Royal Ballet Announces Cast Changes

Illness and injury have prompted The Royal Ballet to announce several cast changes to its autumn programme.

Lauren Cuthbertson was to dance lead roles in Mayerling, The Seeping Beauty, Agon, and The Nutcracker, but ill health means she now will not dance any of her scheduled performances.

Mara Galeazzi replaces her in Mayerling (3, 10 November); Evgenia Obraztsova, from the Mariinsky Ballet, replaces her in The Sleeping Beauty (31 October, 14, 21 November); Galeazzi and Yui Choe replace her in Agon (4, 5, 9, 13, 17, 18 November); and Marianela Nuñez and Laura Morera replace her in The Nutcracker (27 November, 5, 11, 30 December).

Injury means that Federico Bonelli will not be dancing his roles in The Sleeping Beauty, nor The Nutcracker. Johan Kobborg replaces him in Beauty (30 October, 12, 16 November) and Steven McRae replaces him in The Nutcracker (26 November, 2 December). McRae also replaces Viacheslav Samaodurov in The Sleeping Beauty (31 October, 6, 14 November). This will be McRae’s debut in the ballet in the role of Prince Florimund.