Northern Ballet brought their adaptation of the iconic Shakespearean tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, back to Leeds Playhouse on Wednesday 18th June and it was breathtaking.
Adapted by Christopher Gable CBE and Massimo Moricone, this raw and emotional production left everyone in the audience stunned.
Like all ballet performances, the story was told without words – with just the music, the dancers and the set. With prior knowledge of the story of Romeo and Juliet, it was easy to follow the plot of the performance. However, the dancers were so talented that, even without any understanding of the story, you could appreciate the beauty of the production as well as the athleticism and technique of the dancers.
The music was Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, first composed in 1935. Almost a century later, the classic choice to accompany an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet still holds the impact it had when it was first performed. Specifically, the very well-known composition ‘Dance of the Knights’ was one of the most powerful and stirring pieces of music that night. Played during the Capulets’ ball scene, the music illustrated the dark characteristics of the Capulet family. Another memorable composition was during Act 2, ‘Death of Tybalt’, a pivotal scene in the story where everything goes to pot, basically. The music was an aid in portraying the severity of what was to come for the death-marked lovers.
The set was simple and stripped-down, perfectly drawing the attention to the skilful dancers on stage. Two grey, ruined pillars marked Verona town as well as the entrance to the Capulet’s party. A white curtain and a bed was Juliet’s bedroom and there was, of course, Juliet’s iconic balcony. The stage became dark and a candle was lit when they were in Friar Lawrence’s cell or in the tomb where Juliet was mistakenly laid to rest.
Northern Ballet has been producing talented performers since 1969 and Wednesday’s cast was full of young stars. Saeka Shirai, who played Juliet, was certainly the most notable and impactful performance of the night. From her first scene, Shirai perfectly captured the youthful naivete of Juliet’s character. Nearing the end, her performance was harrowing and gut-wrenching, showing a broken child who had been ruined by her family’s stubbornness. Yu Wakizuka, playing Mercutio, was the comic relief of the production, as all Mercutios should be. His playfulness with his friends as well as his enemies was a welcome laugh during such a tragic tale and his death signified the beginning of the end for Romeo and Juliet.
The dancing from everyone onstage was hugely expressive and told the story flawlessly; the corps de ballet who played townsfolk and other smaller roles in the production were incredible actors as well as beautifully talented dancers. The costumes were an accurate reflection of the time in which the story is set. Juliet’s mother, in particular, was a stunning vision in black velvet and a renaissance-style gold hairnet.
Northern Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet, from start to finish, was mesmerizing and emotional, leaving the audience spellbound and entranced by the performance.
Who knew such an old tale could feel so fresh and exciting?
Photography by Emily Nuttall from 2024 – with apologies for the absence of this year’s images.
