Film Review: Royal Ballet - Romeo and Juliet

There is a reason why Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet remains a titan of storytelling, romance and tragedy today, and why it continually remains at the forefront of our cultural consciousness through its various adaptations. Of course performances of Romeo and Juliet in its original play format can always be found in production, from high school amateurs to seasoned professionals, and the star crossed lovers have also graced the silver screen every few years or so (although we clearly peaked in the film department with Baz Luhrmann’s 96’ interpretation), but it does not stop there. Not only are there play and film adaptations of Romeo and Juliet, but television shows, songs, and even graphic novels. 

Now I am by no means bashing these versions, each iteration is able to bring a further sense of depth or nuance to an already incredibly gripping tale. However I find that these formats are all limited in their capacity to bring the one thing a story with the scale of Romeo and Juliet demands; drama. Romeo and Juliet is above all a dramatic tragedy. The characters are dramatic, the plot is dramatic, the ending is perhaps the most dramatic ending to any story ever told. Drama is seeped into every moment of this story, and if this is to be accurately conveyed, ballet is the only appropriate vehicle. 

This was a recurring thought I had whilst watching Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet performed by The Royal Ballet; there is so much damn drama. From the moment the show begins, opening with the fateful fight that would begin the epic feud between the Montague and Capulet clans, the operatic drama of the ballet quite literally floods the senses. MacMillan’s innovative and masterful understanding of the human body imbues each step with a purpose that progresses the story along at a thrilling pace. Designs by Nicholas Georgiadis set the time and place firmly in the Renaissance era whilst simultaneously, through use of lighting and shadows, recalling a more Gothic tone that foreshadows the inevitably grim and macabre climax of the piece.   

Your eyes feel essentially full, as if you had just had a deliciously large meal, after being saturated by the decadence of the costuming. Rich and warm velvets are heaped and draped over the ensemble cast, in colours of blood red, deep sages and burnt orange, whilst our principal dancers Marcelino Sambe and Anna-Rose O’Sullivan often dance in lighter sky blues, whites and rich creams, colours found on no other dancers throughout the performance, and as such exemplifying the ‘destined’ nature of their relationship. If you are even slightly interested in the art of ballet or dance in general, I highly recommend watching this performance, if only for the pas de deux of the two principal dancers, both of whom can fairly safely be labelled as the epitome of ballet excellence. 

I would be remiss to not mention the sweeping yet commanding accompanying score by Prokofiev, every note of which is imperative to heightening the urgency and heartbreak of Romeo and Juliet’s tale. When you would be happy to listen to the music on its own, because the sounds are so evocative that you can practically see the story taking place in your mind, you know that you are in the presence of something truly iconic. 

But still I return to the actual dancing itself, for if grand emotions are to be conveyed, what better way than with every muscle in your body? Watching an athlete in their absolute prime give quite literally the performance of a lifetime inevitably moves you as an audience member. Watching Romeo attempt to recreate his prior dance with Juliet, but this time with her (seemingly) lifeless body, and feeling his pain with every convulsion and movement stirs up a visceral, more primal and immediate reaction than if we were simply watching him cry or scream. Something about the way in which audience members are made to implicitly understand and know what the dancers on-stage are feeling, without the use of words creates an unparalleled symbiosis between performer and viewer that is rarely found elsewhere in art. This connection alone is powerful at any ballet, say a Nutcracker or a Sleeping Beauty, but when paired with the devastatingly beautiful heartbreak of Romeo and Juliet, creates an immersive viewing experience that is entirely unmissable. 

Royal Ballet: Romeo and Juliet is showing at select locations 26th Feb, 27th Feb and 2nd March. For tickets and more info click here.