RB 'Manon' reviews 'Manon' reviews Rojo in reviews Acosta in reviews recent RB reviews more AlexP reviews Discuss this review (Open for at least 6 months)

As posted on our Postings pages...

Strange one tonight - it didn't quite take off, no air display - instead, a kind of formation taxiing up and down the runway (er... so to speak).

On the whole the supporting cast seemed a bit underpowered and I wondered what was going on with the orchestra - they seemed very quiet, *really* lacking in dynamics and a bit on the slow side (again).

I think it's fair to say Carlos Acosta was not dancing (certainly not partnering) at his best with some unsteady moments, some 'grappling' with Tamara which kept the pas de deux from flowing at times. I have seen him before in this role and actually thought he did a really good job considering the role is not particularly well suited to him. I can appreciate pretty much any 'telling' of a role, I think, but tonight he seemed to be saying very little at all as if overtired or perhaps just a bit under the weather....?

Also, disappointingly, Tamara and Carlos looked really under-rehearsed. And that is a shame because Manon is to me all about the details - the moments between the steps and how well it all interweaves and flows. It must take some working on to get that 'naturalness' in those pas de deux which at times are pretty physically extreme, but that naturalness, that flow, is the mark of a great MacMillan performance, as far as I'm concerned.

By total contrast Rojo and Tuckett (Monsieur G.M.) were absolutely enthralling to watch together - and to my mind they were the real partnership of the performance. Tuckett is the definitive G.M. - he is just as fascinating as he is abhorent, and for all his vices, perversions and sadistic tendencies, in many ways he is a 'great man', and Tuckett shows this dimension. He is obviously very sharp, intelligent and even 'attractive', as in, a natural winning personallity ....albeit gone totally psycho! The interplay between Rojo and Tuckett and their various company around the table during Act II was almost a production in its own right. Rojo and Tuckett looked like they had done some serious overtime in rehearsals.

Tamara was sublime dancing on her own as well, her solo in Act II was especially perfect. If only all the dancing could have been able to be this abandoned.

Lescaut and his mistress were danced by Jose Martin and Laura Morera both fine performances, neither as dark or hard edged as other casts, they worked well together and did a very well received drunken pas de deux...

Perhaps it was just a bit of a flat day... or there's a bug going round ... or the company canteen has been serving some dodgy lasagne .... but certainly not a disaster even if not quite a success and there was enough applause at the end to accomodate more curtain calls than just that the one we got at the end(?).