@ Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 28 Feb 2015
For a work with such a famously dead-beat ending, there’s a huge amount of life in Northern Ballet‘s refreshing take on this 20th century classic. Jean-Christophe Maillot‘s choreography – spiky, taut and often full of humour – merges seamlessly with the bodies of the dancers, allowing the passions and personalities of each character to shine through. The costumes assist beautifully, with elegant detailing and long, clean lines – a complete break from the stiffness of the traditional tutu. The high black polo-neck of Lady Capulet’s dress, the silk trousers on the female ball-goers, and the tight mesh across Tybalt’s chest make for a look that is both timeless and innovative. And the most important ingredient in any production of Romeo and Juliet – that the young couple appear totally swept up in each other – is one of the show’s most beautiful aspects. Martha Leebolt and Giuliano Contadini‘s dance at their first meeting is so intimately sensual, it feels wrong to look.
With such a dazzling display in front, the production’s plain geometric backdrop is the only let down. Though it allows for total concentration on the dance, and allows the soft pastel shifts between night and day, and the quick passing of time, to take centre stage, the great white expanse can feel oppressive in its starkness. A lack of virtually any props continues the theme. Again, this works well as Juliet lies in state – we see a dimly-lit procession of hooded figures parade behind her tomb in shadow, each carrying a single lantern. But the lack of real-world context – no town squares, no bustling crowds, no food stalls – can occasionally give the impression that the action is taking place in a beautiful vacuum.