Lucie Loves… Life and Theatre // Getting cosy at home with Celtic & Co, a night at the Royal Ballet reviewing ‘Manon’ and a nod to the new Instax Mini Link printer [press invite – gifted items]
As autumn leaves and winter creeps in, we suddenly find ourselves in hibernation mode. We get up - it’s dark. We leave work - it’s dark. We got to bed - it’s dark. And the cycle continues for the next few months… This means, it’s not unusual to find ourselves making excuses to at stay home; clamouring for cosy nights on the sofa - candles burning and slippers on - and opting not to leave the again house after dark.
Not that I wanted to wish the warmth of summer away or anything… but when Celtic & Co asked I was interested in trying out a pair of their sheepskin slippers, when they arrived, I was slightly dismayed to find that it wasn’t quite cold enough to start wearing them yet… Anyway, flash forward a month or so, and every weekend spent together is now a slipper-clad one.
Sunday mornings look like this. Sheepskin slippers kindly gifted by Celtic & Co
I feel like it’s almost an adult’s right of passage to own a decent pair of slippers and pyjamas, isn’t it? That and to spend over £8-9 on a bottle of wine in the knowledge that the stuff inside is far more premium that the younger version of yourself used to throw back in Yates’s…
So, with this in mind, when I received an invite to the Royal Ballet’s Opening Night of Kenneth MacMillan’s ‘Manon’ at the Royal Opera House, I must admit… I wasn’t quite sure what to expect – not to mention guarantee whether I would be able to keep my eyes open after a busy day in the office, for an almost 3-hour performance (give or take two intervals…) but, as ever, my addiction to excitement meant that I couldn’t turn down a new experience and so I grabbed the opportunity with both hands!
We arrived at Royal Opera House on Bow Street (FYI the nearest tube is Covent Garden) just in time grab a programme and find our seats, having ran there straight from the Instax Mini Link launch event.
For those of you who are regular theatre goers, you’ll be familiar with the quality of people watching that you can do pre and post show; the Ballet is no different! My eyes were a-gog at the number of rich bejewelled Russian oligarchs, swishing around during the interval, wearing furs and looking all fancy. I mean, if you ever needed an excuse to get dressed up to the nines, then a trip to the Ballet, Opera or Theatre is certainly one of them. Although, it’s worth noting that some people still turn up looking pretty casual too.
If you tend to get a bit chilly in places like the cinema, etc - I would suggest bringing a big scarf or pashmina to wrap around your shoulders during the performance, so that you can enjoy the show without catching a chill.
One of the best pieces of advice we were given, as new Ballet goers, was to read the synopsis for each part of the Ballet, just before going in- and not reading ahead. This way we could concentrate on what was happening before us, rather than get distracted with the wider story. Unlike theatre, Ballet doesn’t have any speaking parts – well, this one didn’t anyway… All that you can hear over the live orchestra, whose music fills the room and sweeps you up in the emotion of the story, is the tap, tap, tap and gentle thud, thud, thud of jaws dropping, I mean, of the Ballet dancers shoes, as they lift, and prance, sweep and jump across the stage. It’s absolutely captivating.
I wondered whether I would connect with Ballet in a way that one would do when watching a film with a storyline that truly resonates. Manon tells the tale of love, lust, greed, debauchery, loss, and a fall from grace. The Royal Ballet’s ‘Ballet Essentials’ page sums up Manon rather nicely, for those of you looking for a little more detail.
As I watched, and filled in the gaps in the storyline, I found myself creating GIFS and applying modern day MEME-esq captions to the scenes. For instance, when Manon arrives at a soiree looking fabulous, dripping in jewels, and is lifted into the air by a crowd of men - my brain was ad libbing: “Arriving at a party like..” Try it for yourself! It’s quite entertaining.
Another thing that couldn’t fail to impress us was the sheer physical strength and beauty of each of the dancers - muscles rippling under tights, arms outstretched to catch one another in an embrace. The hours and hours of painstaking practice that go into putting on such a seamless performance is impressive in itself, and then you’ve got the exquisite costumes, the set design, the lighting, the sumptuous red velvet theatre surroundings and the music! Oh the music! All in all, we were truly blown away with our first night at the Ballet. It’s a must for anyone who loves the arts and is wanting to try something new. Utterly stunning.
Before I forget, I must mention that this new Instax Printer (which we were kindly gifted for review purposes) has been an absolute hit at recent events with family & friends. I’ve been shooting some photos on my new iPhone 11 Pro camera (the photo quality compared to that of my iPhone 7 Plus is phenomenal) and then sending them to the wireless printer, which them develops them onto the original analogue Instax film. P.s. it’s an absolute dream to use! Great Christmas idea for those of you looking to surprise the photography lover in your life - they’re priced around £109 on Amazon.
Photo taken in portrait mode on the iPhone 11 Pro. The quality is sooo much crisper than my old iPhone 7 Plus.
I’d previously found myself lugging both my iPhone 7 Plus and my Huawei P20 around whenever I knew I had photos to capture - and didn’t want to take my Canon DSLR MK III. Up until this point, the Huawei P20 camera was one of the best smartphone cameras I’ve ever used. But I’ve got a feeling the iPhone 11 Pro might’ve just taken the edge… (please note, the majority pics in this blog post were shot on the iPhone 7 Plus, so I still need to share some of the latest photos taken with the iPhone 11 Pro.
Socialising after work – or going Out Out at this time of year – can often end up revolving around the endless Christmas party functions, work drinks with colleagues and birthday celebrations with friends. But it needn’t stop there! It appears there’s so much more going on in your local town and city that might be up your street after all. Royal Opera House (home of the Royal Ballet) says that whether you’re new to opera or ballet- or have loved them all your life - they’ve got something for you.
If you’re looking to book tickets to see something special over the winter period, then ROH has so much in store. They’re showing Little Red Riding Hood - which features Ballet dancer Mariana Rodrigues and has been adapted just for children (which means that it’s probably going be great for folks like you and I, who are newbies to Ballet too!) It currently says sold out - so keep your eyes peeled for any opportunities to buy resale tickets.
They are also showing Sleeping Beauty - if you’re a fan of princesses, fairy godmothers, general enchantment or Tchaikovsky - then this is for you. Ticket prices range from £66-£138, depending on the date of the performance, with shows running from Monday 11th November up until the 16th January 2020 - each performance lasts 3 hours, including two intervals (perfect for guzzling a nice glass of red wine and indulging in some olives and little sausage things that they sell in the cafe bar.)
Whatever you choose to do this festive period, stay safe and enjoy! x
More info? See Whats on at Royal Opera House
Photography © Lucie Kerley