You know I have no fondness for Shakespeare and his romantic tragedies, silly star-crossed lovers, the Capulets and Montagues. But I sat through ‘Romeo & Juliet’ performed by the Stuttgart Ballet at Esplanade’s dan:s festival. The ballet was accompanied by Singapore Lyric Opera Orchestra in the pit playing Prokofiev’s familiar compositions.
Some of the friends weren't impressed with the leads for the other nights. (The leads changed for each night of the Singapore performances.) The performance I watched had Alicia Amatriain as Juliet and Friedemann Vogel as Romeo. That pas de deux was just a tad underwhelming. I’ve watched many many many Romeos & Juliets. This one belongs to John Cranko’s (1927-1973) choreography. This 50-year-old choreography is conservative and I suppose, somewhat relevant since it's a classic staple in any company's repertoire. The ballet company is technically very strong.
I ignored the story, and resolutely stuck to watching the dance, its movements and the dancers. At least I could rave about that at the post-performance drinks and supper instead of being negative and letting on to acquaintances just how much I bloody hate ‘Romeo & Juliet’ (detest, really, since I had to study it in school), the plot and the play. I'm very fond of Stuttgart Ballet's productions. 'Romeo & Juliet' isn't their strongest showing, but it still made for a wonderful evening.
Some of the friends weren't impressed with the leads for the other nights. (The leads changed for each night of the Singapore performances.) The performance I watched had Alicia Amatriain as Juliet and Friedemann Vogel as Romeo. That pas de deux was just a tad underwhelming. I’ve watched many many many Romeos & Juliets. This one belongs to John Cranko’s (1927-1973) choreography. This 50-year-old choreography is conservative and I suppose, somewhat relevant since it's a classic staple in any company's repertoire. The ballet company is technically very strong.
I ignored the story, and resolutely stuck to watching the dance, its movements and the dancers. At least I could rave about that at the post-performance drinks and supper instead of being negative and letting on to acquaintances just how much I bloody hate ‘Romeo & Juliet’ (detest, really, since I had to study it in school), the plot and the play. I'm very fond of Stuttgart Ballet's productions. 'Romeo & Juliet' isn't their strongest showing, but it still made for a wonderful evening.
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