Was there ever a more perfect ballet score than Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet? It has to be right up there with Tchaikovsky’s big three (Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker). The romantic, sweeping melodies for the young lovers, the thrilling sword fights depicted in the music and the sheer grandeur of the piece never fail to move. So it is the ideal work to open the Royal Ballet’s first full season since March 2020 – and how the packed auditorium cheered when the lights went down!
With plenty of performances of this modern classic scheduled over the next few months, most of the company’s top dancers will be taking a turn at the lead roles. On the opening night, Francesca Hayward and Cesar Corrales (partners in real life too) danced the doomed lovers and brought their own special magic to the ballet.
At first Hayward – looking tiny and fragile - is tentative and shy, a Juliet more interested in playing with her doll than meeting a prospective suitor. But once she sets her eyes upon Romeo, all that changes. Her dancing soars, she leaps into his arms in the famous balcony pas de deux and her movements explode with passion.
The company is in top form and the big crowd numbers work well; in particular, the Mandolin Dance looks good (some people hate it, but I just love that music) and the sword fights look viciously realistic. At the performance I saw, Matthew Ball was a nasty Tybalt, making the most of his death, and Marcelino Sambe almost stole the show with his technically impressive Mercutio.
There are lighter moments too, in the bawdy dancing with Juliet’s Nurse and the harlots, but at the core of the ballet are the lovers’ pas de deux and these remain the outstanding part of the evening. Kenneth MacMillan’s choreography shines with a romantic intensity and is surely the reason why his version of the ballet has been such a success, not only with this company, but around the world.
Romeo and Juliet is at the Royal Opera House until 24 October and then between 10 January - 24 February 2022. There will be a cinema relay on 14 Feb 2022. www.roh.org.uk
