Young love blossomed and died on stage at the Royal Festival Hall in a production brimming with great ideas and huge talent but a little lacking in focus.
This may be opening night jitters but it would take more than a phalanx of syncronised steam-powered irons gliding across to the bombastic Dance of the Knights to smooth out some of the wrinkles.
Ballet at this venue is an unusual prospect but the ever-resourceful and adaptable ENB makes the most of the slightly cramped stage to create a suitably menacing and claustrophic atmosphere for some of the dramatic highlights of this divisive piece.
The young cast also made valiant and often thrilling work of the frantic footwork and melodramatic interludes and achieved real emotional power by the end.
Nureyev’s 1977 choreography is high on drama and flair but somewhat lacking in subtlety. He is also guilty of over-emphasis on the male dancers which can be intoxicating but unbalance the production.
Bromances, bonding, brooding and bounding abound in a testosterone-fuelled display of virtuoso leaps, fighting and revelry.
This favours the excellent supporting trio of James Forbat as Benvolio, Fernando Bufalá as Mercutio and James Streeter as Tybalt. Energy levels and engagement rise when they are swaggering and spinning, dancing and (inevitably) dying across the stage.
A rather more romantic soul, Isaac Hernández is a convincing, boyish Romeo with clean, light technique and a winning sweetness.
Erina Takahashi is a touching Juliet whose dancing and performance grows in stature and conviction as the drama unfolds.
Unfortunately this Romeo and Juliet fatally lack chemistry and their moments together are danced beautifully but rather too carefully, with no sense of connection. Any feeling of joyous abandonment or overwhelming adolescent emotion is lacking.
Takahashi, in particular, seems distant in their pas de deux but is magnificent when unleashed in her later solos.
The same problem underwhelmed the iconic Dance of the Knights which was sumptuously staged but lacked attack and menace. it seemed danced through rather than swept along by a phenomenal piece of music.
The corps de ballet makes good work thoughout of rowdy crowd scene and elegant balls. Unfortunately, occasional dropped masks and daggers undermined their impressive cohesion.
Although a touring production, the simple staging is hugely effective with enough hints of the elegant Ezio Frigerio designs to please the eye. Similarly, the costumes and lighting are excellent. Some complained of the dark and dim later scenes. I found them powerful and suitably suffocating, making us lean into the final desperate moments of the tragedy.
In the later scenes, particularly, there were delightful flashes of real beauty with Juliet’s funeral procession, Romeo’s delicate dream and Juliet’s disturbing vision of Mercutio and Tybalt.
Nureyev is often accused of overly fussy choreography but there are also moments of real unexpected delight, often in the unusual pairings. The interlude when the aged priest dances with Romeo and Juliet especially lingered in the memory.
It seems that this old dancing dog still has some new tricks. There is an awful lot to enjoy and explore in a stirring and ultimately moving revival.
Romeo and Juliet is at the Royal Festival Hall until 5 August, National Tour August 25 – November 1. Information and tickets at www.ballet.org.uk
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