It's interesting, how much dance has been coming up lately in Time Out. None for ages, and then.. well, it makes a lovely change. So when the Frederick Ashton Mixed Programme came up in the Royal Opera House (the home of the Royal Ballet), I was keen. Apparently, he was their founder choreographer. But the only tickets that the official box office had left were standing or restricted view. Hunting around, I discovered stalls tickets on LoveTheatre - a small markup, but I considered it worth the price, and booked. Ooh, stalls at the Opera House.. a first for me!
The Tube got me there in time, despite a long, and unexplained, delay at Hyde Park Corner. It's handy now they have finished the repair work at Covent Garden Station - it's quicker to get out and there's not nearly as much congestion. Turning right for the Piazza, I was delighted to see they've set up their Christmas lights! (Pictures here.)
I do love how LoveTheatre just sends your ticket to the box office, and you collect it as normal. That sorted, I made my way into the lobby. And for the very first time ever, instead of heading for the escalator or stairs - or lift - I just turned left, to the ornate wooden doors to the stalls. Turns out you still have to climb some stairs (there is also wheelchair access).
Anyhoo, I soon made my way to my seat, decently far forward and to the side. Comfortable as you'd expect, with plenty of legroom. What was surprising was the view of the upper galleries - I'm usually in the Auditorium, top of the house. I mean, when you're up there, you realise there are several lower levels, but in the stalls you can see them all..!
It was terrific to be so close. Not an experience I'll have very often here - so I made sure to enjoy every minute. The programme comprised four separate productions, with an interval between each pair, for set changes - although the pause between the first two was only five minutes, and we were asked not to leave our seats for that. I didn't see the need for a programme, but they print free fliers that you can get from the programme stand, which give the basic information - the title of the piece, cast, details of the intervals.
Most didn't really have a plot. Of course, it's nice just to see dance for its own sake. The first, Scenes de Ballet, had dancers in costumes that were cartoonishly coloured - and was gorgeous to watch. The second, Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan, saw a lass in a flowing dress fling herself (elegantly) about the stage, a la Ms Duncan, accompanied by a pianist (also on stage). They both got bouquets at the end, which was nice.
After the next interval, we saw a bare stage house six dancers in white for Symphonic Variations. Interesting about their costumes was that the men had silver headpieces similar to the ladies' tiaras. Curiously, they decided to bring the safety curtain down for the interval after that - they hadn't bothered for the previous interval, despite it being only five minutes shorter. And finally, the only piece that had something of a plot - A Month in the Country, set in a drawing room on a Russian country estate in the 19th Century, where the lady of the house takes something of a shine to her son's tutor.
A beautiful evening, in a beautiful setting. And the reopening of Covent Garden station entrance was much appreciated, given that this is a rainy week. A long programme, with two long intervals, meant that it was too late, once again, to blog when I got home. So here we are.
Tonight, I'm off to the Menier Chocolate Factory, for a comedy play called Fully Committed. Well, I'm glad it's not starting until 8 - it's something of a saga, getting there. Tube to London Bridge and a walk of about 10 minutes.. It'll be a sandwich for dinner again as it is! Anyway, it's a short show, which is good, as I have an early start tomorrow to go to Guildford. And I don't doubt I'll be too tired to go to anything tomorrow night. Then I'm back in Ireland for the weekend. On Monday, I'll be back in my normal level (just under the roof) in the Opera House, for yet another mixed ballet programme, this time based around the First World War - Ceremony of Innocence / The Age of Anxiety / Aeternum. But my seat is dead centre, and a central seat in the Opera House always has a good view!
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