on 18/1/03 we were treated to masterclass with Jamie Tapper and David Makhateli. They had just come from a 90 minute rehearsal and this was only their third day together (first performance is on the 31st). In any case they seemed to have the steps down, Jamie having danced almost every female role apart from Manon already with National Ballet of Canada and David having recently danced it in Houston. The Teacher/Repetiteur to Principal Artists, Alexander Agadzhanov gave them corrections for the first pdd when they first meet and fall in love in Act I and he repeated several times "good, good!" When it was all over he thought we should let them go and have a rest and I thought we were all done for today but Makhateli stopped him, probably wanting to make the most of his time with Agadzhanov and asked to do the pdd they had done a little work on that morning, the one with the [gesture for twisty things] for him/us. The final swamp pdd! Well I was so excited at seeing this one up close! So they danced it with Henry Roche on the piano, tentatively but still imbuing it with some passion and thrilling the audience with the throws and lifts, all the way to Manon's death scene and Makhateli kept on emoting until Jamie came back from the dead laughing a little and making him stop. I can't say enough how wonderful it was to watch them only a few feet away and I'm so excited about their performance now.

<small>[ 21 January 2003, 06:39 AM: Message edited by: sylvia ]</small>

Wow! That does sound exciting, Sylvia. The Study/Insight days, especially with their open rehearsals are one of the highlights of the ROH programming.

Due to injury Jonathan Cope is replaced with Laurent Hilaire to dance Manon with Sylive Guillem on 31 Jan. Cope's still down on 6 Feb so fingers crossed.

From the ROH website.