Others thoughts please...

The idea of Zen as Jonny Cope's Mother serious stretches the mind!

G

We were saying the same about Isabel McMeekan as Carlos' mum at the rehearsal the other day!

Anna

The first problem with trying to produce Mayerling is that it is such an utterly complicated story to capture in a short period of time. If one doesn't know the story beforehand... well, you may wonder if the Empress is his mother or just another woman in his list of affairs, and what *exactly* is going on with his head and the skull.... And what are those officers whispering about?

With the potential for confusion in mind, Cope's and Rojo's opening night did everything possible to make it all clear. If last night is a preview of the nights to come, we all should take along our pillows and blankets and move into the opera house, gleefully enjoying each night's show.

Jonathan Cope's Rudolf is spot-on. He is simultaneously strong, wilful, determined, stubborn, warn-down, lost, searching, knowing... a perfect blend of the uncertainty we know and the certainty we seek. From Act I, his unhappiness with his arranged marriage is clear, as is his desire for some sense of understanding and unconditional love - he seeks this in his mother, only to find later that she, also, is not what she seems. And his world of disillusionment grows.

Rudolf's despair is tangible - when he storms out of his wedding celebrations, then again when he enters his mother's chambers, later, while on the hunt, and finally, in the 'morphine pas de deux'. In his numerous pdd, Cope is appropriately needy and conflicted... and it's all in the details: in the first pdd with Mary, he is left sitting on the floor, relishing in his sensations, only to find Mary coming at him with a gun - he turns and notices at the right moment; rushes away with the right speed. Most effective, however, is how he portrays his recurring headache (or, as some have said, the voices in his head). Cope does exactly what is needed for this role - tackling it head-on, with reckless abandon emotionally and superb control physically.

Rojo's Mary is the perfect partner for Cope's Rudolf. Her transformation from a young playful girl in Act I to an obsessive, infatuated teen in Act II is complete - she is a young, beautiful woman aware of herself and her body. This Mary is raw sensuality, and she knows it to a point that it becomes frightening. In many ways she seems more calm and collected, and thus perhaps even slightly madder, than Rudolf. Rudolf has been obsessing with guns/skulls/drugs/sex for years - and Mary quickly leaps into this world, making the obsessions *her* domain. The gun doesn't scare her, she willingly points and fires with no fear, no desire to put it down, and when it is in Rudolf's hands, she is not scared of it. And, as noted in another review, the manner in which she watches Rudolf inject his last morphine is spine-chilling.

Yet another woman in Rudolf's life, his mother the Empress Elisabeth, is wonderfully portrayed by Zenaida Yanowsky. While it may indeed be a stretch to think of Yanowsky as Cope's mother, she is such a versatile dancer and actress that no stretch of the imagination was necessary. She carries herself as a true empress, stately and dignified, aware of the pressures and sorrow that surround her. She wants to be there for Rudolf, her only son, and is also aware that she has hurt him. With Yanowsky, again, it's the details that count - her long long limbs reaching the end of every movement; looking back over her shoulder as she runs out with 'Bay', to make sure that this time, Rudolf is not watching.

To be extremely nit-picky, one time each when these fine dancers let me down (but only very very slightly): in the bedroom scene with Stephanie, Act 1, when Rudolf is stage left, back to the audience, and Stephanie runs at him from stage right a few times - Rudolf has to extend his left arm to catch her/lift her, and this is done slightly too early: he knows she is on her way before she is on her way! In the 'morphine pdd' (I think) there is a moment (I believe a picture of it w/ Alina and Johan is somewhere on last year's thread), when Rudolf lifts Mary over his left leg, she is facing away from him and has one leg on each side of his waist - instead of looking frightened or passionate, Rojo looked back at Cope in a way that seemed to be slightly scared or 'erm, when are you going to put me down...' Finally, after the Empress orders Countess Larisch to leave, she walks out of Rudolf's room almost too stoically, especially after delivering such a nuanced and shaded performance in all other scenes.... Did anyone else catch these moments?

However, I'm being quite unfair, as these three principals made Mayerling last night - but such a complex story with so many important pdd cannot be carried by they themselves! Christopher Saunders was an excellent, distinguished Bay, Ricardo Cervera a delightful Bratfisch, and Jose Martin, Yohei Sasaki, Edward Watson, and Bennet Gartside remarkably strong officers.

But what of Rudolf's other women? Gemma Bond as his wife, Princess Stephanie, was definitely technically able, but not surprised and scared enough - on her wedding day, she has to be royally disgraced by her new husband's indiscretions, that night, she has to be completely scared out of her mind. Particularly in the bedroom pdd, Bond seemed, as my friend noted,'to know what was coming next' - she was almost acting ahead of the movement, instead of as the story unfolded. Her fear was rather superficial, not petrifying. Similarly, at the tavern, she needs to be more internally disgusted with everything - with Mitzi, with the drinking, with the fact that places 'like this' exist, with Rudolf, with the overt sex... rather she just seems upset, and when she is ordered to leave she just leaves in that same state of being upset - I would have liked some haughty disapproval with an evil eye as she walked out - beoming even more disgusted with her husband.

The brothel scene needs a bit more of nuance - Bratfisch is supposed to dance to distract Stephanie, to entertain her, but he doesn't appear to be dancing for her, and the whores don't necessarily seem to be competing for attention on the dance floor or to really be offering themselves... and the police inspection happens so fast (and they run on right next to Rudolf!) - so how do he and Mitzi get the chance to hide??? Similarly to Bond, Dierdre Chapman as Mitzi and Jamie Tapper as Marie Larisch never completely melt into their roles - Tapper has proven herself (in my eyes) as capable of demonstrating lover's despair as well as manipulative seduction in 'Manon' - but her Larisch is not as nuanced, and Chapman has her moments when she is acting and moments when she is dancing... and beautiful moments when both are combined!

This brings us to the second problem of trying to produce Mayerling - not only is the story complicated, but each character is as well. Yet, except for Rudolf, the time given to each character to develop and show these details is limited - one has to simply dive in. Lucky for us, we have three dancers who seem to already be well-immersed in the waters. Yanowsky, Rojo, and especially Cope (remember, I am a loyal fan!) have set a high standard - not just diving into their characters, but embodying them.

Anyone else up for camping out at the ROH?

Well, I must admit that I find "fairy princes" some of the dullest (relatively speaking, of course ) things he dances! Mind you, I was in two minds about his dramatic abilities until I saw his debut as Romeo, which completely changed my mind!

>Thank
>you, R.B. you are awesome and I will never moan about seat
>prices again!

Oh, go on - the rest of us do, and presumably will continue to do so until such time as they go down a bit (the phrase "hell freezes over" comes to mind here).

Oh, go on - the rest of us do, and presumably will continue to do so until such time as they go down a bit (the phrase "hell freezes over" comes to mind here).
Oh, all right then! I wouldn't mind so much but I don't work, and chauffeur my daughters to two ballet lessons, tap, jazz, singing and acting, and no job would fit in with that time table Everything has to fit in with their timetables and that includes theatre trips, assuming we have any money left! They didn't go to ballet on Saturday as we couldn't have got the London train in time - I'll be popular on Saturday, missing class is a hanging offence!

And an edit: Larisch's character confuses me a bit - I should probably sit down over easter and read some more detailed history of Mayerling. As I understand, she was Rudolf's cousin as well as one of his earlier mistresses (who's still in love with him) and also acts as his liason with other women. But then, she takes the initiative to present Mary, apparently on Mary's demand but also out of some of her own manipulation/maliciousness. So this creates a very conflicted character: still in love with someone she knows is on the brink, but not one of his favourites any longer, but still wanting to somehow be involved and thus enjoying the part of liaison? And seeing an obsessive Mary, also sees someone who can go to the brink with him? I've been trying to sort her out (as much as possible) for a while now, and was interested in other's interpretations/understanding of her character...

> and then of course the Keystone Cops arrive
Maybe they'd be better without the truncheons! There's another silent film moment in Act III, Scene 2 where Elisabeth confronts Countess Larisch and drives her out of Rudolph’s bedchamber in a melodramatic fury – complete with piano accompaniment.

There is something cinematic too about the whole construction of the piece. I think Macmillan enjoys subverting expectations and throwing the audience off balance with quick cuts. I especially like the end of Act III, Scene 1 (the hunting party): you are just thinking "oh, not another balletic fete champetre" when Rudolph comes in and kills the unfortunate courtier (and the scene), bang.

Merle Park created Larisch most memorably, and for me only Collier and Rosato have approached her in that subtle blend of cunning sophistication, discarded lover, and ruthless procurer. An older dancer is really needed, and I think that, in other circumstances, Yanowsky and Benjamin would be very good. There is a good article about the real Larisch in the programme.

In the early 1990's it was not unusual for reviewers to imply that Jonathan Cope was rather wooden. I always thought it was unfair but he was certainly reserved. Ultimately he gave up dancing for 2 years but thank goodness he came back and now, towards the end of his career, he's firing on all cylinders to everybody's delight. And here he was in Mayerling - the ultimate challenge for a male dancer, centre-stage throughout, playing the schizophrenic prince trapped in a decadent, twisted court full of intrigue, and his inevitable suicide with his lover, Mary Vetsera, danced by Tamara Rojo. It's a piece to stretch the senior ranks in a company, with lots of more minor roles for soloists, although the corps doesn't really get so much of a look in.

Cope's Crown Prince Rudolf is anything but noble: a scary portrayal that gets scarier when Rojo arrives half way through the ballet. A woman determined to get her man and the only woman in a sea of them who understands the ticking time bomb he is. Ultimately she dies with him - both mercifully released. The pdd between them are amongst MacMillan's finest - riskier than many with huge throws, twists and unusual jumps. It all totters on a terrifying knife edge emotionally and technically; they take huge risks as Rojo, particularly, becomes totally consumed.

While the tension can be almost unbearable, it sadly dissipates at times. The tavern/brothel scene is very comic-book with the corps girls dressed as whores, but with all the conviction of the supermarket checkout and the police raid with its silly truncheon waving comes over more as Keystone cops on a go slow. I could also lose the fireworks display and singer - sorry not my cup of tea at all. But none of it really matters when you have such stunning performances from the leads. And gold stars to Zenaida Yanowsky as the useless mother, Gemma Bond as the bewildered wife and countless cameo performances that made it come alive. This is the Royal Ballet at its world best. Other casts will be good I'm sure, but live on the very wild side and see Cope and Rojo if you can.

Some John Ross images from the Mayelring rehesrsal/phot-call which featured Carlos Acosta and Leanne Benjamin...

All images © John Ross

Mauro