Review: Romeo & Juliet (Royal Shakespeare Theatre)

Review by Raphael Kohn

⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?’ are some of the most famous of Shakespeare’s words, often uttered by some of the finest thespians alive on the stage of the UK’s foremost Shakespeare producing company. Well, apart from the current Romeo & Juliet at the Royal Shakespeare Company. It’s not that they’ve cut the line from an otherwise intact production of the play, don’t worry. There are no lines at all; for the first time in decades, the RSC has brought ballet back to its main stage with a 12 performances of Northern Ballet’s touring production of Prokofiev’s ballet version.

It's the same iconic plot as the play, the same scenes, the same characters (albeit it’s all simplified substantially) – no audience member will find themselves in the dark about what is happening onstage. So if you love masked balls, swordfights, and romance galore, then look no further. Wisely, director Christopher Gable set his 1991 production as a period piece, with Massimo Morricone’s elegant, sweeping choreography defining this into the ‘traditional’ category. There are no gimmicks or bells and whistles here.

Instead, it’s gorgeous costumes, flowing around the soaring figures of Northern Ballet’s tremendous cast of dancers, flinging themselves across the stage of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. It’s a difficult enough task – the production is usually performed in proscenium venues rather than the RST’s deep thrust – but aside from a few slips in precision, they manage it well.

Our star-crossed lovers themselves (on press night; the cast rotates each performance), Harris Beattie and Saeka Shirai as Romeo and Juliet respectively make a nice pair, both exuding youthful naivety. His athletic leaps match her more tender gracefulness well enough, and despite wavering chemistry between the two of them, they make for a believable and moving central pair. A true highlight is found however in Jun Ishii’s Mercutio, who gave a sultry and suave portrayal that amuses and impresses in equal measure.

But let’s get one huge, glaring, frankly devastating problem out the way. Ballets like this deserve luscious, full, awe-inspiring live orchestras to accompany them. Northern Ballet has their own – the Northern Ballet Sinfonia – but a difficult choice has been made here, and the Sinfonia has been axed from the autumn tour of this production. It’s certainly a questionable move, with this ballet now accompanied by a disappointing recording of another orchestra.

The reason why this so impacted my enjoyment, personally speaking, is because the music is so utterly brilliant. Some things are performed very often because they’re popular, even if they’re not high-quality. And some things, like Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet, are performed because they are sensationally good. It’s much more than the famous ‘Dance of the Knights’ (yes, that one used as the theme music of The Apprentice).  It’s two and a half hours of incredibly romantic and heart-stopping music. Listen to a good recording and it’s essentially impossible not to love it.

This production’s track record speaks for itself – not many productions find themselves revived repeatedly for over 30 years unless they’re pretty high-quality. Lez Brotherston’s stony, cold set, simultaneously cavernous and decluttered to facilitate the ballet’s grander moments yet intimate and detailed, is a work of art in itself. From the tiny details on the stonework to the chips on the balcony, each little feature is a discovery when your eyes catch it. It’s lit nicely by Alastair West, heightening the coldness of the darker moments and edging the drama as the intensity builds. 

Unfortunately, it becomes increasingly difficult to look past the absence of live musicians, and the knock-on effect on the quality of the piece is terribly disappointing. The production itself is a sound, captivating piece of work, performed very nicely indeed. It just feels more and more like it needs an orchestra. Romeo & Juliet is a wonderful ballet, and this production’s imagery and choreography are winning, but these triumphs serve, at times, to emphasise the underwhelming source of the usually rapturous score.

Romeo & Juliet plays at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre until 28th September 2024. Tickets from https://www.rsc.org.uk/northern-ballet-romeo-and-juliet

Photos by Emily Nuttall