It is hard to imagine anything more stirring than an ill-fated love match torn apart between two warring families set to the backdrop of Prokofiev’s dynamic Dance of the Knights. The sheer power of the score, with its dark, pulsing rhythms and intimations of foreboding, perfectly captures the doomed love affair which Romeo and Juliet embark upon.
In this anniversary revival by English National Ballet, full weight is given to the musical enfilade that stands as the composer’s vision to accompany Shakespeare’s tale of the young star-crossed lovers. Full marks must go in this respect to the superb orchestra hidden in the pit whose skill and interpretation of the movement lift the show out of the ordinary into the special.
From the very start we understand this is going to be a very physical, often bawdy, humorous production of Romeo and Juliet, brilliantly marrying street brawling with courtly manners. The production does not shy away from showing us the arbitrary violence which existed in Shakespeare’s time and from which he drew inspiration. Scores are settled suddenly and violently and grief is nonchalantly swept up along with the rest of the day’s street litter.
Rentaro Nakaaki and Julia Conway give dazzling performances as Romeo and Juliet respectively, their pain at being separated slowly morphing into the heartbreaking final scene in which they meet their deaths. The emotional resonance of their performances leaves you in stunned silence at how ballet can so adroitly convey human emotion. However, this is very much a collective production. Also of note in the cast are Henry Dowden as Lord Capulet who refuses to accept the love match between the two teenagers and pays the ultimate sacrifice for his gnawing despair and rage; and Laura Hussey as the nurse bedevilled by both Capulet and Montagues and the butt of their pranks. It is a spirited and jesting performance.
The energy and vibrancy of the set pieces with their inventive choreography, together with the impressive majesty of the set depicting ‘fair Verona’, work to render a timeless tale into a modern saga we can all relate to. A must-see show.