ENB Romeo and Juliet

[cavycapers]

Woohoo, I am beyond excited at the prospect of seeing Alina Cojacaru as Juliet tomorrow, at the Bristol Hippodrome. I shall also be very interested to see Lauretta Somerscales on Friday.

[southerndancemum]

How do you find out who is in which performance before getting there?

 

Off to see them on 28th Oct at the Mayflower and i'd love to see Lauretta as followed her progress as a friend of mine knows her.

[Jan McNulty]

There is a casting tab on the information page.  You just need to look at it for the theatre you are going to:

 

http://www.ballet.org.uk/whats-on/romeojuliet/

[southerndancemum]

There is a casting tab on the information page.  You just need to look at it for the theatre you are going to:

 

http://www.ballet.org.uk/whats-on/romeojuliet/

 

Thank you !! couldnt see that on my small phone screen LOL

Sadly we wont see Lauretta this time by the looks of it.

[cavycapers]

Alina was divine. She is in a whole other stratosphere. I think there might have been someone called Romeo there as well.

 

I saw very little to move me in the relationship of R and J, though, unfortunately.

 

The most moving moment of the whole night was the pas de deux between Romeo and Benvolio, on learning of Juliet's death. That made me cry.

Edited October 14, 2015 by cavycapers

[alison]

I saw very little to move me in the relationship of R and J, though, unfortunately.

 

That's the trouble with this production, I always find.

[cavycapers]

Yes, the first two acts are quite strange. One feels one has wandered into a comedy by mistake. Far too many cod piece jokes and jolly japes. There is no light and shade in these acts, no building of tension, so that when the darkness (literally in some places) of the third act comes, it is too huge a contrast. Although I don't think I breathed through any of that last act.

 

Alina is the only ballerina I have her seen where I don't notice she is dancing en pointe, it is such a natural part of her. Sell your granny, put your children up chimneys to get to see her only other performance as Juliet this run, Manchester I think?

Edited October 14, 2015 by cavycapers

[capybara]

Alina Cojocaru, Isaac Hernandez, and Cesar Corrales were all wonderful. However, the production and some of the dance moves take a bit of getting used to (especially after one has been to several performances of the Macmillan version at the ROH recently).

 

With reference to another thread, Alina simply was Juliet - not someone dancing the role.

[Mummykool]

With reference to another thread, Alina simply was Juliet - not someone dancing the role.

Yes she lived  the role and was truly sublime. Its a shame her Romeo, although a lovely dancer, wore an inane grin almost throughout the entire ballet. This was made more obvious by the way Caesar Corrales threw himself  heart and soul into the role of Mercutio. He is still a teenager and definitely one to watch.

Incidentally, with reference to the same other thread as Capybara, Alina's Juliet also 'died' with perfectly pointed feet!

[cavycapers]

I am seeing four different casts in Bristol, so I shall try try try to like this production. I like the little vignettes though, particularly the one where Juliet is trying to decide between the dagger and poison, and is tossed about between the dead Tybalt and Mercutio.

 

No reviews that I can see in the Nationals? Only a couple of reviews in local papers. Seems strange.

 

I'm not sure that it was just the production that left me feeling a lack of passion between R and J. Alina was passionate for the both of them, but as Mummykool said, although a lovely dancer and visually a perfect Romeo, Isaac Hernandez had one expression. Maybe this production gives Mercutio more of an opportunity to display his character than Romeo, but Isaac reminded me of my sixteen year old cousin, reticent and unsure, nothing to incite the level of passion that the lovely Juliet displayed.

[Jan McNulty]

No reviews that I can see in the Nationals? Only a couple of reviews in local papers. Seems strange.

 

 

 

I'm not surprised at all; many of the national newspapers are cutting expenses on arts coverage and often will not let their reviewers travel to see companies outside London.  BRB and NB often have press performances at matinees so any critics who do escape from London can get back the same day.

[cavycapers]

Shocking. What does a return train ticket and a night at the Premier Inn, when they have loads of notice, booked well in advance cost? Very little.

Edited October 16, 2015 by cavycapers

[alison]

You could get to Brum and back for about 6 quid each way.  *And* that should include free wi-fi on the train.  The Hippodrome is within walking distance of both New Street and Moor Street stations 

[cavycapers]

Yep, Alison, I'm thinking if I can travel to London, Birmingham etc, and I frequently do, on my meager income, then they can!

 

I don't know how they have the cheek not to go to Bristol to review someone of the importance of Alina C doing Juliet. Maybe there will be something in the Sundays.

[AnneMarriott]

I'm not sure if it's a question of cost, but rather of the lack of a train back to London after the show. Perhaps the critics don't want the inconvenience of an overnight stay, or even worse, hanging around for hours at the station waiting for the milk train just for the chance to review what has not proved a universally popular production.

 

Bruce drove to Bristol and back so no timing or transport difficulties. His problem was being trapped in his seat for 3+ hours because he was in the middle of a row, empty apart from a few seats at either end occupied by people with disabilities who had been assured when they booked that they would not have to stand up to let people by. An unusual variation on the theme of seating choices!

[Jan McNulty]

I'm not defending the critics but if their employers will not pay them, as I know from my own travels, it is an expensive business. It is not so easy to book well in advance if you do not know when the press performance is going to be and it is not always easy to book into a budget hotel at reasonable cost even if you have plenty of notice.

 

Furthermore, but slightly changing the slant of this, there are many other dancers who should be reviewed who do not dance press performances as a matter of course. Before the category was changed, a favourite dancer of mine was nominated as "best newcomer" when he was already an established principal but did not often dance at the press performances. The touring companies rarely get the luxury of having more than one cast reviewed! Rant over!

[capybara]

Impressive Romeo debuts yesterday from Yonah Acosta (matinee) and Esteban Berlanga (who missed out 5 years ago through injury).

 

Ken Saruhashi was very good indeed as Mercutio at the matinee - completely different from Cesar Corrales the night before, but equally effective.

 

Erina Takahashi has danced Juliet many times but she is superb.

 

I agree that the production takes a bit of getting used to and has its longuers.

[cavycapers]

Well done Lauretta Somerscales, a lovely debut as Juliet, and we'll done Max Westwell, I was very moved by his Romeo. I believe he was also not due to dance tonight, so extra well done!

 

I am growing to like this production more and more, particularly act three, which is divine.

 

I have to mention Cesar Coralles again, as Mercutio. A wonderful dancer and fine actor, he steals every scene he is in. And only nineteen! A major talent of the future I think!

[alymer]

It's not necessarily even a question of paying travel expenses.  Most national papers have cut down on the space allowed for criticism of the "high arts".  So a critic might travel at his or her own expense to see a really terrific performance by Miss A or Mr B in say, Southampton, but still be unable to get anything published.  Furthermore, some companies are not that keen on letting a production be seen in what can be less than ideal conditions.  And as Janet says, travelling to see performances can be an expensive business and I think people might be surprised to learn how little some papers are prepared to pay their critics.  As an hourly rate it's pretty low.

[billboyd]

The critics at the ROH all look well fed.

[cavycapers]

I love the costumes of the ENB's R and J, the subtle greens and dusty pinks, and the beautiful tableau they create at the back of the stage during R and J's pas de deux, like some old master painting.

 

However, I think it's odd that Romeo and Paris are dressed so similarly. From a distance, particularly when the dancers are of similar build, like Max and Guilleme they look very similar. The group of people I was talking to were confused about whom they were watching in the third act, in the wedding dance and in the tomb.

Edited October 16, 2015 by cavycapers

[Tony Newcombe]

I also thought Laurretta Summerscales was wonderful but did find the similarity in some of the costumes annoying. However Romeo's costume was quite distinct. Then again it would be wouldn't it being a Nureyev production. I liked the dancers but not the production. Oh for the Ashton version that they used to dance in the nineties.

[bangorballetboy]

The critics at the ROH all look well fed.

Your point being?

[billboyd]

 people might be surprised to learn how little some papers are prepared to pay their critics.  As an hourly rate it's pretty low.

BBB -My post was in response to this comment.

[alymer]

That's because they have other jobs in order to pay the rent.  I can assure you that in this country at least you can't make a living as a dance critic!

[Rod Jones]

This is not my favourite ballet, and not my favourite choreographic interpretation either, but... I went along anyway, and an early performance at Bristol seemed to confirm my prejudices: tricky steps that are hard for dancers to make flow, periods where you start thinking about other things, it just seemed a little lacklustre. Nearby were two French people muttering "affreux" from time to time, then going backstage at the intervals! I assume they had some notes to pass on, because when I came back on Saturday for the matinee, it was like a different show altogether, sharp, powerful, energy levels high, acting and characterisation in place, the orchestra (conducted superbly by Misato Tomita) kicking up a storm... I was riveted till the curtain came down on Begona and Esteban, two wonderful performances in the lead roles. I'm glad I overcame my misgivings about this production, and if you have had similar reservations - overcome them!

[capybara]

Nearby were two French people muttering "affreux" from time to time, then going backstage at the intervals! I assume they had some notes to pass on, because when I came back on Saturday for the matinee, it was like a different show altogether, sharp, powerful, energy levels high, acting and characterisation in place, the orchestra (conducted superbly by Misato Tomita) kicking up a storm... 

 

These two 'French people' were probably Elisabeth Maurin (the first Juliet when Nureyev mounted the ballet in Paris) and Lionel Delanoe (who danced Mercutio for the Paris Opera Ballet). Together, they were responsible for staging R & J for ENB so they had a high stake in how it was going.

[cavycapers]

That's very interesting. I assumed that I enjoyed the production more as the week went on because I was getting used to it! The parts that irritated me on the first night enchanted me later. Interesting to know that there may have been other forces at work.

 

Whilst I don't think I'll ever love acts one and two as much as the Macmillan, I think I maybe even prefer act three.

 

Juliet, Paris and Lord and Lady Capulet's dance; the dreamy wedding sequence; Romeo hearing the news of Juliet's death from Benvolio, and flinging himself backwards into his arms (3 times!) in his grief.

 

It does make me wonder why, though, in the morning bedroom pas de deux, Juliet is on the bed but Romeo enters the bedroom, even thouh they have presumably had their wedding night together. It always makes me think he'd nipped out for a pee!

Edited October 20, 2015 by cavycapers

[Irmgard]

As I wanted to see all four casts scheduled for Milton Keynes, there was nothing for it but to spend Friday and Saturday there so that I could see them all in two days, including Alison McWhinney’s debut as Juliet. I have loved Nureyev’s production since I first saw it on its second outing after the 1977 premiere.  With its sun-drenched sets, beautifully evocative costumes clearly delineating the Veronese families and their households, and the vibrant, blissfully harlot-free street scenes which exploited the exceptional dramatic abilities of the London Festival Ballet dancers at that time, it would rate as my favourite production apart from one thing: the choreography for the title characters.  Nureyev’s waning technique and ballon, his obsession with fussy terre-a-terre steps and his reluctance to lift his partner resulted in frustrating choreography that can look awkward and be a thankless task for the dancers, so the success of each performance very much depends on the artistic imagination and talent of the dancers to make dramatic sense of the movement.  Happily, I have seen many ‘silk purse’ performances over the years, including the four I have just seen.

 

Alison McWhinney has always had a quiet elegance and sweetness to her dancing and there was a charming demureness to her Juliet in Act I in which she seemed in awe of all the men in her life, including the handsome and tender Paris of James Forbat.  When her world is shattered by the death of her beloved cousin Tybalt, her outpouring of grief was therefore all the more devastating and her distress at being forced to accept marriage to Paris was heartbreaking.  She was well matched by the always excellent Max Westwell as her Romeo.  With a physique and a heart-melting smile reminiscent of Patrick Swayze, his Romeo for me embodies the first line of the song in the Zefirelli film:“What is a youth?  Impetuous fire!” There was an effortlessness and exuberance to his dancing that was maintained throughout this most exhausting of roles (Nureyev knew that most of the audience in 1977 were there mainly to see him and he certainly gave them their money’s worth with barely a moment of stillness for Romeo!). Because Westwell’s Romeo is such an affable chap, the brutality of his stabbing of Tybalt, after being goaded beyond endurance,  actually made some of the ladies in the row in front of me gasp in horror.  A revelation in this performance was the Mercutio of Pedro Lapetra.  He is such a natural in the role and gave such an accomplished performance that I was surprised to find it was his debut.  He breezed through the fast and furious choreography (created for the charming and technically brilliant Nicholas Johnson) with a comic wit and charm that lit up the whole theatre, and his death scene was particularly moving.

 

On Friday evening, the ballet was lifted to a whole new level with the performances in the title roles of Begona Cao and Esteban Berlanga making a very welcome return as Guest Artist.  The extraordinary chemistry between these two has been evident since their first “Swan Lake” together in 2008. Berlanga has an arabesque to die for, not only in its technical perfection but also in its expressive beauty.  Cao is equally blessed and, being perfectly matched in both physique and temperament, it was a joy to see them make dramatic and choreographic sense of the usually awkward pas deux, especially the bedroom pas de deux with every fibre of their being at one in expressing their despair at parting. There followed a very powerful scene with Tamarin Stott as the Nurse and Stina Quagebeur as Lady Capulet as the two try to persuade Juliet to put on the wedding dress, symbolising her acceptance of Paris.  Frustrated, Lady Capulet slaps Juliet.  These three wonderful actresses know how much can be conveyed in a moment of stillness and used it to devastating effect here with Cao’s luminous eyes silently reproaching the Nurse for her knowing betrayal and her mother for her unwitting betrayal.  Stott’s Nurse is a finely detailed character, capable of great comedy, especially the scene where Mercutio and Benvolio thwart her attempts to deliver Juliet’s letter to Romeo.  All four dancers were so in tune with each other here that the snatching of the letter from the Nurse’s bosom was timed to comic perfection and led to a very funny moment when Stott searches her person for the letter.   Another very strong performance came from Fabian Reimair as Tybalt.  Too often sidelined these days into character roles (at which he excels), Reimair had the chance to show off the powerful virility of his dancing in the fight scenes, whilst still showing himself to be the tenderest of cousins in Juliet’s first scene.  His hotheaded pursuit of Romeo in the mistaken belief that he is defending Juliet’s honour, and his goading of Romeo into fighting him after he has killed Mercutio made for a tremendously heartstopping fight scene between the two of them.  In Nureyev’s production, there is no long drawn out death for Tybalt with melodramatic death throes and it is therefore all the more shocking.  The lucky Southampton audiences have two chances to see the Cao/Berlanga partnership before he returns to Madrid and rehearsals of “Don Quixote”.  In Manchester, Cao will be partnered by James Forbat, making his debut in the role. 

 

The Saturday matinee was dominated by the magnificent Tybalt of Junor Souza.  From his first entrance brandishing his sword, the power of his personality and his immaculate dancing eclipsed all the other men onstage.  But he not only showed Tybalt’s soft side in his first scene with Juliet but also a sexual frisson with Lady Capulet (the very elegant Sarah Kundi) in the ballroom scene as she calms him down after Lord Capulet has frustrated his attempt to attack Romeo.  In Act II, he turned his fluffed stabbing by Romeo into a death scene that was an artistic triumph with a look of shock and disbelief on his face as he realises he is dying.  Romeo at this performance was danced by Yonah Acosta who concentrated more on the steps than the character, which was a shame as his Juliet was the very responsive Erina Takahashi, but hopefully in time his acting will match his brilliant dancing.  Takahashi always dances sublimely and her petite stature lends an added vulnerability to the 14-year-old Juliet as her childhood innocence is snatched away from her and she has to literally grow up overnight, all superbly portrayed by Takahashi.    

 

Saturday evening saw Max Westwell in his second performance of Romeo in two days, yet dancing with tremendous energy and absolutely nailing throwing himself backwards three times into the arms of Benvolio (Guilherme Menezes on excellent form) in Act III, reminiscent of Nureyev at his very best.  His is a Romeo with a real zest for life, just like his Juliet, Laurretta Summerscales in her third performance of the run.  Her Juliet enjoyed everything with girlish glee and a joyful smile, particularly the attentions of Paris and then Romeo, and she showed a charming surprised delight at every contact with Romeo in the ballroom scene. But she was particularly impressive in the moments of drama, especially her reaction to Tybalt’s death and, best of all, as her joy turns to grief when she realises Romeo is dead, which was tremendously moving.   Another outstanding portrayal in this performance was the Mercutio of Ken Saruhashi.  By turns debonair and insouciant, he was as mercurial as his name suggests but when stabbed by the wonderfully arrogant Tybalt of James Streeter, Saruhashi’s demise was truly tragic and provoked a very powerful expression of grief from Westwell.

 

The street scenes that I love so much improved with each performance so that, by Saturday evening the escalation of the feud between the rival servants from exchange of insults to physical combat was extremely realistic and it was good to see this carried over into Act II so they were all itching for another fight by the time Tybalt confronts Romeo. Throughout the performances, the orchestra made Prokofiev’s score glow with vitality, whether under the baton of maestro Gavin Sutherland or guest conductor Misato Tomita.

[alison]

A revelation in this performance was the Mercutio of Pedro Lapetra.  He is such a natural in the role and gave such an accomplished performance that I was surprised to find it was his debut.  He breezed through the fast and furious choreography (created for the charming and technically brilliant Nicholas Johnson) with a comic wit and charm that lit up the whole theatre, and his death scene was particularly moving.

 

On Friday evening, the ballet was lifted to a whole new level with the performances in the title roles of Begona Cao and Esteban Berlanga making a very welcome return as Guest Artist. 

 

I'm not sure which of those two aspects gives me the most pleasure   Certainly I'm delighted to see Lapetra getting a meaty role for once.  I remember watching him playing a beggar in Manon, seeing how detailed and intelligent his portrayal was and hoping someone would give him more to do.  Okay, I'm sold: a trip to Southampton beckons on Friday  

[simonbfisher]

Irmgard - thank you for such a full review : as I shall be seeing three casts in Southampton over the next two days it has given me much to think about (and look forward to!)

[Irmgard]

I'm not sure which of those two aspects gives me the most pleasure   Certainly I'm delighted to see Lapetra getting a meaty role for once.  I remember watching him playing a beggar in Manon, seeing how detailed and intelligent his portrayal was and hoping someone would give him more to do.  Okay, I'm sold: a trip to Southampton beckons on Friday

Alison, If I were not otherwise engaged this week, I'd join you in a heartbeat on Friday and watch tonight's performance as well!

[Timmie]

 Saturday evening saw Max Westwell in his second performance of Romeo in two days, yet dancing with tremendous energy and absolutely nailing throwing himself backwards three times into the arms of Benvolio (Guilherme Menezes on excellent form) in Act III, reminiscent of Nureyev at his very best.  His is a Romeo with a real zest for life, just like his Juliet, Laurretta Summerscales in her third performance of the run.  Her Juliet enjoyed everything with girlish glee and a joyful smile, particularly the attentions of Paris and then Romeo, and she showed a charming surprised delight at every contact with Romeo in the ballroom scene. But she was particularly impressive in the moments of drama, especially her reaction to Tybalt’s death and, best of all, as her joy turns to grief when she realises Romeo is dead, which was tremendously moving.   Another outstanding portrayal in this performance was the Mercutio of Ken Saruhashi.  By turns debonair and insouciant, he was as mercurial as his name suggests but when stabbed by the wonderfully arrogant Tybalt of James Streeter, Saruhashi’s demise was truly tragic and provoked a very powerful expression of grief from Westwell.

 

Lovely reviews Irmgard, I was at the Saturday evening show and I totally agree with your comments above. I have underlined the sentence which describes what I thought was the most amazing and agonising part to watch (in a good way!) of Summerscales's performance.

 

I agree the ENB orchestra were excellent (I think the MK Theatre acoustics help). I was a bit worried about the number of props flying around on the stage above the orchestra though. And I hope they did a good risk assessment for that big cart at the beginning – I could just imagine it rolling into the pit!