Romeo & Juliet At Mayflower Theatre Southampton Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Jan Dixon
I had the great pleasure of reviewing Romeo & Juliet by the excellent Northern Ballet at Mayflower Theatre, Southampton on the opening night of Thursday 10th October 2024. The show is performed on the evenings (7.30pm) of Thursday 3rd October 2024 to Saturday 5th October 2024, with matinee shows (2pm) on Friday 4th and Saturday 5th October 2024.
The well-known Shakespearean story of youthful forbidden love, ending in tragedy, was adapted and directed by Christopher Gable CBE and choreographed by Massimo Moricone. The celebrated music of Sergei Prokofiev provided the score from a recording by the Orchestra of the Slovak National Theatre, led by Mario Kosik.
This performance of Romeo & Juliet first premiered in 1992 at Leeds Grand Theatre to world-wide acclaim and rightly became Northern Ballet’s outstanding and most critically acclaimed ballet productions. It was an absolute pleasure to be able to see this superb performance at the Mayflower Theatre after a hiatus of several years. A superb and amazing performance of a classic story which features not only one of the world’s great touring ballet companies, but also the well-beloved and instantly recognisable music of Prokofiev. This was a pure delight for the senses!
In this performance Juliet was performed by Dominique Larose, whose delicate and ethereal dancing captivated the audience from the very start. Joseph Taylor passionately played Romeo, Juliet’s suitor who fell in love with her at first sight. The pas de deux between Romeo and Juliet absolutely encapsulated the passion and love the young couple felt for each other; such an emotional portrayal of doomed love.
Romeo and his two closest friends, Mercutio (Harris Beattie) and Benvolio (Stefano Varalta) were inspiring in their portrayal of three men who clearly were in tune with each other. Their ballet moves depicted an excellent variety of emotional connections, including affection, fun, loyalty and sadness. Juliet’s Nurse (Heather Lehan) was outstanding in her role of a caring and exasperated carer for her wayward and headstrong charge. Her performance was very much appreciated by the audience, who laughed at her comedic portrayal of the character. Her interaction with Romeo and his friends throughout was excellent. The cast also consisted of Tybalt (George Lang), Paris (Bruno Serraclara), Lord Capulet (Harry Skoupas), Lady Capulet (Helen Bogatch), Lord Montague (Jackson Dwyer) and the Friar (Jonathan Hanks). The roles of Tybalts henchmen, ballroom dancers, knights Juliet’s friends, Capulets (Cats) and Montagues (Birds) were performed by a variety of superb ballet dancers with stunning costumes. Acknowledgment is also given to the children from the Boathouse Ballet School.
There were three Acts to the ballet, based on a square in the town; Juliet’s bedroom; the Capulet’s Ball; Juliet’s Garden; the Chapel; wedding morning and the Capulet’s Crypt. A static backdrop was used as the basis for the whole performance, which was enhanced with different props moved into place to depict the different scenes. The lighting and special effects were amazing, and well-deserved credit is given to Paul Pyant (original lighting) and Alastair West (tour lighting) for their part in creating the atmospheric feel of Italian Renaissance. Credit is also given to the Fight Director Jonathan Howell for his expert tuition in instructing the cast members in the very believable fight scenes which occurred throughout. Lee Brotherston OBE, in charge of Production and Costume Design should be congratulated on his part in creating stunning costumes and overseeing production.
The cast of 19 ballet dancers came on at the end of the performance and were given hearty applause with many encores. They were rightly congratulated and vocally appreciated by the audience for an absolutely superb and flawless performance.
Running time is 2hrs 20 mins, including two intervals. Ticket Prices from £12.00 to £43.50. Mayflower Theatre, Commercial Road, Southampton, Hampshire SO15 1GE. Box Office 02380 711811. www.mayflower.org.uk.
This is very much worth a 5 star rating and I would urge you to take advantage of the opportunity of seeing this absolutely superb performance of Romeo & Juliet at the Mayflower Theatre whilst you have the opportunity! You will leave the theatre emotionally overcome by the heart-rending performance you have just had the pleasure of witnessing.
https://northernballet.com/romeo-and-juliet?gad_source=1
Rating: 5/5