Matthew Bourne's Romeo & Juliet

Copyright Johan Persson & New Adventures

Matthew Bourne's Romeo & Juliet

I will be honest, I am massive fan of this company (check out my review of The Red Shoes) so I might be a tad unbiased but I hope to make it clear why this is a worth while visit to the theatre.

Matthew Bourne has a unique style bridging ballet and modern dance, he used the classic score of the ballets but condenses it into a more narrative form so anyone can watch the performance and understand what is going on. This is the first time that company have had a live orchestra to work with and it was as seamless as when they used recordings which goes to show how a live orchestra can support the dancers in expressing the emotions of the piece. They use Prokofiev Ballet score with all the familiar movements you will recognise. It will be interesting to see whether they continue with this.

To the plot; They have gone very Gen Z which is appropriate for this story. Romeo is the son of a rich and famous couple who are committing him to an asylum (or the Verona Institute) for the nervous tick he has. He meets Juliet there who is being sexually abused by the guard. They have their meet cute at a dance arranged by the Rev (The Spiritual adviser). They fall 'madly' in love but as we all know that it is all very fragile and tragedy is moments away. I loved that Juliet is given a lot more agency, Romeo is less 'romantic' (read useless) but still it is Juliet who is the rebel, fighting the ones who oppress her and her fellow inmates. 

The set for Romeo and Juliet

I got to see the Montague cast (there are two casts Capulets & Montagues) and I thought they were amazing. Especially Seren Williams who plays Juliet. I did love the passion that Andrew Monaghan brought to the part but I don't know if he was recovering from an injury because he didn't do lifts, It is modern dance so they may have been the choreography but he seemed awkward in places and notable to me that he wasn't lifting. Again I love the skill and artistry of the choreography and the whole thing is lovely to watch but I wanted to highlight some spectacular moments such when Romeo and Juliet meet and dance together at the dance, the whole ensemble lift them and they 'float' towards each other. There is also the use of the Dance of the Knights to symbolise the oppressive regime at the Institute (I always thought it was an angry piece of music, Prokofiev socialism slipping out?). Also a great solo from Joao Carolino as Mercutio's lover, Benvolio.

The other new addition to the New Adventure performance is the use of young dancers, as this is a play about teenagers it works and it says something to how talented they all are as they were indistinguishable from the main company. Bravo to them!

Just a quick thing about the Venue which was the Wales Millennium Centre, It was one of the best venues I have ever been to; having very comfortable seats with good views (no being blocked by someone's head) and toilets on ever floor. Good job!