Northern Ballet: Romeo & Juliet (2024)

You can tell its been a good production when I'm inspired to write a blog for the first time in 3 years!

I can't profess to know much about ballet. I enjoyed productions of Swan Lake and the Nutcracker as a child, but apart from the odd local production here and there I don't have much experience of the art at all. One thing I do know, however, is Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. I've written about this play at university, and have seen several productions including film, professional/national theatre, and local interpretations.

Photograph by Guy Farrow featuring dancers Amber Lewis and Joseph Taylor. Taken from Northern Ballet's website: https://northernballet.com/romeo-and-juliet

One thing that really struck me about the choreography of Northern Ballet's recent production was the intentional movements to bring to mind certain lines of the play. One of my favourites was the use of the two lovers' palms pressing together and moving in unison, as "palm to palm is holy palmer's kiss." The intimate choreography would portray romance to any onlooker, whether they know the language of the play or not. In the famous balcony scene, the consistent touching of one another's faces is reminiscent of the imagery, "O' that I were a glove upon that hand that I might touch that cheek." They even had a good smooch, reminding audiences that Romeo does "kiss by the book!"

This interpretive style was used consistently throughout with other characters too: Tybalt's status as "Prince of Cats" was reinforced by cat-like gestures and hisses from the ensemble, and Mercutio's bawdy approach to life was reflected in his suggestive and playful motions. The contrast between the two characters was reinforced by costume, as Tybalt's black leather-look outfit had details akin to amour, while Mercutio's bright costuming included a yellow striped legging such as a jester might wear. This made for a striking fight scene between the two characters who were so visually juxtaposed against one another. 

Production photos by Tristram Kenton and Emily Nuttall (https://northernballet.com/romeo-and-juliet)

The themed costuming made clear to the audience which character was from the house of Capulet (wearing black) or the house of Montague (wearing white/pale). The only exception was Juliet and her girls, who were dressed in white to portray their innocence and youth (at least for the most part, as in one of the final scenes Juliet was symbolically given a Capulet-style black dress to wear). Juliet's Nurse also wore a different outfit, although still on Capulet theme: a red dress, which was accessorised with a black cloak when she needed to sneak a message to Romeo. 

These contrasts continued in the music, as you would expect, and in the style of dance. Romeo and Juliet's scenes felt light, intimate, and delicate. The scenes with the Montagues felt cheeky, playful and often incorporated humour, particularly in the first half of the performance. When the Capulets performed, they had an air of command backed up by music that had strength and power. Sometimes productions of the play are not as clear as they could be when presenting the two houses, but Northern Ballet hit the nail on the visual and musical head with this adaptation.

Suffice to say I will be looking out for future Northern Ballet productions - and I might drag my husband to other Shakespeare inspired ballets too, lucky him!