Christopher Gable devised and directed his highly popular Romeo and Juliet for Northern Ballet in 1992. The choreography was by Massimo Moricone. In 2005 Lez Botherston’s set and costumes were destroyed in a flood. The ballet has not been seen in sixteen years. Happily, everything has now been meticulously restored to its former beauty.
Shakespeare’s storyline is well told in dance, mime and music. Sergei Prokofiev’s magnificent score is played by Northern Ballet Sinfonia conducted by Daniel Parkinson. The grandiose music for The Dance of the Knights is, as always, utterly compelling.
The Montagues bare their chests. They are a colourful happy lot and quick to take the mickey out of the humourless Capulets, their henchmen, all dressed in black.
The emotional intensity is well caught by Gable and Moricone in the ballet’s tender lyrical moments, its melodrama, its bustling crowd scenes and its sudden violent fighting.
The scene where Romeo’s mates playfully tease him with a letter addressed to him is particularly amusing and wins a round of applause for its expert timing.
There is a strong cast. Joseph Taylor and Dominique Larose are the star-cross’d lovers; he very tall and manly, she very childlike and vulnerable, especially when confronted by her angry father and forced to marry Paris. Johnathan Hanks is an unexpectedly young Lord Capulet.
Aaron Kok is a lively and likeable Mercutio. Harry Skoupas is an evil-looking macho Tybalt. Heather Lehan is the Nurse and the humour, when she comes to wake the lovers up after their consummation, is nicely judged.
Northern Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet is very enjoyable and strongly recommended not only to ballet lovers but also to those coming to classical narrative ballet for the first time.
Following its London run, the production will continue its tour and can be seen at Stratford-upon-Avon, Southampton, Canterbury and Newcastle. For more information follow this link.
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