Romeo and Juliet, The Royal Ballet 13/02/2010

Kenneth Macmillan's first full length work, Romeo and Juliet has been a staple in the Royal Ballet's repertory since it premiered in 1965. Combining the traditional with the contemporary, this ballet houses heavy costumes, character dancing and mime, with weighty emotions and a decent dose more grit than your average Swan Lake. The performance I saw was the day before Valentine's day, and boy could you tell - couples everywhere, all dressed up to the nines.

The first scene of Act 1 attempts to establish the enmity between the Montagues and Capulets. The fight scene completely lacks any real bloodlust. Perhaps this is deliberate and an attempt to unveil it all as a bit of a farce, but either way, it's tedious to watch, and while the dramatic tableau created at the end of the scene is impressive, it feels a little as though the entire scene was building up to the final pose. However, things pick up when we travel to Juliet's bedroom and meet the young Juliet (Marianela Nuñez) for the delightfully amusing dance with her nurse, immediately prior to meeting her suitor Paris, in which Juliet becomes aware for seemingly the first time that she is no longer a child.

Into the ball, and I always feel a little disappointed by the Dance of Knights, which is set to Prokofiev's most famous piece of music from this ballet. While it certainly feels austere, the choreography is repetitive and lacks any real drama, as with the first scene. However, Juliet, Paris and Romeo (Thiago Soares) weave intriguingly through the dancers which fits perfectly with Prokofiev's mesmerising score. From this point forth the romance takes off in a frenzy, and spirals onwards brilliantly towards the tragic finish. In the second act Gary Avis is, as always, spectacular as Juliet's cousin Tybalt, and Ricardo Cervera and Kenta Kura flashingly brilliant as Mercutio and Benvolio, outdancing Thiago Soares in some of the pas de trois.

This was the first time I've seen Nuñez dance a more dramatic role, and she threw everything and the kitchen sink into her rendition of Juliet. She was better partnered than normal by her Romeo (Thiago Soares), who despite a wobbly first solo (which is just after they've met and is supposed to woo her!) was suitably lyrical and romantic for the rest of the night. His acting at Juliet's tomb was heart-rending, and he outperformed Nuñez at this point. While they are not the best Romeo and Juliet I have seen by quite some margin, throughout the night I was very struck by how accurately Soares and Nuñez timed their acting with the music, despite the fact the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House were not having a stellar night. They used the space between them, and their positioning on the stage perfectly to almost paint emotion and tension onto the stage.

Romeo and Juliet is a slow starter, but once it gets going it's fabulous. It's a shame I won't see any other partnerships dance it this run. Nuñez and Soares pulled off the frenzied romance and tragedy very well, and I will definitely see them dance other dramatic roles in the future.