SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Prokofiev, Romeo and Juliet: Scottish Ballet. Conductor: Richard Honner. Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 29.4.2010 (SRT)

 

Romeo – Erik Cavallari

Juliet – Sophie Martin

Mercutio – Paul Liburd

Capulet – Owen Thorne

 

Orchestra of Scottish Ballet

Richard Honner (conductor)

 

Krzysztof Pastor (choreography)

Tatyana van Walsum (design)

Willem Bruls (dramaturgy)

Bert Dalhuysen (lighting design)

 

Krzysztof Pastor’s Romeo and Juliet was a hit for Scottish Ballet when it was first staged in 2008. In this, its first revival, it has lost none of its power. Scottish Ballet have cut chunks of Prokofiev’s score and key characters like Paris and the Nurse to produce a taut, modern realisation of the great tragedy, through which Prokofiev’s score glints like a multi-faceted jewel.

The action shifted between a first act set in the fascist era, a second act in the 1950s and a third act in the 1990s, with even an image of Berlusconi to underline the point. The multiple settings underlined the fact that these lovers are far from the only pair to have been caught in a situation of bigotry and mutual mistrust; in fact the cycle keeps on repeating itself. A sequence of (mercifully understated) video images made us aware of the setting without ever hammering the concept. The idea’s success came from its universality but also its refusal to talk down to the audience, allowing us to make our own links and develop our own involvement with the story.

Prokofiev’s superb score was given a splendid reading by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra, conducted with surety by Richard Honner. The chameleonic theme associated with Mercutio sparkled deceptively, while Juliet’s anguish in Act 3 was made all the more poignant by the unnerving tick-tock rhythm in the clarinets. These are only two examples of a reading that supported the dancers on stage but would also have given tremendous pleasure without any visuals.

Pastor’s choreography brought each character vividly to life, especially the main couple who we watched come of age throughout the evening. The pas de deux at the end of Act 1 showed us a young girl gradually opening up to the possibility of adult love, and perhaps the most moving moment of the evening was Juliet’s dance with Friar Laurence just before she takes the potion in Act 3. The heaviness of the Dance of the Knights was used brilliantly to emphasise the dominance of Capulet within his family and the angular jousting of the crowd scenes made a good contrast to the more intimate moments. A highly successful revival.

Scottish Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet goes on tour to Aberdeen, Inverness and Belfast until 22^nd May. For full details go to www.scottishballet.co.uk

 

Simon Thompson