Touted as the greatest love story ever told, Shakespeare’s tragedy about a forbidden
romance between two lovers from feuding families has inspired countless adaptations
around the world. Its themes of undying love, fate and the duality of life and death have
inspired millions of theatre productions, operas, symphonies, literature and art.
The latest take on the famous star-crossed lovers to land on the Sydney stage is a modern
ballet from the prestigious L.A. Dance Project, which comes with a couple of distinctive
twists. Depending on which session you attend, your “Romeo” and “Juliet” could be two men, two women, or a man and a woman. While same-sex couples are still a rare sight in the professional ballet world, this work also breaks with tradition in more ways than one.
Having toured all over the world, Romeo & Juliet Suite is a site-specific thematic account of Shakespeare’s tragedy that utilises live film elements to dramatise the classic – a lá Kip Williams’ The Picture of Dorian Gray – with entertaining cinematic results. Twelve dancers represent the feuding families, with only Romeo, Juliet, Tybalt and Mercutio identified (that is, you can fill in the gaps if you know the basic plot). Much of the story’s complexity is stripped away, with the locations of events remaining nondescript, and there’s also no appearance of a disapproving parent or a meddling Friar Lawrence.
The brainchild of artistic director/choreographer Benjamin Millipied (Black Swan), Romeo & Juliet Suite is adapted from Segei Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet, the treasured seventh of his nine ballets. The piece consists of three orchestral suites (the first two arranged in 1936 and the third made much later in 1946) and each utilises a different approach. The majority of arrangements serve more as ruminations on themes, rather than a more logical narrative structure that follows the play’s plot. As far as dance is concerned, this presents a unique production challenge.
The production assumes knowledge of the plot in order to delve deeper into other thematic
aspects, and the rotating cast featuring same-sex couples allows for queer representation to be explored explicitly. On opening night, our Romeo and Juliet were performed beautifully by David Adrian Freeland Jr and Mario Gonzalez, the pair playing out an enticing emotional connection.
The stripped-back approach leaves room for creative interpretation, focussing on emotions
rather than plot. In place of a balcony scene, the audience is treated with a sweet, stirring
rendezvous as the pair coyly make their way outside of the theatre, emerging on the Opera
House forecourt for a romantic dance projected back to the audience in real time on a large
screen. In comparison, Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting after Mercutio and Tybalt’s deaths is a delicate to-and-fro of resistance and rekindling. Towards the end, Juliet’s death is a halting duet performed in a closed backstage area, with Romeo willing Juliet to live through
arresting lifts and caresses. As far as drama goes, is there anything more epic than watching the tragic rise and fall of love in the hidden corners of Sydney’s iconic Opera House?
Some site-specific elements are more or less effective than others, but visual interest is maintained throughout. The Capulet Ball becomes a heaving rave awash in lasers and disco ball lights. Performed in a darkened corridor behind the stage and projected onto the screen, dancers wield fluro light sticks and weave through dramatic ballroom formations. Whilst this is visually engaging, the movement of the camera can create a disorienting experience.
The approach to the Capulet Ball aligns well Millipied’s foreboding and antagonistic orchestral arrangement. However, there is minimal focus on building tension between the two factions. There are no West Side Story-style ballet battles here, and at times it is difficult to decipher the obstacle at the core of Romeo and Juliet's emotional turmoil. Equally jarring is the jump from Juliet's despair to the taking of the dreaded poison – but under the skilled hand of this group of artists, the quick succession of events remains believable.
Every person in this company of dancers is stunning to watch – effortless in leaps and bounds, emotive in each gesture, and joyful in love. There are nods to modern dance forms in this contemporary choreographic beast of a piece, and each dancer is able to showcase their own form, flair and style.
As far as dance-drama goes, this production succeeds in giving audiences something they have never seen before, and may never see again. The male-male pairing won over my heart. I only wish I could see the other pairings, too.
Romeo & Juliet Suite plays at the Sydney Opera House from June 5–9, 2024. Find out more and get tickets over here.
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