English National Ballet’s Romeo & Juliet at Milton Keynes Theatre Review
English National Ballet’s
Romeo & Juliet
Milton Keynes Theatre
22-24 October 2015
www.atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes
Reviewed by Deborah Narciso
The Milton Keynes Theatre is well signpost and easy to find. The car parking is easy and plentiful. There is parking very close to the theatre either in a multi story car park (60p for 4 hours) or in an open air car park (50p per hour). The short walk from the car park to the theatre is through the restaurant area of Milton Keynes and theatregoers are spoilt for choice for pre-theatre eating. We arrived early and managed to find a table in the local Zizzi however we were asked if we had booked and booking ahead in the popular area maybe advisable.
The theatre was purpose built 25 years ago and remains a comfy venue with great views and plenty of leg room. It is well signposted inside making your seating easy to find. The theatre has its own piano bar which was pleasantly furnished and ambient.
The staff we encountered at the venue were friendly and helpful and made us feel very welcome.
This performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s score combined with Rudolf Nureyev’s choreography was breathtaking.
The musicians of the English National Ballet Philharmonic wove the music in a magical way to complement and enhance the storytelling of the dancers. Led by their musical director Gavin Sutherland their performance was outstanding, delivering the rise and the fall of the music, sweeping the audience into another time and world.
The sets were relatively simple but provided an excellent backdrop for the performance. The costumes are an integral part in a ballet as they help the audience understand who is who and in this case which family the characters are aligned too. The costumes in this production were luxurious with lots of period detail and added to the whole feel of this period production.
Romeo & Juliet as a ballet was a new experience for me, I know the spoken play well and have seen it performed in a variety of genres. I am also relatively new to the world of ballet, so came with some trepidation as to whether a ‘wordless’ version would work for me. I need not have worried as the dancers spoke with their bodies and each part of the story was clearly told. The large cast added to the suggestion of bustling Verona. Nureyev’s take on the story is slightly darker and more aggressive than other versions however, that seems more in keeping with the atmosphere intended to be created by the original play. The sword fighting scenes were well executed and the athleticism of the dancers added to the speed and excitement of these moments.
It is hard to single out any of the dancers, the lead principles – Isaac Hernandez as Romeo and Erina Takahashi as Juliet were beautifully cast as the lovers and were both spell binding to watch. The role of Mercutio in this performance was danced by Cesar Corrales, a junior soloist , and he receives my emerging dancer vote. It was difficult to take your eyes off of him as he danced, fought and leapt around the stage. His clear range of emotions helped to understand the story as it went along. It should be said all the cast did an excellent job and I would be happy to see them perform again.
This production is still to go to Southampton and to Manchester as well as 4 more performances in Milton Keynes. If you can get to see it you will not be disappointed.
Tickets were priced from £11.90 to £48.90 which represented good value for money.
The show runs for 2 hours 55 minutes with 2 intervals.
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £11.90 to £48.90 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).
English National Ballet’s Romeo & Juliet is at Milton Keynes Theatre until 24 October 2015. For more information or book tickets click here or call the box office on 0844 8717652.
Milton Keynes Theatre, 500 Marlborough Gate, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK9 3NZ
