The Invitation
The Guardian
Judith Mackrell
May 30th, 2016
'Zenaida Yanowsky and Gary Avis are excellent, tightly coiled as the unhappy Husband and Wife, and Francesca Hayward is harrowingly good as the Girl. As she flinches from, and becomes fascinated by, her own sexual power, she seems genuinely innocent of the danger she is courting with the Husband. When the moment of rape arrives, the giddy girl is broken horribly, a victim of violence filled with self-disgust.'
Financial Times
Louise Levene
May 30th, 2016
'Zenaida Yanowsky and Gary Avis make complete emotional sense of the loveless Edwardian couple who seduce a pair of adolescent cousins. Francesca Hayward is pitch perfect as the flirtatious innocent whose come-hither looks over her shoulder in arabesque are all the invitation her rapist needs. During the nightmarish assault Hayward’s tiny body becomes a rag doll in Avis’s hands as he swings her around his hips to the insistent blare of Mátyás Seiber’s brasslike car horns sounding their warning too late.'
[Read More Invitation Crits]
Judith Mackrell
May 30th, 2016
'Zenaida Yanowsky and Gary Avis are excellent, tightly coiled as the unhappy Husband and Wife, and Francesca Hayward is harrowingly good as the Girl. As she flinches from, and becomes fascinated by, her own sexual power, she seems genuinely innocent of the danger she is courting with the Husband. When the moment of rape arrives, the giddy girl is broken horribly, a victim of violence filled with self-disgust.'
Financial Times
Louise Levene
May 30th, 2016
'Zenaida Yanowsky and Gary Avis make complete emotional sense of the loveless Edwardian couple who seduce a pair of adolescent cousins. Francesca Hayward is pitch perfect as the flirtatious innocent whose come-hither looks over her shoulder in arabesque are all the invitation her rapist needs. During the nightmarish assault Hayward’s tiny body becomes a rag doll in Avis’s hands as he swings her around his hips to the insistent blare of Mátyás Seiber’s brasslike car horns sounding their warning too late.'
[Read More Invitation Crits]
The Stage
Neil Norman
May 31st, 2016
'It is twenty years since the Royal Ballet's last production of Kenneth MacMillan's extraordinary ballet The Invitation. The corruption of innocence has rarely been more graphically portrayed in dance as the Ashtonian Edwardian frolic of the opening descends into the depths of depravity in which an unhappily married couple seduce a pair of adolescents with utter disregard for the consequences. Bravely performed by all - especially Francesca Hayward, Zenaida Yanowsky and Gary Avis – it is a genuinely disturbing masterpiece.'
ClassicalSource.com
G.J Dowler
May 31st, 2016
'She works so very well with Gary Avis's repressed husband, visibly buttoning himself up in a straitjacket of morality and social convention, but clearly yearning for physicality, love and sex.
The contrast between the innocent gambolings of the Girl and Boy and then the pas de deux between the Husband and Wife was arresting, Avis and Yanowsky in a battle of attraction and revulsion, their bonds tightening as they struggle against them. Avis portrayed the revulsion felt by the Husband after he forces himself in the Girl with a searing intensity – he is a notable performer.'
Daily Telegraph
Mark Monahan
May 30th, 2016
'This first-rate revival is also as well-cast as any Royal Ballet production in recent memory. It sets two of the finest, most experienced, most dramatically potent dancer-actors of their generation – Zenaida Yanowsky and Gary Avis – against the company’s two finest and freshest young classicists, Francesca Hayward and Vadim Muntagirov. And the result is quite rivetingly dramatic.
What this entire quartet grasp from the start is that neither couple is remotely asexual. True, there’s an irresistibly Hansel and Gretel-like quality to Hayward and Muntagirov. But they (she, particularly, in her magnificently played encounters with Avis) also spot and convey the burgeoning sexual interest in these two characters that is tragically ripe for exploitation.
Yanowsky and Avis also make the most of MacMillan’s masterful choreography together. Their first duet, for example, has them cruelly at odds with each other, failing to find any sort of mutual communion despite her heartbreaking attempts. But what’s so shrewd about their interpretations are that neither is played as merely a “stiff”. However painfully buttoned-up they are, these two characters are clearly brimming with passion – just not for each other.
The burlesque entertainment episode is nicely done; shorter than previously, I think, and danced with particularly striking sexiness by Mayara Magri. And the rape scene – the hideous climax of all this sensuality – is painfully credible in its build-up, and punishingly well performed, Avis towering over the luminously beautiful, gossamer-light Hayward, his character forcing the young ingénue’s body into all sorts of hideous contortions. This is fearless and brilliant choreography, fearlessly and brilliantly danced, and Hayward’s final, faltering steps towards a damaged future are almost unbearable.'
LondonDance.com
Siobhan Murphy
May 30th, 2016
'Enter Gary Avis and Zenaida Yanowsky as the desperately unhappy Husband and Wife: Yanowsky’s wiredrawn agonies of rejection crash against Avis’s brutal dismissals in their first powerful push-pull pas de deux. Then Avis, gliding around the stage in a shark-grey suit, zeroes in on Hayward’s lonely, needy Girl, and Yanowsky seeks comfort from Muntagirov – with predictably awful results. Macmillan infuses The Invitation with the sense of debauched baccanale: couples steal clinches in the shadows; the adults’ evening ‘entertainment’ is two boy ‘fighting cocks’ and a girl ‘chicken’ in showgirl plumage). Hayward and Muntagirov are wonderful at vacillating between coy childishness and a burgeoning awareness of the power of their sexuality. The rape scene is shocking, not least because feather-light Hayward is flung with such force that she seems to break. She ends up draped round Avis’s waist, before slowly slipping to a crumpled heap on the floor.
But a lot of the power of MacMillan’s piece lies in the fact that he won’t let us off the hook by painting the Husband as a stock villain; Avis’s nuanced performance mean we see how he’s misinterpreted the Girl’s flirtations, and have to deal with his despair after the event, even as Hayward stumbles, shattered and filled with shame, across the stage behind him.'
MarkRonan.com
Mark Ronan
May 30th, 2016
'The essential characters are a married couple, a girl and her cousin. The husband initially tries to ignore the girl’s naively provocative advances but when he takes what seems an open opportunity, she is out of her depth and he gets carried away. Gary Avis as a Jeremy Irons look-alike husband who later shows remorse for his assault, and Zenaida Yanowsky as his wife exuding elegance and teasing of her own with the young man, both portrayed their roles with perfection.'
The New York Times
Roslyn Sulcas
May 30th, 2016
'....the loss of innocence, sexual violence, marital unhappiness — are superbly evoked in a series of pas de deux between the couples and were given nuanced, luminous performances by Francesca Howard, Vadim Muntagirov, Zenaida Yanowsky and Gary Avis.'
Bachtrack
Philippa Newis
May 29th, 2016
'Avis is handcuffed by convention in a loveless marriage and Hayward is rejected and taunted by her peers. Mutual curiosity and flattery are twisted into cruelty and violence. With his back to the audience Avis takes his wretched ecstasy. Hayward is coiled around his body, her head arched in terror. All the principal roles are superbly acted. While The Invitation draws on 20th century mores, it stands up to 21st century scrutiny.'
[Close]
Neil Norman
May 31st, 2016
'It is twenty years since the Royal Ballet's last production of Kenneth MacMillan's extraordinary ballet The Invitation. The corruption of innocence has rarely been more graphically portrayed in dance as the Ashtonian Edwardian frolic of the opening descends into the depths of depravity in which an unhappily married couple seduce a pair of adolescents with utter disregard for the consequences. Bravely performed by all - especially Francesca Hayward, Zenaida Yanowsky and Gary Avis – it is a genuinely disturbing masterpiece.'
ClassicalSource.com
G.J Dowler
May 31st, 2016
'She works so very well with Gary Avis's repressed husband, visibly buttoning himself up in a straitjacket of morality and social convention, but clearly yearning for physicality, love and sex.
The contrast between the innocent gambolings of the Girl and Boy and then the pas de deux between the Husband and Wife was arresting, Avis and Yanowsky in a battle of attraction and revulsion, their bonds tightening as they struggle against them. Avis portrayed the revulsion felt by the Husband after he forces himself in the Girl with a searing intensity – he is a notable performer.'
Daily Telegraph
Mark Monahan
May 30th, 2016
'This first-rate revival is also as well-cast as any Royal Ballet production in recent memory. It sets two of the finest, most experienced, most dramatically potent dancer-actors of their generation – Zenaida Yanowsky and Gary Avis – against the company’s two finest and freshest young classicists, Francesca Hayward and Vadim Muntagirov. And the result is quite rivetingly dramatic.
What this entire quartet grasp from the start is that neither couple is remotely asexual. True, there’s an irresistibly Hansel and Gretel-like quality to Hayward and Muntagirov. But they (she, particularly, in her magnificently played encounters with Avis) also spot and convey the burgeoning sexual interest in these two characters that is tragically ripe for exploitation.
Yanowsky and Avis also make the most of MacMillan’s masterful choreography together. Their first duet, for example, has them cruelly at odds with each other, failing to find any sort of mutual communion despite her heartbreaking attempts. But what’s so shrewd about their interpretations are that neither is played as merely a “stiff”. However painfully buttoned-up they are, these two characters are clearly brimming with passion – just not for each other.
The burlesque entertainment episode is nicely done; shorter than previously, I think, and danced with particularly striking sexiness by Mayara Magri. And the rape scene – the hideous climax of all this sensuality – is painfully credible in its build-up, and punishingly well performed, Avis towering over the luminously beautiful, gossamer-light Hayward, his character forcing the young ingénue’s body into all sorts of hideous contortions. This is fearless and brilliant choreography, fearlessly and brilliantly danced, and Hayward’s final, faltering steps towards a damaged future are almost unbearable.'
LondonDance.com
Siobhan Murphy
May 30th, 2016
'Enter Gary Avis and Zenaida Yanowsky as the desperately unhappy Husband and Wife: Yanowsky’s wiredrawn agonies of rejection crash against Avis’s brutal dismissals in their first powerful push-pull pas de deux. Then Avis, gliding around the stage in a shark-grey suit, zeroes in on Hayward’s lonely, needy Girl, and Yanowsky seeks comfort from Muntagirov – with predictably awful results. Macmillan infuses The Invitation with the sense of debauched baccanale: couples steal clinches in the shadows; the adults’ evening ‘entertainment’ is two boy ‘fighting cocks’ and a girl ‘chicken’ in showgirl plumage). Hayward and Muntagirov are wonderful at vacillating between coy childishness and a burgeoning awareness of the power of their sexuality. The rape scene is shocking, not least because feather-light Hayward is flung with such force that she seems to break. She ends up draped round Avis’s waist, before slowly slipping to a crumpled heap on the floor.
But a lot of the power of MacMillan’s piece lies in the fact that he won’t let us off the hook by painting the Husband as a stock villain; Avis’s nuanced performance mean we see how he’s misinterpreted the Girl’s flirtations, and have to deal with his despair after the event, even as Hayward stumbles, shattered and filled with shame, across the stage behind him.'
MarkRonan.com
Mark Ronan
May 30th, 2016
'The essential characters are a married couple, a girl and her cousin. The husband initially tries to ignore the girl’s naively provocative advances but when he takes what seems an open opportunity, she is out of her depth and he gets carried away. Gary Avis as a Jeremy Irons look-alike husband who later shows remorse for his assault, and Zenaida Yanowsky as his wife exuding elegance and teasing of her own with the young man, both portrayed their roles with perfection.'
The New York Times
Roslyn Sulcas
May 30th, 2016
'....the loss of innocence, sexual violence, marital unhappiness — are superbly evoked in a series of pas de deux between the couples and were given nuanced, luminous performances by Francesca Howard, Vadim Muntagirov, Zenaida Yanowsky and Gary Avis.'
Bachtrack
Philippa Newis
May 29th, 2016
'Avis is handcuffed by convention in a loveless marriage and Hayward is rejected and taunted by her peers. Mutual curiosity and flattery are twisted into cruelty and violence. With his back to the audience Avis takes his wretched ecstasy. Hayward is coiled around his body, her head arched in terror. All the principal roles are superbly acted. While The Invitation draws on 20th century mores, it stands up to 21st century scrutiny.'
[Close]
Romeo and Juliet
The Times
Debra Craine
September 21, 2015
'Gary Avis offers a masterclass in stage presence. His Tybalt is even more nuanced and exciting than before - not for Avis a one-note Capulet villain. A gripping and quite wonderful performance that galvanised the evening.'
LondonDance.com
Graham Watts
September 25, 2015
'In his recorded interview before the performance, McRae said that the Royal Ballet has “some of the best Tybalts” and the best of the best must surely be Gary Avis. Tybalt’s duel with Romeo is astonishingly real with Avis and McRae cutting and slicing at each other with venomous intent while racing across the stage. Avis leads a supporting cast (especially in the character roles) of enormous experience that delivers an outstanding level of dramatic performance.'
[Read More Romeo and Juliet Crits]
Debra Craine
September 21, 2015
'Gary Avis offers a masterclass in stage presence. His Tybalt is even more nuanced and exciting than before - not for Avis a one-note Capulet villain. A gripping and quite wonderful performance that galvanised the evening.'
LondonDance.com
Graham Watts
September 25, 2015
'In his recorded interview before the performance, McRae said that the Royal Ballet has “some of the best Tybalts” and the best of the best must surely be Gary Avis. Tybalt’s duel with Romeo is astonishingly real with Avis and McRae cutting and slicing at each other with venomous intent while racing across the stage. Avis leads a supporting cast (especially in the character roles) of enormous experience that delivers an outstanding level of dramatic performance.'
[Read More Romeo and Juliet Crits]
The Daily Telegraph
Mark Monahan
October 24th, 2015
'Although not as layered as Gary Avis’s Tybalt (still the best around), Thomas Whitehead brings a compellingly physical thuggishness to Juliet’s cousin, while Avis himself is perfect as Juliet’s despairing father.'
The Observer
Luke Jennings
September 27, 2015
'.....he’s so eclipsed by Gary Avis’s complex, charismatic Tybalt that the entire thrust of the ballet is altered.
Avis has rethought every moment of his role. Tybalt is often portrayed as a bully with a hair-trigger temper, a Veronese Sonny Corleone, but Avis gives us a passionate and conflicted man attempting to steer his family through a time of crisis. In Act 1 he is amusedly tolerant of the Montagues’ attempts to lure him into a fight. At the ball, we see his frustration as Lord Capulet extends a qualified welcome to Romeo. This Tybalt sees what his less prescient uncle doesn’t: that Romeo and his whoring, street-fighting sidekicks threaten everything that the House of Capulet represents.
All of this Avis conveys by nuance, glance and gesture, creating a character so multilayered (“and so goddamned sexy”, as an acquaintance confides to me in the interval) that the Montagues appear one-dimensional by contrast. Alexander Campbell’s Mercutio and Tristan Dyer’s Benvolio are fleet of foot, but they’re boys among men. Next to Avis’s Tybalt and Ryoichi Hirano’s coolly aristocratic Paris, the Montagues look like upstarts.'
Sunday Express
Jeffrey Taylor
September 27, 2015
'Former principal RB dancers, Lesley Collier and Jonathan Cope are listed among the coaching staff and it is plain to see the generations of love, thought and effort in this production. Gary Avis is also on that list, but as Tybalt he moves onto a fresh level.
His is a performance of complete, natural conviction. He is a young man with the world at his feet and enjoying every minute of it. His Tybalt is likable but dim, high born with power for whom brute force is the answer to everything.'
Timeout
Siobhan Murphy
September 23, 2015
'Elsewhere, of particular note, Gary Avis brings lowering presence and dramatic complexity as Tybalt; Alexander Campbell’s Mercutio is full of charm and spirit as Romeo’s companion. The swordplay in their fatal duel is thrillingly fast and furious, and Avis makes Tybalt’s distress at watching his foe writhing in his dying agonies touchingly convincing.'
Dancetabs.com
Jann Parry
September 21, 2015
'Gary Avis as Tybalt starts in Act I as an accomplished swordsman who enjoys a good fight, and descends in Act II into an out-of-control drunkard. He’s nursing a grudge against Mercutio for being annoying at the Capulet ball, as well as against gate-crasher Romeo for monopolising Juliet. By the time Tybalt turns up in the market place in Act II, he is dangerously drunk. Avis makes him far more enthralling than the usual psychopath because he didn’t mean to kill Mercutio. He stares, appalled, at the blood on his sword but can’t be seen to repent.'
The Financial Times
Clement Crisp
September 21, 2015
'The production was strongly cast: I greatly admire Alexander Campbell’s alert and subtly detailed Mercutio, Tristan Dyer’s clear-cut Benvolio, Gary Avis’s arrogant, dark-hued Tybalt, as I do Bennet Gartside’s commanding Escalus and the grace and storms of Elizabeth McGorian’s Lady Capulet. This was a strong, very well-considered company performance: Romeo has not looked so vivid or so true for years.'
Bachtrack.com
Margaret Willis
September 21, 2015
Campbell made a cheeky-faced, bubbly Mercutio, light-footed and completely fearless, ready to take on any encounter with a Capulet. He showed off tidy footwork in his speedy dancing. Following his final fight with Tybalt (Gary Aviswho always guarantees a fine performance) which ends with the fatal stab in the back, his moments of dying, which too often can be overlong and sometimes comic, were done with true pathos, as was Tybalt’s death a few minutes later.
markronan.com
Mark Ronan
September 20, 2015
'But none better than the remarkable Tybalt of Gary Avis. His initial arrogance in Act I, his charm in welcoming the party guests and the superb elegance of his dancing at the Capulet ball mark out a young man of substance who is proud of his own worth, setting him up beautifully for the horror of uninvited guests and the worse horror of a man who looks set to seduce his sister. His actions thereafter become entirely believable, particularly when fuelled by a bottle of wine in Act II.'
Daily Telegraph
Mark Monahan
September 20, 2005
'Gary Avis’s Tybalt and Alexander Campbell’s Mercutio are both first-rate. The former – for the umpteenth time – lends magnificent authority and menace to Juliet’s cousin. The latter finds exactly the right nimble-footed charm as Romeo’s doomed friend, but also matches Avis’s red-clawed aggression in the fatal swordfight, bringing proper fury to both that and his superbly handled death scene.These, indeed, are the two most gripping episodes of an evening with much to enjoy....'
Margaret Willis
bachtrack.com
December 9, 2013
'The outstanding success of the performance was also due to the whole company, which danced with fervour, enthusiasm and enjoyment, and especially to other artists Gary Avis, who was a menacing and commanding Tybalt, ready to intimidate the local Montagues and to protect his family, especially his sister; Ricardo Cervera danced Mercutio with fun and slickness; and David Trzensimiech, as Benvolio, showed off some elegant leaps.'
Dancing Times
Jonathan Gray
December 2013
'Cuthbertson's danced Juliet with a full blooded sincerity that matched many fine performances around her, most notably Gary Avis' bully-boy Tybalt, who seemed as surprised to see blood on his sword after stabbing Ricardo Cevera's mercurial Mercutio as he was to have been fatally wounded by Romeo.'
The Sunday Times
Douglas Dougill
December 1, 2013
'Acosta is a seasoned Romeo in this ballet: a natural actor, ardent, and gripping in his battle with Gary Avis's chilling Tybalt.'
The Times
Donald Hutera
November 25, 2013
'Top marks go to Gary Avis’s Tybalt, a devilishly handsome malcontent spoiling for a fight.'
Financial Times
Clement Crisp
November 24, 2013
'Elizabeth McGorian the ideal Lady Capulet; Gary Avis a dominating, angry, fine Tybalt. Grand talents.'
Daily Telegraph
Sarah Crompton
November 23, 2013
'In fact his (Carlos Acosta) best moment came not with Juliet, but with Gary Avis’s swaggering, ferocious Tybalt: their fight to the death was the dramatic highlight of the evening, displaying a belief and passion too much of the production failed to share.'
markronan.com
Mark Ronan
November 22, 2013
'But among the male supporting cast it was Gary Avis as Tybalt who made the most memorable impression in Acts I and II. His magnificent stage presence allows him to play the role without bravado, making it all the more realistic. In Act II the loss of his rapier to that irritatingly fine swordsman Mercutio appears infuriatingly natural, but after stabbing his opponent he looks askance at the blood. As Mercutio dies he points his sword menacingly at Romeo, making it clear this is the battle he really wants, even if he shows himself too tired and out of sorts to win it. This was a terrific portrayal, his final death throw across the stage a riveting moment, just as the choreography demands.'
The Guardian
Judith Mackrell
November 22, 2013
'And what a Tybalt Gary Avis is: a rottweiler in defence of Capulet family pride and a brutal embodiment of blood lust. In the aftermath of Mercutio's death, as Tybalt wipes his sword clean on his sleeve, the gloating repugnance of the action makes you shiver.'
British Theatre Guide
Vera Liber
October 25, 2013
'I couldn’t take my eyes off a stage-dominating Avis—a macho thug of a man compared to the slight boy. He’d have Romeo and his two mates before breakfast.'
BalletCoForum
Simon B Fisher
October 24, 2013
'And who better for Tybalt than Avis. Still the classiest actor/dancer going, in my book!'
Daily Express
Neil Norman
October 24, 2013
'With Gary Avis bringing a noble viciousness to Tybalt, some really terrific swordplay and a collective sense of purpose from the whole company, this is a powerful R&J, played at close quarters.'
Daily Telegraph
Laura Thompson
October 24, 2013
'On the opening night everything was tense, powerful, significant. Gary Avis as Tybalt and Elizabeth McGorian as Lady Capulet brought rigorous, in-the-moment truth to the familiar story.'
markronan.com
Mark Ronan
October 23, 2013
Gary Avis as her father showed gentle indulgence at the start, with an effortless grace at the party scene, and easy command in restraining his nephew Tybalt. In the Act III bedroom scene when Juliet will not respond to Paris there is a mixture of concern and exasperation, which Avis plays to perfection, without the brutal insensitivity of some other Capulets.
The Times
Debra Craine
October 22, 2013
'......sword fight to the death with Gary Avis's magnetic Tybalt, a truly exciting way to bring the curtain down on Act 2.'
The Metro
Siobhan Murphy
October 22, 2013
'It’s a disconnect that makes things feel less tempestuous than you might have hoped for; but there are some fine supporting performances. Gary Avis’s Tybalt is marvellously menacing; Ricardo Cervera’s Mercutio goes off like a firework at the ball; and Laura Morera’s harlot with a heart is lively, fiery and fun.'
LondonDance.com
Graham Watts
October 21, 2013
'Gary Avis gives an impressively choleric, swaggering interpretation of the Capulet bad boy, Tybalt, and Ricardo Cervera is a fine foil as the free-spirited, witty Mercutio.'
The Independent
Zoe Anderson
October 21, 2013
'Though this revival needs to warm up, it’s a polished performance, with strong support. Ricardo Cervera is a teasing Mercutio, spontaneous and naughty. His bantering scenes are light and crisply danced, but he also suggests the steely sense of honour that leads Mercutio into his duel with Gary Avis’ swaggering Tybalt.'
wedancethereforeweare
Kathlenn
April 2, 2012
'Stamina, Gary Avis’ Tybalt certainly had! Vicious and bad-tempered, prone to fights, he even broke his sword during his fight with Romeo after Mercutio’s death! Everyone held their breath but it added colour to the scene, especially as he ran upstage to get a new sword. Gary Avis is certainly the best character artist in the company, and even in that moment of chaos, stayed in character, acting as Tybalt would have by looking for another weapon. I never tire of watching him being the bad guy as he never is over the top even in his cruelty.'
markronan.wordpress.com
Mark Ronan
March 23, 2012
'Gary Avis showed fine stage presence as the Prince of Verona, condemning both sides and ordering them to keep the peace.'
Dancesportalencom
Maggie Foyer
January 2012
'Gary Avis as Tybalt, Capulet Rottweiler, died as he lived - with brutal passion.'
The Arts Desk
Ismene Brown
January 16, 2012
'....... the irascible, dangerous Capulet of Gary Avis'
The Sunday Times
David Dougill
January 15, 2012
'....... while Gary Avis makes a dark, arrogant Tybalt, with a chilling cruel streak.'
Sunday Telegraph
Louise Levene
January 13, 2012
'.........but there was strong support from the character players. The versatile company ballet master Gary Avis made a snarling and unsettling Tybalt, mourned by Elizabeth McGorian’s terrific Lady Capulet. She manages to pack a lifetime of abuse and unhappiness into every turn of the head.'
The Times
Debra Crane
January 12, 2012
'..... and Gary Avis as bad boy Tybalt is incredibly dashing and completely dominates every scene he is in.'
Ballet.co
January 12, 2012
Lynette Halewood
'Among the rest of the cast, I’d like to mention Christopher Saunders as Juliet’s father, who he makes a much more rounded and nuanced character than we often see. At the ball he is an urbane and charming host, and he has evidently taken the Prince’s warning to mind when trying to keep Gary Avis’s twitchily aggressive Tylbalt in check. Juliet is obviously a Daddy’s girl: but Daddy’s indulgence very clearly has its limits. Gary Avis very clearly is still smarting from the humiliations of the ball scene when he emerges for a fight at the close of Act 2: you can feel the stoked-up heat of his smouldering resentment. He isn’t just the straightforward bully that he can sometimes be portrayed as: he’s just been pushed too far.'
The Independent
Zoë Anderson
January 11, 2012
'This revival is full of insights, of characters reacting in the heat of the moment. Even the crowded market scenes, the weakest of this production, are full of vivid detail. Brawling in the town square, Gary Avis’s Tybalt eyes up one of the town harlots, even as he jeers at her
There was a satisfying aggression to the sword fights at this performance. MacMillan has Mercutio disarm Tybalt, then return his sword. The move went slightly wrong on opening night – but Avis still gets there in time, cutting through the crowd to stab Mercutio dead on the beat.'
The Evening Standard
Clifford Bishop
January 11, 2012
'....... and Gary Avis one of those rare Tybalts who does not handle a sword as if it were an umbrella in a high wind.'
markronan.wordpress.com
Mark Ronan
January 11, 2012
'The rest of the cast was superb, with Gary Avis a restrained Tybalt, so provoked by the Montagues that he finally loses it. This is surely the right way to play Tybalt, rather than being almost out of control from the word go, which I've seen sometimes.'
Cloud Dance Festival
Chantal
January 11, 2012
'Both Rojo and Acosta gave completely mesmerising performances, as did the rest of the cast - especially Gary Avis as Tybalt, exuding menace in his final scenes.'
Exeunt
Sam Smith
January 11, 2012
'Gary Avis is a convincing Tybalt......
.... Uniquely at the time, MacMillan introduced totally unballetic movements into a large-scale, classical work, so that Juliet sits motionless on her bed during the most climactic music of Act Three, Romeo unceremoniously drags her ‘corpse’ across the stage, and the wounded Tybalt hurls his entire body at Romeo in a final desperate attempt to bring him down.'
Sorrow Pennefather Blog
January 10, 2012
'Gary Avis, as Tybalt, flung himself behind his sword, bringing some serious swashbuckling to the stage.'
Dance Europe
Deborah Weiss
August / September, 2011
'Best of the character rounds is Gary Avis, who does his cameo role as Escalus, Prince of Verona, with supreme authority. I've seen many tackle it, but only a few are able to understand that is a small but pivotal character. Avis can make even the most vacuous role into something meaningful.'
The Telegraph
Mark Monahan
January 18, 2010
'Two other special mentions for the earlier cast: for José Martín's nimble and affecting Mercutio, and for Gary Avis's unimprovably rich Tybalt. Not a boo-hiss psycho but a proud Capulet driven to fury by his cousin's waywardness, his Tybalt may even be slightly drunk in Act 2, which, if so, further explains his aggression.'
The Sunday Times
David Dougill
January 17, 2010
'The strong supporting cast included Jose Martin’s impishly taunting Mercutio, Gary Avis as an arrogant Tybalt and Laura Morera’s winningly teasing Harlot.'
The Arts Desk
Ismene Brown
January 13, 2010
'Gary Avis an irascible, battle-scarred Tybalt.'
Ballet.co
Bruce Marriott
January 2010
'Gary Avis's Tybalt is a performance full of nuance and not the simple rabid, psychopath played by many. In the trust stakes he can get no higher.'
The Financial Times
Clement Crisp
June 9, 2008
'For Avis, the by-now customary accolade: that he lives, inhabits a character, and we know that being’s psyche. Not one second of Avis’s performance here is without interest. Superb.'
The Independent
Zoë Anderson
May 30, 2008
'Gary Avis's Tybalt is subtly nuanced, an aggressive man with a soft spot for his cousin. The fight with Martin Harvey's Mercutio was fast and vivid, both men putting some freedom into the click-click-click of this production's swordplay.'
The Times
Debra Craine
May 28, 2008
'And Gary Avis moved seamlessly from a dashing and hotheaded Tybalt at the matinee to a powerful yet sympathetic Lord Capulet in the evening.'
The Telegraph
Mark Monahan
May 28, 2008
'Such an intelligent actor, Avis made Tybalt not a boo-hiss baddie but a maddened defender of his cousin Juliet's honour, horrified at his accidental killing of Mercutio, and a fearsome opponent to Romeo.'
The Sunday Times
David Dougill
March 12, 2006
'Gary Avis is cleverly commanding in his cameo spot as the Prince of Verona'
Ballet.co
Jane Simpson
March 2006
'I also greatly admired Gary Avis as the Prince of Verona, eyes flashing as he read the riot act to his turbulent citizens,'
The Independent
Zoë Anderson
8 March, 2006
'As Escalus, prince of Verona, Gary Avis sweeps on with real authority.'
From The Times
Allen Robertson
March 7, 2006
'Gary Avis brings a glaring authority to the Prince who tries to subdue the warring Capulets and Montagues,'
Ballet.co
Lynette Halewood
January, 1999
'Gary Avis gave a sympathetic reading of Paris as genuinely charmed by his intended bride: he managed to convey real complexity of feeling while dancing with Guillem, at first respectful, then goaded by her rejection into coarseness, later embarrassed by his actions.'
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Mark Monahan
October 24th, 2015
'Although not as layered as Gary Avis’s Tybalt (still the best around), Thomas Whitehead brings a compellingly physical thuggishness to Juliet’s cousin, while Avis himself is perfect as Juliet’s despairing father.'
The Observer
Luke Jennings
September 27, 2015
'.....he’s so eclipsed by Gary Avis’s complex, charismatic Tybalt that the entire thrust of the ballet is altered.
Avis has rethought every moment of his role. Tybalt is often portrayed as a bully with a hair-trigger temper, a Veronese Sonny Corleone, but Avis gives us a passionate and conflicted man attempting to steer his family through a time of crisis. In Act 1 he is amusedly tolerant of the Montagues’ attempts to lure him into a fight. At the ball, we see his frustration as Lord Capulet extends a qualified welcome to Romeo. This Tybalt sees what his less prescient uncle doesn’t: that Romeo and his whoring, street-fighting sidekicks threaten everything that the House of Capulet represents.
All of this Avis conveys by nuance, glance and gesture, creating a character so multilayered (“and so goddamned sexy”, as an acquaintance confides to me in the interval) that the Montagues appear one-dimensional by contrast. Alexander Campbell’s Mercutio and Tristan Dyer’s Benvolio are fleet of foot, but they’re boys among men. Next to Avis’s Tybalt and Ryoichi Hirano’s coolly aristocratic Paris, the Montagues look like upstarts.'
Sunday Express
Jeffrey Taylor
September 27, 2015
'Former principal RB dancers, Lesley Collier and Jonathan Cope are listed among the coaching staff and it is plain to see the generations of love, thought and effort in this production. Gary Avis is also on that list, but as Tybalt he moves onto a fresh level.
His is a performance of complete, natural conviction. He is a young man with the world at his feet and enjoying every minute of it. His Tybalt is likable but dim, high born with power for whom brute force is the answer to everything.'
Timeout
Siobhan Murphy
September 23, 2015
'Elsewhere, of particular note, Gary Avis brings lowering presence and dramatic complexity as Tybalt; Alexander Campbell’s Mercutio is full of charm and spirit as Romeo’s companion. The swordplay in their fatal duel is thrillingly fast and furious, and Avis makes Tybalt’s distress at watching his foe writhing in his dying agonies touchingly convincing.'
Dancetabs.com
Jann Parry
September 21, 2015
'Gary Avis as Tybalt starts in Act I as an accomplished swordsman who enjoys a good fight, and descends in Act II into an out-of-control drunkard. He’s nursing a grudge against Mercutio for being annoying at the Capulet ball, as well as against gate-crasher Romeo for monopolising Juliet. By the time Tybalt turns up in the market place in Act II, he is dangerously drunk. Avis makes him far more enthralling than the usual psychopath because he didn’t mean to kill Mercutio. He stares, appalled, at the blood on his sword but can’t be seen to repent.'
The Financial Times
Clement Crisp
September 21, 2015
'The production was strongly cast: I greatly admire Alexander Campbell’s alert and subtly detailed Mercutio, Tristan Dyer’s clear-cut Benvolio, Gary Avis’s arrogant, dark-hued Tybalt, as I do Bennet Gartside’s commanding Escalus and the grace and storms of Elizabeth McGorian’s Lady Capulet. This was a strong, very well-considered company performance: Romeo has not looked so vivid or so true for years.'
Bachtrack.com
Margaret Willis
September 21, 2015
Campbell made a cheeky-faced, bubbly Mercutio, light-footed and completely fearless, ready to take on any encounter with a Capulet. He showed off tidy footwork in his speedy dancing. Following his final fight with Tybalt (Gary Aviswho always guarantees a fine performance) which ends with the fatal stab in the back, his moments of dying, which too often can be overlong and sometimes comic, were done with true pathos, as was Tybalt’s death a few minutes later.
markronan.com
Mark Ronan
September 20, 2015
'But none better than the remarkable Tybalt of Gary Avis. His initial arrogance in Act I, his charm in welcoming the party guests and the superb elegance of his dancing at the Capulet ball mark out a young man of substance who is proud of his own worth, setting him up beautifully for the horror of uninvited guests and the worse horror of a man who looks set to seduce his sister. His actions thereafter become entirely believable, particularly when fuelled by a bottle of wine in Act II.'
Daily Telegraph
Mark Monahan
September 20, 2005
'Gary Avis’s Tybalt and Alexander Campbell’s Mercutio are both first-rate. The former – for the umpteenth time – lends magnificent authority and menace to Juliet’s cousin. The latter finds exactly the right nimble-footed charm as Romeo’s doomed friend, but also matches Avis’s red-clawed aggression in the fatal swordfight, bringing proper fury to both that and his superbly handled death scene.These, indeed, are the two most gripping episodes of an evening with much to enjoy....'
Margaret Willis
bachtrack.com
December 9, 2013
'The outstanding success of the performance was also due to the whole company, which danced with fervour, enthusiasm and enjoyment, and especially to other artists Gary Avis, who was a menacing and commanding Tybalt, ready to intimidate the local Montagues and to protect his family, especially his sister; Ricardo Cervera danced Mercutio with fun and slickness; and David Trzensimiech, as Benvolio, showed off some elegant leaps.'
Dancing Times
Jonathan Gray
December 2013
'Cuthbertson's danced Juliet with a full blooded sincerity that matched many fine performances around her, most notably Gary Avis' bully-boy Tybalt, who seemed as surprised to see blood on his sword after stabbing Ricardo Cevera's mercurial Mercutio as he was to have been fatally wounded by Romeo.'
The Sunday Times
Douglas Dougill
December 1, 2013
'Acosta is a seasoned Romeo in this ballet: a natural actor, ardent, and gripping in his battle with Gary Avis's chilling Tybalt.'
The Times
Donald Hutera
November 25, 2013
'Top marks go to Gary Avis’s Tybalt, a devilishly handsome malcontent spoiling for a fight.'
Financial Times
Clement Crisp
November 24, 2013
'Elizabeth McGorian the ideal Lady Capulet; Gary Avis a dominating, angry, fine Tybalt. Grand talents.'
Daily Telegraph
Sarah Crompton
November 23, 2013
'In fact his (Carlos Acosta) best moment came not with Juliet, but with Gary Avis’s swaggering, ferocious Tybalt: their fight to the death was the dramatic highlight of the evening, displaying a belief and passion too much of the production failed to share.'
markronan.com
Mark Ronan
November 22, 2013
'But among the male supporting cast it was Gary Avis as Tybalt who made the most memorable impression in Acts I and II. His magnificent stage presence allows him to play the role without bravado, making it all the more realistic. In Act II the loss of his rapier to that irritatingly fine swordsman Mercutio appears infuriatingly natural, but after stabbing his opponent he looks askance at the blood. As Mercutio dies he points his sword menacingly at Romeo, making it clear this is the battle he really wants, even if he shows himself too tired and out of sorts to win it. This was a terrific portrayal, his final death throw across the stage a riveting moment, just as the choreography demands.'
The Guardian
Judith Mackrell
November 22, 2013
'And what a Tybalt Gary Avis is: a rottweiler in defence of Capulet family pride and a brutal embodiment of blood lust. In the aftermath of Mercutio's death, as Tybalt wipes his sword clean on his sleeve, the gloating repugnance of the action makes you shiver.'
British Theatre Guide
Vera Liber
October 25, 2013
'I couldn’t take my eyes off a stage-dominating Avis—a macho thug of a man compared to the slight boy. He’d have Romeo and his two mates before breakfast.'
BalletCoForum
Simon B Fisher
October 24, 2013
'And who better for Tybalt than Avis. Still the classiest actor/dancer going, in my book!'
Daily Express
Neil Norman
October 24, 2013
'With Gary Avis bringing a noble viciousness to Tybalt, some really terrific swordplay and a collective sense of purpose from the whole company, this is a powerful R&J, played at close quarters.'
Daily Telegraph
Laura Thompson
October 24, 2013
'On the opening night everything was tense, powerful, significant. Gary Avis as Tybalt and Elizabeth McGorian as Lady Capulet brought rigorous, in-the-moment truth to the familiar story.'
markronan.com
Mark Ronan
October 23, 2013
Gary Avis as her father showed gentle indulgence at the start, with an effortless grace at the party scene, and easy command in restraining his nephew Tybalt. In the Act III bedroom scene when Juliet will not respond to Paris there is a mixture of concern and exasperation, which Avis plays to perfection, without the brutal insensitivity of some other Capulets.
The Times
Debra Craine
October 22, 2013
'......sword fight to the death with Gary Avis's magnetic Tybalt, a truly exciting way to bring the curtain down on Act 2.'
The Metro
Siobhan Murphy
October 22, 2013
'It’s a disconnect that makes things feel less tempestuous than you might have hoped for; but there are some fine supporting performances. Gary Avis’s Tybalt is marvellously menacing; Ricardo Cervera’s Mercutio goes off like a firework at the ball; and Laura Morera’s harlot with a heart is lively, fiery and fun.'
LondonDance.com
Graham Watts
October 21, 2013
'Gary Avis gives an impressively choleric, swaggering interpretation of the Capulet bad boy, Tybalt, and Ricardo Cervera is a fine foil as the free-spirited, witty Mercutio.'
The Independent
Zoe Anderson
October 21, 2013
'Though this revival needs to warm up, it’s a polished performance, with strong support. Ricardo Cervera is a teasing Mercutio, spontaneous and naughty. His bantering scenes are light and crisply danced, but he also suggests the steely sense of honour that leads Mercutio into his duel with Gary Avis’ swaggering Tybalt.'
wedancethereforeweare
Kathlenn
April 2, 2012
'Stamina, Gary Avis’ Tybalt certainly had! Vicious and bad-tempered, prone to fights, he even broke his sword during his fight with Romeo after Mercutio’s death! Everyone held their breath but it added colour to the scene, especially as he ran upstage to get a new sword. Gary Avis is certainly the best character artist in the company, and even in that moment of chaos, stayed in character, acting as Tybalt would have by looking for another weapon. I never tire of watching him being the bad guy as he never is over the top even in his cruelty.'
markronan.wordpress.com
Mark Ronan
March 23, 2012
'Gary Avis showed fine stage presence as the Prince of Verona, condemning both sides and ordering them to keep the peace.'
Dancesportalencom
Maggie Foyer
January 2012
'Gary Avis as Tybalt, Capulet Rottweiler, died as he lived - with brutal passion.'
The Arts Desk
Ismene Brown
January 16, 2012
'....... the irascible, dangerous Capulet of Gary Avis'
The Sunday Times
David Dougill
January 15, 2012
'....... while Gary Avis makes a dark, arrogant Tybalt, with a chilling cruel streak.'
Sunday Telegraph
Louise Levene
January 13, 2012
'.........but there was strong support from the character players. The versatile company ballet master Gary Avis made a snarling and unsettling Tybalt, mourned by Elizabeth McGorian’s terrific Lady Capulet. She manages to pack a lifetime of abuse and unhappiness into every turn of the head.'
The Times
Debra Crane
January 12, 2012
'..... and Gary Avis as bad boy Tybalt is incredibly dashing and completely dominates every scene he is in.'
Ballet.co
January 12, 2012
Lynette Halewood
'Among the rest of the cast, I’d like to mention Christopher Saunders as Juliet’s father, who he makes a much more rounded and nuanced character than we often see. At the ball he is an urbane and charming host, and he has evidently taken the Prince’s warning to mind when trying to keep Gary Avis’s twitchily aggressive Tylbalt in check. Juliet is obviously a Daddy’s girl: but Daddy’s indulgence very clearly has its limits. Gary Avis very clearly is still smarting from the humiliations of the ball scene when he emerges for a fight at the close of Act 2: you can feel the stoked-up heat of his smouldering resentment. He isn’t just the straightforward bully that he can sometimes be portrayed as: he’s just been pushed too far.'
The Independent
Zoë Anderson
January 11, 2012
'This revival is full of insights, of characters reacting in the heat of the moment. Even the crowded market scenes, the weakest of this production, are full of vivid detail. Brawling in the town square, Gary Avis’s Tybalt eyes up one of the town harlots, even as he jeers at her
There was a satisfying aggression to the sword fights at this performance. MacMillan has Mercutio disarm Tybalt, then return his sword. The move went slightly wrong on opening night – but Avis still gets there in time, cutting through the crowd to stab Mercutio dead on the beat.'
The Evening Standard
Clifford Bishop
January 11, 2012
'....... and Gary Avis one of those rare Tybalts who does not handle a sword as if it were an umbrella in a high wind.'
markronan.wordpress.com
Mark Ronan
January 11, 2012
'The rest of the cast was superb, with Gary Avis a restrained Tybalt, so provoked by the Montagues that he finally loses it. This is surely the right way to play Tybalt, rather than being almost out of control from the word go, which I've seen sometimes.'
Cloud Dance Festival
Chantal
January 11, 2012
'Both Rojo and Acosta gave completely mesmerising performances, as did the rest of the cast - especially Gary Avis as Tybalt, exuding menace in his final scenes.'
Exeunt
Sam Smith
January 11, 2012
'Gary Avis is a convincing Tybalt......
.... Uniquely at the time, MacMillan introduced totally unballetic movements into a large-scale, classical work, so that Juliet sits motionless on her bed during the most climactic music of Act Three, Romeo unceremoniously drags her ‘corpse’ across the stage, and the wounded Tybalt hurls his entire body at Romeo in a final desperate attempt to bring him down.'
Sorrow Pennefather Blog
January 10, 2012
'Gary Avis, as Tybalt, flung himself behind his sword, bringing some serious swashbuckling to the stage.'
Dance Europe
Deborah Weiss
August / September, 2011
'Best of the character rounds is Gary Avis, who does his cameo role as Escalus, Prince of Verona, with supreme authority. I've seen many tackle it, but only a few are able to understand that is a small but pivotal character. Avis can make even the most vacuous role into something meaningful.'
The Telegraph
Mark Monahan
January 18, 2010
'Two other special mentions for the earlier cast: for José Martín's nimble and affecting Mercutio, and for Gary Avis's unimprovably rich Tybalt. Not a boo-hiss psycho but a proud Capulet driven to fury by his cousin's waywardness, his Tybalt may even be slightly drunk in Act 2, which, if so, further explains his aggression.'
The Sunday Times
David Dougill
January 17, 2010
'The strong supporting cast included Jose Martin’s impishly taunting Mercutio, Gary Avis as an arrogant Tybalt and Laura Morera’s winningly teasing Harlot.'
The Arts Desk
Ismene Brown
January 13, 2010
'Gary Avis an irascible, battle-scarred Tybalt.'
Ballet.co
Bruce Marriott
January 2010
'Gary Avis's Tybalt is a performance full of nuance and not the simple rabid, psychopath played by many. In the trust stakes he can get no higher.'
The Financial Times
Clement Crisp
June 9, 2008
'For Avis, the by-now customary accolade: that he lives, inhabits a character, and we know that being’s psyche. Not one second of Avis’s performance here is without interest. Superb.'
The Independent
Zoë Anderson
May 30, 2008
'Gary Avis's Tybalt is subtly nuanced, an aggressive man with a soft spot for his cousin. The fight with Martin Harvey's Mercutio was fast and vivid, both men putting some freedom into the click-click-click of this production's swordplay.'
The Times
Debra Craine
May 28, 2008
'And Gary Avis moved seamlessly from a dashing and hotheaded Tybalt at the matinee to a powerful yet sympathetic Lord Capulet in the evening.'
The Telegraph
Mark Monahan
May 28, 2008
'Such an intelligent actor, Avis made Tybalt not a boo-hiss baddie but a maddened defender of his cousin Juliet's honour, horrified at his accidental killing of Mercutio, and a fearsome opponent to Romeo.'
The Sunday Times
David Dougill
March 12, 2006
'Gary Avis is cleverly commanding in his cameo spot as the Prince of Verona'
Ballet.co
Jane Simpson
March 2006
'I also greatly admired Gary Avis as the Prince of Verona, eyes flashing as he read the riot act to his turbulent citizens,'
The Independent
Zoë Anderson
8 March, 2006
'As Escalus, prince of Verona, Gary Avis sweeps on with real authority.'
From The Times
Allen Robertson
March 7, 2006
'Gary Avis brings a glaring authority to the Prince who tries to subdue the warring Capulets and Montagues,'
Ballet.co
Lynette Halewood
January, 1999
'Gary Avis gave a sympathetic reading of Paris as genuinely charmed by his intended bride: he managed to convey real complexity of feeling while dancing with Guillem, at first respectful, then goaded by her rejection into coarseness, later embarrassed by his actions.'
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