Ballet Hoo! - Ballet Changed My Life (BRB and Romeo & Juliet)

[alison]

I've just been catching up with the former Channel 4 (I think) documentary showing Birmingham Royal Ballet and a local youth organisation working over a couple of years with a group of disadvantaged local teenagers to put on a very special performance of Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo & Juliet at the Birmingham Hippodrome.  Part 1 should have disappeared by this morning, but the other three parts are still available (Part 2 until tonight):

 

https://www.brb.org.uk/ballet-hoo

 

Really fascinating to be reminded of how so many of the participants managed to cope with the discipline required simply to show up to the classes/rehearsals week after week, develop a new sense of self-belief and take action to improve their own lives.  I'm looking forward to seeing the performance footage (including breakdancing, I seem to recall!) at the end of it all.

 

I'm sure we discussed it at length on the old ballet.co.uk forum, but as it was back in 2006 I imagine that's irretrievable now, so I'm starting this new thread in case anyone wants to discuss it again.

[Two Pigeons]

Hubby bought me a rare second hand DVD set of this a couple or so years ago.  I am so pleased I asked for it and he found it.  I remember it all happening at time.  I understand that the whole project was far more fraught than was indicated by the filming but the end result was truly inspiring.

 

My favourite story was that the guy who played Escalus had very little grasp of some of the discipline needed with stage performances.  One day he trotted down to the local Tesco Express, right by Gay Village, in full costume.  Allegedly no one in the locality turned a hair.

[alison]

Goodness, there's a DVD of it?

 

A note to anyone who's leaving it to the last minute to finish watching it: be warned that the 4th episode (which contains the actual performance) is about 50% longer than the others, so leave yourself enough time.  The company gave fantastic performances, and we even get a young Alexander Campbell's Mercutio immortalised on film, too.

[alison]

Also Dominic Antonucci as Benvolio and Tyrone Singleton as Paris.  I still think that Juliet is the best role I've ever seen Jenna Roberts in, and Jamie Bond as Romeo was very effective, too.

[Kate_N]

It's so wonderful seeing this series again. Wouldn't it be interesting to know how the young people who participated are faring now? Has there been any follow up?

[alison]

There was some follow-up in the recent BRB stream - with Linden and (I think) the girl who played Lady Capulet, whose exact name escapes me at the moment.  I thought I also remembered something at the time, with some cast members expressing a wish to move into something theatrical/dance-related, but didn't see it during the programme.

[Kate_N]

10 hours ago, alison said:

the girl who played Lady Capulet

 

Shireenah - she was extraordinary!

[alison]

Both of them were, really.  And several others.

[Fonty]

I saw this the first time it came out, and persuaded my other half to watch it this time.  He was completely absorbed through the whole 4 programmes, and said it was one of the best things he had ever watched.  I remember a follow up programme a year or two later.  I think a lot of them got into various Performing Arts courses.  

 

The actual performance was extraordinary.  They were all so committed on stage.  I made a point of watching the faces in the crowd scenes.  They were so involved in all the action, whether willing on the sword fighters or laughing at the nurse.  They were clearly having so much fun.  I thought both Lord and Lady Capulet (David and Shireenah) were excellent.  They both had a wonderful air of commanding authority about them.  Not an easy thing to portray when you are only a teenager yourself.  When they were telling Juliet off for not marrying Paris, you could feel their anger.   

 

Linden and his mates were wonderful in the way they conveyed the fact that they felt they were superior to everyone else.  And I couldn't take my eyes off him in the ballroom dance.  He just commanded the stage, the personification of strutting arrogance.  

I have to say I didn't even notice it was Campbell playing Mercutio until the cast list went up at the end, then I had to go back and watch again.  Wonderful.  

 

13 hours ago, alison said:

There was some follow-up in the recent BRB stream - with Linden and (I think) the girl who played Lady Capulet, whose exact name escapes me at the moment. 

 
Was the follow up something about their recent activities, Alison?  What did it say?  I would love to know what they all ended up doing.  They would all be reaching about 30 years of age, now.  I sent a message to BRB saying how much I enjoyed it again, and asking them to give updates if at all possible.  

One more thing struck me as I watched this time, and that was what a lovely speaking voice Desmond Kelly has.  

Edited December 10, 2020 by Fonty

[alison]

12 minutes ago, Fonty said:

I remember a follow up programme a year or two later.  I think a lot of them got into various Performing Arts courses. 

 

Ah, that must be what I'm thinking of. 

 

Desmond Kelly has a very ... sonorous, is that the word? ... voice.  Sounds very much like the late Alan Rickman's.

[Fonty]

Mellifluous was the word I was thinking of!

[alison]

Yes, I think that's a better choice

[Jane S]

There is a lot of very interesting background to the making of the programme in a Ballet Association  interview with Desmond Kelly and Marion Tait from 2007.

[Two Pigeons]

18 hours ago, Jane S said:

There is a lot of very interesting background to the making of the programme in a Ballet Association  interview with Desmond Kelly and Marion Tait from 2007.

 

Thank you so much for posting this interview.  I will now spend the rest of the morning dreaming about Desmond, in his fabulous prime, playing Rudolf.

 

He would have been just terrific.