Empire Theatre, Eden Court Inverness, 29 May 2008

© Andrew Ross

One could argue that music and movement have the capacity to explore the themes of Shakespeare’s text with far greater depth than the original play. This is certainly true of Prokofiev’s original score. Epic, intimate and timeless the composer’s interpretation of Romeo and Juliet captured the essence of love and conflict at the centre of the play in a way that words never could.

Standing alone it is a breathtaking piece of music with musical themes of exquisite sensitivity and dark tonality. It is wonderful to see these qualities fully appreciated in this new production. The interplay of music, choreography and design within three historical periods accentuates the cyclical nature of human experience as tragedy.

The original score is pared down in a much leaner, tauter production than we have come to expect. Action is accelerated by the tension and physicality of Krysztof Pastor’s choreography and adaptation of the story by Willem Bruls. Characters such as Juliet’s Nurse and Paris are absent in the narrative, enabling more complex exploration of relationships and characters through dance.

Strength of characterisation is one of the delights of this production and the company’s ability to embrace creative process has lead to multiple standout performances in what are traditionally supporting roles.

Kara McLaughlin’s portrayal of Lady Capulet is complex and sympathetic, aided by twists of plot that enable deeper exploration of her relationship to Juliet and her inner conflict as a wife and mother. In contrast Oliver Rydout’s Lord Capulet, defined as much by elegance as cool brutality, is the perfect symbol of conformity to the ruling regime.

The exuberance and sheer bravado of William Smith’s Mercutio and Jarro Lehmus’s dazzling, brutish performance as Tybalt are energies perfectly matched in their electrifying and lethal duel at the end of Act 2.

Claire Robertson’s Juliet embodied all the lyricism and innocence of Prokofiev’s musical themes, continuing to evolve as her character develops. Her initial meeting with Romeo (Tama Barry) is beautifully understated and their initial pas de deux a joy to watch, moving from youthful, passionate awkwardness to deepening trust and acceptance of the other. Here movement allows a fullness of expression and development of character lacking in many a script.

Stage and costume design inspired by Italy of the 1930’s, 1950’s and 1990s is used to great effect by Designer Tatyana Van Walsum and Lighting Designer Bert Dalhuysen. As Act 1 opens the scenic backdrop of a Roman street is cleverly overlaid with projections of footage from 1930’s Italy during the time of Mussolini’s Fascist dictatorship.

The moving images cascade over the assembled company as pedestrians. The suggestion of the street as a theatre of war remains constant in the production and is painfully relevant today. Juliet’s initial entrance through a mass of fallen bodies and projected post war ruins is a powerful depiction of human innocence amongst carnage. At each stage of the action the backdrop suggests the inevitability of division, “walls and wars” throughout human history.

Subtleties of lighting evocative of 1950’s Italian cinema or the cold blue filter of light from television add layers of interpretation to the production. Costumes cleverly evoke each period in a way that reveal character in synthesis with the dancer’s movements.

At the ball there is ironic interplay between the glamour and respectability of Lord and Lady Capulet’s elegant attire and the black military uniforms which define their clan. Complicity is suggested in this detail which when coupled with Lord Capulet’s controlled choreography is monstrous.

Romeo and Juliet are more ambiguous in dress, not anchored within any single time frame. Overall the staging is influenced by specific historical periods but it is also able to transcend them, to explore the central themes of the work in greater depth than surface decoration. The origin of the work remains at its core.

This is an important collaborative work in the life of the company and a fine addition to the repertoire.

(At Eden Court until 31 May 2008)

© Georgina Coburn, 2008

Links

• Scottish Ballet