The National Ballet of Canada has breathed new life into a classic story with their current version of Romeo and Juliet. While theatres rarely restage a play, the ballet world operates differently due to the astronomical cost of each production. To curb costs, ballet companies typically cycle through their repertoire every few years. In celebration of the sixtiethanniversary of The National Ballet in 2011, artistic director Karen Kain commissioned a new Romeo and Juliet from choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, to replace the previous version which had been performed for nearly four decades.
Fortunately, Ratmansky has risen to the challenge of balancing old with new. While thoughtfully updated to suit the twenty-first century, this version nonetheless pays its dues to the Shakespearean source material and to classical ballet. It feels simultaneously classic and modern, as graceful pas de deuxs contrast modern physical comedy.
This successful juxtaposition is echoed in Tony Award winner Richard Hudson’s set and costumes. The garments are lush and exuberant, marked by an exaggerated silhouette in rich velvets and brocades. The youthful spirit and excitement of Romeo and Juliet is encapsulated in the trappings of the production, rendering the tragic ending of the tale even more devastating.
Ratmansky’s choreography demands significant work from his dancers, both technically and emotionally. The relatively inexperienced Elena Lobsanova, a first soloist, may seem to be an unusual choice for a new ballet, until you see her on stage. She is light as a feather and completely believable as a teenager on the brink of womanhood. She is playful with her nurse and sullen with her parents, and, of course, head over heels in love with Romeo, played by the ever-romantic Guillaume Côté. Another stand-out is Piotr Stanczyk’s Mercutio. Stanczyk’s physical comedy brings levity to the ballet, even during his death scene, which, while tragic, has the audience chuckling.
Whether you’re already a ballet aficionado or you’re looking to see a performance for the first time, Ratmansky’s Romeo and Juliet is not to be missed. If you are under 30, you can get tickets for the show for only $30, instead of the usual price tag that runs into the hundreds of dollars, through the National Ballet’s DanceBreak program.
