United Kingdom Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet: Dancers of The Royal Ballet, Orchestra of the Royal Opera Home / Koen Kessels (conductor), Broadcast dwell (directed by Ross MacGibbon from the Royal Opera Home, Covent Backyard, London, 20.3.2025. (JPr)
As a ballet Romeo and Juliet wants little introduction whether or not in Rudolf Nureyev’s destiny and death-haunted model for English Nationwide Ballet (lengthy overdue a revival) or Kenneth MacMillan’s celebrated – and rather more romantic – manufacturing for The Royal Ballet which premiered sixty years in the past in February 1965 with Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn within the title roles.
For many who have to ‘Brush Up Your Shakespeare’ the ballet opens ‘In honest Verona’ throughout the Renaissance the place the 2 main noble households, the Capulets and Montagues, are sworn enemies. A younger Montague, Romeo, declares his love for the haughty Rosaline. Collectively along with his associates, Mercutio and Benvolio, they quarrel with Lord Capulet’s nephew, Tybalt, and blood is quickly break up. Escalus, the Prince of Verona, orders the households to finish to their hostility, and reluctantly everybody down swords. In disguise Romeo attends the Capulets’ ball nonetheless pursuing Rosaline. In the meantime, Juliet, a pubescent Capulet and Tybalt’s cousin, has been launched to her potential fiancé Paris, however on the ball she meets Romeo and there’s an instantaneous attraction. With the assistance of the sympathetic Friar Laurence and Juliet’s conspiratorial nurse, the lovers secretly marry. Occasions take their tragic flip when Mercutio is killed combating Tybalt and is avenged by Romeo who, because of this, is then compelled into exile. The deaths, after all, haven’t but ended, although MacMillan was notably eager that there must be no reconciliation between the feuding and grieving households as within the unique Shakespeare.
It might appear pointless to repeat a widely known story, but it surely highlights the distinctive storytelling – up to some extent – we get in MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet, even in its 547th outing at Covent Backyard. It’s not the primary time I’ve commented that a number of the appearing was worthy of straight theatre. (This isn’t shocking since MacMillan and his designer Nicholas Georgiadis have been impressed by Franco Zeffirelli’s manufacturing of the play on the Previous Vic in 1960-1961.) It’s presumably heresy to say that there at the moment are some apparent longueurs and it’s a lot too lengthy for the story it’s telling. A number of the time MacMillan lavished on the Act I opening with its boisterousness, swordplay and its aftermath may have been used to raised inform the story on the finish of the ballet. Curiously (why?) MacMillan fails to let the viewers know the way Romeo by no means receives Friar Laurence’s message concerning the sleeping potion he gave Juliet: Nureyev reveals us this and so completes the story extra appropriately.
Georgiadis’s luxurious designs have retained – down six many years – a stable three-dimensionality and evocation of Italian Renaissance frescoes which have come to life. Maybe the daytime occasions didn’t look as sunny as they may as soon as have in John B. Learn’s (in any other case) subtly atmospheric lighting; or is that false reminiscence or just the way it regarded on the display. Reflecting on my previous response to this Romeo and Juliet plainly – consummate dancing however – the corporate acts with nice dedication and spirit extra on this ballet than presumably some other. The corps de ballet roistered appropriately with appreciable enthusiasm for MacMillan’s extra bawdy skirt-lifting moments and that sword combating was, as earlier than, a number of the greatest I’ve ever seen on any stage. The sight of Fumi Kaneko’s tears glistening her eyes as Romeo departs in Act III will dwell lengthy within the reminiscence: as will the despair on Vadim Muntagirov’s face within the tomb scene as he cradles Juliet’s lifeless physique. Kaneko is so impressively limp that she seems to don’t have any limb bones! These are only a few observations of dramatically credible performances which – for a ballet – have been fairly excellent. Nonetheless, I ponder what number of within the opera may have seen the refined characterisations with out binoculars?
My very own historical past with Romeo and Juliet at Covent Backyard goes again to 1977 (that was quantity 146, the place has the time gone?) however I cannot look again an excessive amount of and as a substitute rejoice the ‘College of 2025’. A baleful trying Ryoichi Hirano was the lesser of the actors we noticed and merely a one-dimensional pantomime baddie whose risk to Romeo and his friends was blatantly clear. Clearly a Romeo-in-waiting, Francisco Serrano positively has the ‘wow issue’ I wish to see much more of from The Royal Ballet’s male dancers and is clearly one to observe. Serrano’s irrepressible rascally Mercutio was portrayed with a cocksure élan while Giacomo Rovero was fairly in his shade however was nonetheless a assured Benvolio. (One journey down reminiscence lane sorry, because it was as Mercutio that I noticed Nureyev, alongside Sylvie Guillem and Jonathan Cope, dance dwell for the one time in MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet. That was in a 1990 gala given for the good thing about – and homage to – Dame Margot Fonteyn; he had missed that first Romeo and Juliet I noticed in 1977.)
Annette Buvoli was a snooty Rosaline, with Itziar Mendizabal, Leticia Dias, Mica Bradbury because the very energetic, provocative harlots. Lukas Bjørneboe Brændsrød was the stoic Paris, a job that MacMillan appears to have uncared for in his staging, while Daichi Ikarashi displayed appreciable athleticism main the Mandolin Dance. As ever this staging permits for 2 excellent vignettes: first from Christina Arestis because the imperious Woman Capulet whose mourning over the useless Tybalt was heart-rending – if overblown – and the opposite from Olivia Cowley as a caring, compassionate, surprisingly frisky, and fairly younger than generally, Nurse.
This ballet after all depends on its leads to achieve success, and Fumi Kaneko was completely excellent as Juliet and goes straight to the highest of the listing as one of many absolute best of the various I’ve seen. It was Lynn Seymour I noticed in 1977 adopted by others, notably Lesley Collier, Miyako Yoshida and Marianela Núñez (plus all these I’ve seen in Nureyev’s Romeo and Juliet for English Nationwide Ballet). In the very best efficiency I’ve seen Kaneko give she was completely convincing because the teenage Capulet and subsequently in her burgeoning love for Romeo. Kaneko’s arms have been so splendidly poetic and lyrical, her motion so agile, her leaping so mild and simple, her turns so quick and her ft so fast (the speedy bourrées!). Kaneko confirmed Juliet’s coming-of-age with very good artistry and a few of her even higher moments have been when she was not even dancing; as an illustration, as Juliet first encounters Romeo the viewers can nearly really feel her visceral response. Evaluate this to Juliet’s resistance to her father’s bullying within the third act and the way she barely seems at Paris in her misery at being compelled to marry him. Beforehand, Lord Capulet brutally slapped his daughter however fortunately that is no extra, and Juliet covers her ears trying to close out her father’s hectoring. It was right here that Kaneko’s Juliet reached an much more exalted stage together with her character having gone the gamut of feelings from girly glee in Act I to a extra mature desperation over her plight.
It’s well-known how MacMillan created the position of Romeo on Christopher Gable but lots of the fussy, intricate steps have subsequently grow to be perpetually related to Nureyev. I noticed him dance the position a number of occasions, on movie, after all, in MacMillan’s choreography, however primarily in his personal manufacturing. For many who noticed Nureyev in his prime it’s practically unimaginable for anybody who follows in his ‘footsteps’ to make the position his personal. Maybe Vadim Muntagirov has now acquired as shut as anybody to equalling my reminiscences. Your eyes are interested in this immensely likeable dancer even when he’s simply interacting with somebody on the fringes of the stage. Perhaps he may nonetheless do with somewhat extra of Serrano’s apparent self-assurance as Mercutio and produce extra hot-bloodedness to his early dancing as a substitute of a boyish brio. The most important drawback – and what a one to have as a number one dancer – is that as fearsome as MacMillan’s steps are reputed to be, Muntagirov’s outstanding method makes it look so (too?) simple! However throughout the balcony scene it’s apparent how his Romeo and Kaneko’s Juliet uninhibitedly yield to their innermost wishes and when Muntagirov lastly kisses Kaneko (his accomplice in real-life) there was a palpable frisson. Muntagirov is suitably vengeful in clashing swords with Tybalt in Act II, in addition to in exhibiting that heartbreak on the finish of the ballet. It goes with out saying – however I’ll – that the safety and power of his partnering made Kaneko’s Juliet look the very best she presumably may.
Romeo and Juliet is undoubtedly MacMillan’s masterpiece and proves a splendid showcase for the present encouraging well being of The Royal Ballet. Actually, this efficiency was an astonishing firm achievement and was underpinned by the taking part in from the Orchestra of the Royal Opera Home beneath Koen Kessels, music director of The Royal Ballet and Dutch Nationwide Ballet. I used to be glad that Kessels by no means indulged the dancers throughout all their frequent hyperactivity on the stage in his magnificent account – at the least as heard by way of cinema loudspeakers – of Prokofiev’s vibrant and evocative rating.
A remaining query: does The Royal Ballet proceed to revive Romeo and Juliet with the identical choreography, the identical units and within the identical – and generally the 1965 unique – costumes, for an additional 10, 20, 30 years and extra? Feedback please.
Jim Pritchard
Featured Picture: Vadim Muntagirov as Romeo and Fumi Kaneko as Juliet © Tristram Kenton
Manufacturing:
Choreography – Kenneth MacMillan
Staging – Julie London and Christopher Saunders
Designer – Nicholas Georgiadis
Lighting – John B. Learn
Rehearsal Director – Christopher Saunders
Staging and Inventive Supervisor for the MacMillan Property – Laura Morera
Solid included:
Juliet – Fumi Kaneko
Romeo – Vadim Muntagirov
Mercutio – Francisco Serrano
Tybalt – Ryoichi Hirano
Benvolio – Giacomo Rovero
Paris – Lukas Bjørneboe Brændsrød
Lord Capulet – Bennet Gartside
Woman Capulet – Christina Arestis
Escalus Prince of Verona – Harris Bell
Rosaline – Annette Buvoli
Nurse – Olivia Cowley
Friar Laurence / Lord Montague – Thomas Whitehead
Woman Montague – Lara Turk
