We all know the famous Shakespeare tragedy... whether from film, stage, TV, or simply popular culture, the story is embedded, nay entrenched, in our society and countless versions and reworkings have ensured the story's longevity. This particular reviewer has seen more versions of this story than he cares to remember, and yet, I had, until this evening, never seen it as a ballet.
With only a few plot omittances from the Shakespeare narrative, this ballet stayed faithful to the story in both costumes / setting, and overall feel. The set was a simple grey stone raised walkway at the rear, behind which was a nondescript grey backcloth. These stayed constant throughout, and the only other scenery to appear came towards the end when Juliet's bed (again a grey oblong slab) doubled as the tomb. This minimalist approach worked surprisingly much better than I would have imagined. First, Ballet UK is a small-scale touring company and so they require a set which can be easily toured (tick); and second, they require the stage to be free from clutter in order to be able to dance their full company routines (tick). This, combined with simple but effective lighting created the playground for the dancers to tell their story. Bold colourful costumes (easy to recognise Montague from Capulet etc) created the pallet and canvas, for the paint (the dancers) to go to town!
Without a programme dear reader (or indeed any programme on the company's website), I am unable to credit individual dancers etc. What I can say is that this production of 'Romeo And Juliet' was Prokofiev's.. or at least the company used his ballet score. I have no idea who choreographed it or directed it.
All the dancers were extremely proficient and I loved the lifts used in Romeo and Juliet's pas de deuxs. Sometimes I felt that the action was too static, and why no-one smiled, laughed or seemed to be happy during the ball scene I have no idea. [ditto the curtain calls]. The story was clearly told however and the ballet as a whole was hugely enjoyable. I did however get the feeling that this was not the first time these performers had danced these routines...that might seem a very obvious thing to say... but what I mean is that it didn't come across as fresh, and as an audience member I need to believe that the action happening in front of me is unfolding for the first time, and this was not the case this evening, which made the dances / action on stage feel a little pedestrian at times. The sword fights were nicely choreographed and clever.
I enjoyed the four 'handmaidens' (?) who attended Juliet and danced together regularly. Juliet's Maid was superb, her facial expressions and acting ability matching her dancing prowess, especially when being swept up in the ball scene. Mercutio and Benvolio danced well together, and along with Romeo made a formidable trio. Romeo and Juliet together of course were wonderful.
This is only the second time I have seen Ballet Theatre UK perform, and this was much more enjoyable and a much more proficient production than their 'Beauty And The Beast'.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 12.4.23
No comments:
Post a Comment