The Royal Ballet: Romeo and Juliet, Spring 2019

[aliceinwoolfland]

55 minutes ago, alison said:

 

Was there?  I didn't notice one where I was.  I did belatedly wonder, however, from the cheering from the rear amphi, if half of Liverpool had come down again  

I did think it a bit unfair that they didn't even get a second curtain call, though.

I was in the orchestra stalls, near the front, and pretty much everyone behind me was standing 😊

[capybara]

44 minutes ago, bridiem said:

Oh for goodness sake. If it came to the absolute worst, it would be better for the evening performance to start a few minutes late rather than to curtail deserved curtain calls.

 

The technicians rule, OK?

Yes, really. It's actually amazing that they now 'allow' there to be less than 3 hours between matinees and evening shows.

[penelopesimpson]

I was in K and nearly everyone was on their feet - front, back and sides.  Personally, I would hang the Apparatchik who decided that another minute on a curtain call would be breaking the rules.  This was an exceptional performance of great Art which had so engaged hundreds of people that they were on their feet cheering.  He/she seems to have got it muddled up with shift change on the processed cheese slices production belt.  I want their name!

 

Sorry, Mr. Nureyev, but our blokes are overdue their tea.  Bah.

Edited June 1, 2019 by penelopesimpson

[Xandra Newman]

It felt really unfair not only to all those people who stood up to give the dancers a standing ovation and show their appreciation but also for Yasmine and Matthew's curtain calls to be cut short. 

[Sim]

Agree.  A final curtain call would have taken about three minutes, and lord knows they deserved one. 😤😤

[Tony Newcombe]

They will probably get a few the cinema broadcast 

Edited June 1, 2019 by Tony Newcombe
Bloody spellcheck getting it wrong

[Sim]

I hope so Tony...but at 1030 pm they have to turn into pumpkins again....

[pasdedeux]

I remember Naghdi and Ball’s 2015 debut - incidentally on my birthday! - with a great deal of clarity. I was a university student then, and had just fallen tremendously in love with someone who ultimately was perhaps the right person but situationally wasn’t the right fit for me. I had watched nearly every Romeo cast that run and the clarity, the freshness and awestruck breathlessness of that matinee struck me deeply. It remains my favourite RB performance.

 

Today’s matinee was very good. Both have come a long way since that debut as soloists. Ball in particular has come leaps and bounds - is acting is involved and convincing. I felt his interest in Rosaline was true and also when he met eyes with Juliet, it wasn’t a superficial fancy but a sort of heart rending, earth shaking moment. He is sensitive to the production and incredibly involved in every crowd scene. His ball solo variation was a real stolen moment - not of peacocking (which I felt Hallberg and Corrales were slightly) but that he forgot the consequence of being at the Capulet’s ball in the face of this interesting girl. Ball has not always convinced me in every role (e.g. I found him very underpowered in Swan Lake), but there is no mistaking that he is a remarkable Romeo.

 

Yasmine’s Juliet is wondrous in the arms of her Romeo and flies freely in the balcony pdd. She however, unlike that first outing 4 years ago, doesn’t carry Act 3 that well, an act that is driven by Juliet. There is no sense of moving anticipation, lifted by the soaring Prokofiev score, when she sits alone on the edge of her bed. She took her green cloak and very slowly and perfunctorily ran out. During the death pdd, she was too pretty and poised for a corpse. And finally, she stabbed herself so politely, like an obedient schoolgirl it was hard to believe she was the recipient of this great love. I cried at the end of the balcony pdd but not in the tomb. Her interpretation was so fresh and romantic last run - now she has become distinctly more classical. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but for me she is a weaker Juliet for it.

 

I try not to compare separate casts, but for what it’s worth, in the Osipova/Hallberg interpretation, I didn’t believe their initial infatuation as much (Hallberg struck me more as a cad than a romantic youth) but my god did Osipova pour her soul into Juliet. Frantic, unpretty, and honest, you could almost hear the dirt scraping underneath her nails when she pulled herself across the tomb to look at Romeo one last time. She was mesmerised and yet so afraid of the poison when she received it - hints of Anastasia act 3 in her interpretation there - and so powerful in her resolve. Naghdi got some laughs during her reluctant Act III pdd with Paris which goes to show - her portrayal of a protested betrothal lacked pathos and instead people found her going limp in his arms more the comical sulking of a young girl.

 

Avis’ Tybalt was perfect last run but now is a tad overacted - his motivation (pride? Anger? Stoic family values) are not as clear as Hirano and Ball’s excellent new interpretations. Christine was superb as Lady Capulet, a real scene stealer. Zucchetti, compared to Hay is really underpowered and not great acting output either. 

Edited June 1, 2019 by pasdedeux

[alison]

I guess I may have missed a lot of the fine detail through being up in the amphi this afternoon, then.

[alison]

On ‎31‎/‎05‎/‎2019 at 17:26, penelopesimpson said:

Xandra, thank you again.  I had lyrical all wrong assuming it was all about flowing lines and the ability to portray emotion.  I shall be able to watch tomorrow with your definition in mind. 

 

Is that actually a distinction between "lyric" and "lyrical"?

[Rob S]

 

From tonight's performance, loved Juliet, still not keen on Romeo

Edited June 1, 2019 by Rob S

[Shade]

Osipova is a great Juliet of our time

[capybara]

6 hours ago, Shade said:

Osipova is a great Juliet of our time

 

Not denying that but so are Hayward, Naghdi, O'Sullivan and Takada. [Alphabetical order!]

[Sim]

And Stix-Brunell!

[Geoff]

13 hours ago, Xandra Newman said:

Since Lady MacMillan approved and entrusted Naghdi and Ball with the R&J live cinema relay

 

Good to know who’s really running the company! Does she have wider responsibilities or just in the MacMillan rep?

[capybara]

37 minutes ago, Geoff said:

 

Good to know who’s really running the company! Does she have wider responsibilities or just in the MacMillan rep?

 

Lady MacMillan is not the only 'owner' of ballets to wield  'final say' influence over casting.

[penelopesimpson]

8 hours ago, Rob S said:

 

From tonight's performance, loved Juliet, still not keen on Romeo

Tell us more.  Would love to have seen her.

[Rob S]

16 minutes ago, penelopesimpson said:

Tell us more.  Would love to have seen her.

 

I’m not really knowledgeable enough to give a review like others here do but she’s definitely top of the leaderboard for the Most Purposeful Dash To A Poison Supplier and Most Anguished Face Seeing Dead Romeo awards, ahead of four other candidates I’ve seen with only Yasmine still to judge. 

[MRR]

I'll write a detailed review when I get a chance, but Osipova, in the best sense, almost seemed to improvise the entire third act, creating the story right in front of our eyes. Especially her death scene was unforgettable.

[JNC]

Osipova was a marvellous Juliet - very 'bouncy', youthful exuberance, such energy! Even up in the amphi you could feel her emotion. I always forget how high she can jump (Bolshoi!) and that there is great technique behind the energy. 

 

Hallberg was very clean and elegant and yes, a bit more reserved. There were a few moments where their partnership came alive through their closeness in the pdd but they did seem a bit mismatched at times (Osipova coming from the angle of young crazy love and all over the place, and Hallberg seeming a bit more serious). 

 

Hallberg was good - you could tell he's got fantastic technique and is incredibly elegant. However, I felt he seemed to struggle with some of the earlier higher lifts (they just didn't look effortless and he seemed conscious of Osipova's weight - not that she would be heavy! - and or not dropping her). You could tell the immense respect they feel for each other in the curtain calls, which in some ways I found more moving than in the ballet itself (not sure this is a good thing...).

 

Overall I enjoyed it and glad I was able to see their partnership live. I also saw Hayward and Corrales and I think I preferred their version of young passionate love (although I went to see their debut which was incredibly promising but I felt one of their second or third performances would have really been better to go to as that's when it seemed to have really ignited!). Also Hayward and Corrales had the excellent supporting cast of Sambe/Ball etc which I think added an overall element of a fantastic performance.

 

Perhaps I always feel I'm missing something a bit with RJ because it's not one of my favourite ballets - I find there to be not enough 'pure dance' (I prefer Manon or one of the classic ballets in this respect). I don't think it necessarily helps perhaps that I'm also up in the amphi which means I struggle to catch a lot of facial expressions which makes me feel that I often miss certain nuances etc. I am going to try and catch the live screening of Ball/Naghdi as this may help me feel the passion being able to see their faces! 

 

Coincidentally I am also going to see Osipova/Hallberg in A Month in the Country so it will be interesting to see them again for comparison - I didn't book for them but it will be interesting. I doubt I'd necessarily book to see Osipova/Hallberg again in future as I have other casts that I prefer but I wouldn't rule it out and think perhaps Hallberg would be suited to other types of roles the involve more princely/elegant characteristics rather than the young fiery passion of Romeo, so perhaps Sleeping Beauty or even the 'good' and pure Des Grieux would play to his strengths more. 

Edited June 2, 2019 by JNC

[annamk]

58 minutes ago, Rob S said:

 

I’m not really knowledgeable enough to give a review like others here 

 

Dear Rob S no ! Don't feel you can't comment if you would like to say something. There are many different levels of knowledge on this board, some people have been going for years but have never danced a step themselves (me !) and others it seems to me to me must be ex dancers such is their knowledge of the detail. Personally, I enjoy reading all the different ways of seeing ! 

[penelopesimpson]

Lovely balanced review, JNC.  Thank you.

[JNC]

8 minutes ago, annamk said:

 

Dear Rob S no ! Don't feel you can't comment if you would like to say something. There are many different levels of knowledge on this board, some people have been going for years but have never danced a step themselves (me !) and others it seems to me to me must be ex dancers such is their knowledge of the detail. Personally, I enjoy reading all the different ways of seeing ! 

 

Rob - I think the whole point of the forum is for people to share their views (of course only if they wish to do so!) and agree with  annamk that I enjoy reading reviews. I personally don’t have a good technical knowledge of ballet and wouldn’t be able to describe particular movements/positions, which whilst certainty they can add additional detail for those who do know (or those who want to find out more), it doesn’t detract from anything if you don’t! (If that makes sense!).

 

I for one find it really interesting the different responses people have (eg Osipova/Hallberg seemed to have a lot of contrasting reviews, and one person was brave enough to say they didn’t enjoy Naghdi/Ball as much as the others had despite the countless glowing reviews). Dancers are all different, and we as the audience also have different preferences and notice different things and that’s part of what makes it so interesting! 

[bridiem]

12 minutes ago, annamk said:

 

Dear Rob S no ! Don't feel you can't comment if you would like to say something. There are many different levels of knowledge on this board, some people have been going for years but have never danced a step themselves (me !) and others it seems to me to me must be ex dancers such is their knowledge of the detail. Personally, I enjoy reading all the different ways of seeing ! 

 

Me too! Anything from 'Wow' to a long erudite review is welcome! The more the better.

[bridiem]

2 minutes ago, JNC said:

Rob - I think the whole point of the forum is for people to share their views (of course only if they wish to do so!) and agree with  annamk that I enjoy reading reviews. I personally don’t have a good technical knowledge of ballet and wouldn’t be able to describe particular movements/positions, which whilst certainty they can add additional detail for those who do know (or those who want to find out more), it doesn’t detract from anything if you don’t! (If that makes sense!).

 

I for one find it really interesting the different responses people have (eg Osipova/Hallberg seemed to have a lot of contrasting reviews, and one person was brave enough to say they didn’t enjoy Naghdi/Ball as much as the others had despite the countless glowing reviews). Dancers are all different, and we as the audience also have different preferences and notice different things and that’s part of what makes it so interesting! 

 

Spot on, JNC! If I could have 'Liked' this twice, I would have!

[SPD444]

Yesterday was a first for me.  I attended both performances so watching the "same" ballet on the same day ( SCS for both ) was a revelation. I put quotation marks around "same" because the interpretation of the leads, particularly Juliet, could not have been more different. To my untrained eyes both beautifully danced but a revelation in that the steps were the same but the emotion/interpretation totally different. Jasmine Nagdhi was very childlike to begin with and innocent/submissive in her relationships with her Romeo and her family whereas Natalia Osipova was very bolshie/aggressive in her relationships. I will leave the technical stuff to those who are far more qualified to interpret but for sheer impact Natalia has it in spades. I did feel a little sympathy for Mr Hallberg at times because he was responsible for this force of nature that is Natalia and he must have been very conscious that this girl is coming at you so you had better be ready.

The balcony pdd in the first act and the whole of Act 3 was totally owned by Natalia's Juliet and it did leave a deep impression on me, a tour de force of emotion and power, the silent scream will live with me for a long time.

Huge well done to all the performers, a large number did both shows, and to the orchestra as well, the horns hit the notes even if the brass was a bit Morcambe and Wise ish ( all the right notes etc ).

Well done to JNC whose review was what I would like to have been able to write.

[JohnS]

A train journey home and chance to catch up on posts after a draining double R&J and collect my thoughts.

 

The matinee was very much Naghdi/Ball, the first chance to see them since that fabulous debut in October 2015, my wife’s most treasured performance.  Yesterday was very fine and I am looking forward immensely to the live relay with the director selecting what we are to see.  Front row of the Orchestra Stalls has many attractions but with so much activity across the entire stage, it can be a little like watching a tennis match.  You can of course choose what to focus on and the detail is tremendous.  A couple of minor slips - Matthew Ball to me join Mercutio and Benvolio a beat too early when launching towards the front and I thought he was in danger of losing his dagger when confronting Paris in the tomb.  I agree with some of the comments about Yasmine’s rather ‘polite’ stabbing which I thought fractionally late.  But their whole journey together was wonderful to see at close quarters and it’s fabulous that their performance will be relayed.  It seems slightly odd to me that the broadcast is a full 10 days after their first performance and there are no other R&J performances since last night.  I’d like to think the reason for the gap is so that Yasmine isn’t having to cope with another deluge of bouquets although she is of course dancing Firebird etc.

 

Whilst I was transported by Romeo and Juliet, I was less impressed with some of the supporting cast.  I think we’ve had stronger Mercutios than Valentino Zucchetti and Tybalts than Gary Avis.  And it underlined for me that what made the Hayward/Corrales 2nd performance so compelling was the astonishing strength of all the principals and how well matched they were.

 

That need for consistency across the main principals also struck me in the evening’s performance.  Romeo (David Hallberg), Mercutio (James Hay) and Benvolio (Calvin Richardson) seemed rather mismatched to me - I couldn’t get ‘the unlikely lads’ out of my mind.  Yes some great dancing but not that camaraderie of some casts and not helped by height differences.  Ryoichi Hirano’s Tybalt was menacing.

 

This was a shame because last night we were treated to a truly visceral Juliet from Natalia Osipova, quite astonishing.  Rather than simply go limp/play dead when forced to dance with Paris, she demonstrated utter revulsion at the prospect, with her body desperate to get away from his holds.  Rob’s already referred to her manic dash from bedroom to Friar Laurence etc.  But there was also tangible deliberation in how she decided upon what she must do and how often in Act 3 she turned to look to Romeo’s exit from her bedroom.  Her stabbing was brutal and her death achingly beautiful in its resolution.  Despite being in the Balcony Stalls, I felt as if I were in the tomb as the slow curtain dropped.

 

It was very much Juliet’s performance last night and I couldn’t help thinking what might have had Romeo been more of a match.  David Hallberg was fine but given such a Juliet, I’d have preferred a much more spirited, energised Romeo.  I’d have loved to see Matthew Ball as Natalia Osipova’s Romeo ... but not on the same day as partnering Yasmine Naghdi.

 

And many thanks to the fabulous friends, harlots, and mandolins who add so much to the enjoyment, and to Pavel Sorokin and the Orchestra.

 

[Dawnstar]

3 hours ago, Rob S said:

I’m not really knowledgeable enough to give a review like others here do

I'd bet that you're more knowledgable than I am & goodness knows I've been rabbiting on enough in this thread!

 

It seems a shame that reports indicate that the cinecast isn't going to have the strongest supporting cast. Presumably once certain dancers have been promised the cinecast then it can't be taken away from them.

[penelopesimpson]

2 hours ago, JohnS said:

A train journey home and chance to catch up on posts after a draining double R&J and collect my thoughts.

 

The matinee was very much Naghdi/Ball, the first chance to see them since that fabulous debut in October 2015, my wife’s most treasured performance.  Yesterday was very fine and I am looking forward immensely to the live relay with the director selecting what we are to see.  Front row of the Orchestra Stalls has many attractions but with so much activity across the entire stage, it can be a little like watching a tennis match.  You can of course choose what to focus on and the detail is tremendous.  A couple of minor slips - Matthew Ball to me join Mercutio and Benvolio a beat too early when launching towards the front and I thought he was in danger of losing his dagger when confronting Paris in the tomb.  I agree with some of the comments about Yasmine’s rather ‘polite’ stabbing which I thought fractionally late.  But their whole journey together was wonderful to see at close quarters and it’s fabulous that their performance will be relayed.  It seems slightly odd to me that the broadcast is a full 10 days after their first performance and there are no other R&J performances since last night.  I’d like to think the reason for the gap is so that Yasmine isn’t having to cope with another deluge of bouquets although she is of course dancing Firebird etc.

 

Whilst I was transported by Romeo and Juliet, I was less impressed with some of the supporting cast.  I think we’ve had stronger Mercutios than Valentino Zucchetti and Tybalts than Gary Avis.  And it underlined for me that what made the Hayward/Corrales 2nd performance so compelling was the astonishing strength of all the principals and how well matched they were.

 

That need for consistency across the main principals also struck me in the evening’s performance.  Romeo (David Hallberg), Mercutio (James Hay) and Benvolio (Calvin Richardson) seemed rather mismatched to me - I couldn’t get ‘the unlikely lads’ out of my mind.  Yes some great dancing but not that camaraderie of some casts and not helped by height differences.  Ryoichi Hirano’s Tybalt was menacing.

 

This was a shame because last night we were treated to a truly visceral Juliet from Natalia Osipova, quite astonishing.  Rather than simply go limp/play dead when forced to dance with Paris, she demonstrated utter revulsion at the prospect, with her body desperate to get away from his holds.  Rob’s already referred to her manic dash from bedroom to Friar Laurence etc.  But there was also tangible deliberation in how she decided upon what she must do and how often in Act 3 she turned to look to Romeo’s exit from her bedroom.  Her stabbing was brutal and her death achingly beautiful in its resolution.  Despite being in the Balcony Stalls, I felt as if I were in the tomb as the slow curtain dropped.

 

It was very much Juliet’s performance last night and I couldn’t help thinking what might have had Romeo been more of a match.  David Hallberg was fine but given such a Juliet, I’d have preferred a much more spirited, energised Romeo.  I’d have loved to see Matthew Ball as Natalia Osipova’s Romeo ... but not on the same day as partnering Yasmine Naghdi.

 

And many thanks to the fabulous friends, harlots, and mandolins who add so much to the enjoyment, and to Pavel Sorokin and the Orchestra.

 

A great review John S which whets my appetite for Osipova - next time around.  I, too, had Ball in mind for her.

 

I share your view that what made the Hayward/Corrales performance so magnificent was the strength of the top tier of the ensemble.  I found Zucchetti rather lacking yesterday and appreciated Ball’s Tybalt more than Avis, but as Matthew can hardly fight with himself, I enjoyed the very different more thuggish character that Gary Avis gave us.  But I was there to see Naghdi and Ball and see them I did!

[Sharon]

5 hours ago, Rob S said:

 

I’m not really knowledgeable enough to give a review like others here do but she’s definitely top of the leaderboard for the Most Purposeful Dash To A Poison Supplier and Most Anguished Face Seeing Dead Romeo awards, ahead of four other candidates I’ve seen with only Yasmine still to judge. 

You may believe you are not 'really knowledgeable' but I for one love to read reviews about how the performance made you feel, your opinion wether it was good or bad. And I certainly appreciate your humour!

[Nogoat]

What a wonderful contrast in narrative ballets I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy over the past couple of weeks - at two ends of an entertainingly broad spectrum.

From the enigmatically alien, clinically sparse, cryptic crossword puzzle that was Medusa, to the raw, chaotic melee of blood, sweat and tears (and no doubt other bodily fluids, thankfully left to the imagination!) that is Romeo and Juliet.

And, boy, did we get a ‘raw’ Juliet last night, in more than one sense of the word – Osipova appeared at the curtain calls with what looked like a scraped knee, and blood splatters on her already-distressed costume.

I love narrative ballets - MacMillan ones in particular - for the interpretive freedom they give their dancers. The inevitable variation, coupled with inherent sensibilities of audience members, means that different things work for different people.

Osipova works for me. Osipova doesn’t work for everyone, but she works for enough people to make her the superstar that she undoubtedly is.

She works for me because I have never seen anyone make manifest, amplify and project their character's innermost feelings as she does; perhaps I’m emotionally hard-of-hearing compared to some, but I crave and react to strong acting in the same way I crave and react to perfect balances, fast fouettés and high jumps – I can't get enough!

Here’s couple of examples of why I loved Osipova's Juliet last night. Warning – this involves comparison with other dancers; but please see this in the light of what I said above - that different things pull different levers in different people. And, of course, my memories of those performances were laid down by the operation of those self-same levers.

The very first encounter between Romeo and Juliet…
Hayward was transfixed by Corrales, staring into his eyes, rooted to the stage as he circled her; likewise, Lamb by Muntagirov. Afterwards, both Hayward and Lamb were in ‘conversation’ with Paris, before being drawn across the stage towards Romeo – only to be intercepted by Anna Rose and her mandolin. Apart from Lamb ‘snapping out’ of her initial transfixion by Romeo (a wonderful touch as she had just started to raise herself on pointe), all of this is best characterised by the word ‘smooth’.

Here are young people, being passively lifted and carried by the irresistible tractor-beam grip of love at first sight.

 

In contrast, Osipova’s was the startled behaviour of a young animal encountering something for the first time – her feet, arms and head moved tentatively and spasmodically, as if trying to react and adapt to, to understand and even protect herself from the shock of this unknown but curiously enticing, potentially thrilling but potentially dangerous, novel experience. She became hyper-alert, her senses vigilant; when Romeo moved away, she gave Paris the most cursory courtesy then completely ignored him, cocking her head up and down, trying to locate Romeo. When she crossed the stage towards him, it wasn’t the smooth progression of magnetic attraction but cautious, active forays forward and stops to reassess her position and progress – she wanted more of the experience, but was scared of its raw, untapped power. This made all the difference for me – and it’s why Osipova works for me.

Act 3; Juliet sat on the bed…
An absolutely key point in the story of Juliet (and as mentioned in a previous post, I think this ballet is so much more about her than him that it should be called Juliet and Romeo, or even just Juliet) is when she takes full control of her narrative arc and makes the fateful decision to visit Friar Lawrence (it could be argued that she’s already taken control by arranging her marriage to Romeo, but that decision is taken off-stage so doesn’t really count from the point of view of the audience). It’s also been mentioned that her prior encounters with her parents and Paris show her taking control, but I see those more as her just having a tantrum (she does, after all, end up hiding under the bed clothes); though I’d like to mention that I thought Osipova was simply amazing in those sequences – she seemed to be at the mercy of powerful forces, and was propelled from parent to parent to nurse as if in some demented game of pinball!

But back to her sitting on the bed. In the majority of past performances, and also DVDs I have seen, Juliet sits motionless on the bed, staring out into space, while the music rises, falls, and swirls around to reflect the maelstrom of thoughts and emotions running through her head as she tries to think of a solution to her predicament. Since this, to me, is the pivotal moment when she wrests control from her family to herself and moves from passivity to agency, I always think just sitting still is a lost opportunity (regardless of whether or not it was MacMillan’s intention).

So, I started to choke up when Osipova sat there, head partly down, then gradually raised her head to let those fleeting and contrasting emotions dance across her face as she moved her head around slightly as if looking at the problem from different angles. These gradually settled down as she made her decision and her rapid breathing subsided. The only other example of this I’ve seen is in a very old recording of Makarova at the ABT (on YouTube). Again, this tiny scene made all the difference for me – and it’s why Osipova works for me.

There are numerous other examples I could give, but given the length of this post already I will now try to shut up about how wonderful was her performance.

Despite the above, and even though I was totally moved by Osipova, I did not cry - as I was hoping to! I felt I felt everything that she felt, if that makes sense! -  and though I had the odd tickle in my nose, the floodgates did not open.

I think the major reason for this is the plot.

As mentioned in a previous post, the narrative arcs of the two protagonists are not well balanced. Romeo’s development is a pale shadow compared to Juliet’s. She is the central character; hers is the more interesting story; she is the tragic architect of her own demise. And, in the energetic hands of Osipova, she provides the motive power to drive her own story forward (in contrast to, say, Corrales/Hayward where I felt Corrales provided much of that impetus by his sheer physicality).

In fact, I have a major problem with Romeo’s story that limits my sympathy for him - and that is the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt. In all three performances I have seen this run, it is not obvious that Tybalt maliciously kills Mercutio; typically, Romeo pushes Mercutio back as Tybalt barges between a couple of men, sword extended. Last night, even that ambiguity was less obvious – most of the ‘blame’ for what might otherwise be construed as an accident was Romeo’s (he pushed Mercutio backwards very vigorously onto Tybalt who was already standing there). As a result, Romeo’s subsequent angry killing of Tybalt seemed much less justifiable. Given this, I end up wondering does Romeo really ‘deserve’ Juliet? And, by extension, does he deserve my sympathy? 

There is also the question of Hallberg and the ‘natural chemistry’ between him and Osipova. The essential part of that will spring from the relationship between the actual dancers, and they obviously enjoy dancing together, but it will also reflect in the eye of the beholder.

On the basis of last night, I would categorise their natural chemistry as that between sodium (Osipova) and water (Hallberg); the 'passive' latter allows the 'active' former to fizz and pop and burn. Their chemistry doesn’t seem that of an explosive mixture such as oxygen and hydrogen, where both elements are highly reactive; maybe they were like that once, as others have alluded to, but not last night (or maybe the plot doesn’t provide the necessary conditions for the chemistry to explode).

I also wondered if he has not yet (physically or psychologically) fully recovered from injury, as there were a couple of lifts that looked more than a bit strained (the most obvious one being during the balcony scene when he took a couple of attempts to rise from a kneeling position with Osipova draped over his shoulders).

Once again, I’ve written way too much on way too little – and I haven’t even got round to mentioning the superlative support from the rest of the cast...

Hirano’s Tybalt – living proof you don’t need dynamic acting to convey entitled power;

Hay’s Mercutio – for me, his death scene was the best, but only by a slim margin;

McNally’s Lady Capulet – her grief at the death of Tybalt was horribly tangible;

Mendizabel, Magri and Calvert’s harlots – still having a ball;

Ella’s mandolin lead – virtuoso stuff!

And a lovely gesture from Thomas Whitehead at the stage calls – cupping one of Osipova’s hands in both of his in obvious appreciation of an acting and dancing tour de force.

[Thalia]

I was at the matinee for Naghdi and Ball yesterday and loved it. Others have already said most of what I felt about the performance so I’ll leave out my general thoughts apart from that my heart was pounding (in a good way) throughout all the pas de deux! 

I just wanted to pick up on a few things I noticed in particular. 

 

There was a comment earlier in the thread about Romeo’s solo in the ball scene and the lack of ‘peacocking’ – I agree as I don’t feel this is a show-off moment but rather a way of Romeo expressing his delight and yearning in his newly-found love for Juliet. I found Ball’s dancing and acting to be exquisitely judged and beautifully stated. It was as if Romeo was in a reverie and he just couldn’t help himself; everything in his world had fallen away and he was caught in an irresistible orbit around Juliet. 

 

Another moment I was taken with was the point in the tomb scene where Romeo takes the poison. I found it so touching how he lay down next to Juliet (or tried to...) in a warped, grim and final reference to the bedroom pdd. I love how the various different pairings in the run have put their own mark on what they do at this point, but I found this one to be the most affecting of those I’ve seen. 

 

I understand the comments about Juliet stabbing herself a little late, but I took it to be her taking a little moment to muster up the courage to do it, which made it seem more realistic than some of the other portrayals. I really got the sense of her strength seeping away as she sank to the floor. It also took her a while to pull the knife out – again, I felt this hesitancy added to the realism. 

 

 

[capybara]

LOVED your review nogoat.