Romeo and Juliet, Ballet by J. Cranko
Sergei Prokofiev's epic ballet, Romeo and Juliet, features in this season's Caracalla Festival in Rome. Due to ongoing works at the festival's usual venue, the Terme di Caracalla – a vast complex of Roman baths that date back to Imperial times – this performance of the ballet takes place at Circo Massimo, the ancient chariot racing arena. This choreography of this staging of Romeo and Juliet was originally created by John Cranko, the South African dancer and choreographer who developed this interpretation of the famous tale of star-crossed lovers for the Stuttgart Ballet, where it was first performed on 2 December 1962. Since then, this version of the ballet has gone on to be performed by companies around the globe.
Prokofiev began writing the music of Romeo and Juliet in 1935 when the composer was already established as a senior figure in Russian music. The work premiered on 30 December 1938 at the Mahen Theatre in Brno, a Czech city then in Czechoslovakia. However, the music, which needed to meet Soviet-era cultural and political expectations, was substantially revised before it saw its Russian debut on 11 January 1940 at the then Kirov Theatre – today known as the Mariinsky Theatre - in modern-day St Petersburg. Since then, the ballet has become a cornerstone of the modern repertoire, inspiring numerous revivals and choreographic interpretations, including Cranko's version which has gone on to become a classic in its own right.
The story in the ballet is based on the famous stage play by William Shakespeare. It tells the tale of two young lovers who are born into rival families in the city of Verona. One family, the Capulets, organise a ball at which Juliet, Lord Capulet's daughter, will meet Count Paris, the man to whom she has been betrothed. Romeo and his friends sneak into the ball and he and Juliet fall in love at first sight. Later, Romeo visits Juliet in the renowned balcony scene in which the two swear their undying love for one another. While Verona is enjoying its carnival season, the pair visit Friar Laurence and ask him to marry them. The story then unfolds tragically as the two must navigate their mutual love against a backdrop of familial rivalries.
Prokofiev's stunning score, which includes the much-admired Dance of the Knights in Scene 2 of Act 1, lends itself to the passion and thrills inherent in Shakespeare's play. Combined with Cranko's imaginative choreography and the wonderful setting of Circo Massimo, or Circus Maximus as the venue is sometimes called, this production for Rome's Caracalla Festival delivers theatrical intensity from start to finish.