Ballet Arizona's Romeo and Juliet

[Paul Parish]

helene mentioned in a nother tread that ib Anderson had done a really good vresion of RnJ -- maybe I missed discussion of it, but .... that's wonderful news.

What's it like? Details, please. What's good about the choreography?

[Helene]

I started to write a review in the airport on the way home, and I thought I deleted accidentally. I found it last week. I'd written the details of the scenes, but then ran out of battery. I'm going to finish it, which will mean three pages of the way the ballet is structured, and much less on the performances.

[bart]

Looking forward to the review, helene.

R&J -- to the Prokofiev score -- has so many versions. Since the Ashton was choreographed for the Danes in the 50s and is, I assume, the version Anderson grew up on, it will be interesting to see how the Anderson version compares.

Incidentally, here's a link to a recent discussion of various video productions of R&J:

http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=20167

[Alexandra]

I'm looking forward to reading it too, Helene.

A history note: the Ashton Romeo and Juliet was indeed choreographed for the Danes in the '50s, but disappeared from the repertory there in 1966. In the mid-70s, the company got a new version, by Neumeier, and Ib Andersen was the Romeo in that production.

Thanks for putting up a link to that thread, Bart -- I was going to suggest that maybe we should have a discussion on "Romeo and Juliets"!

[bart]

Thanks, Alexandra, for the correction. I have read about, but not seen, the Neumeier. Here's a link to Eva Kistrup's recent review in DanceView Times of the Neumeier at the Royal Danish Ballet.

http://www.danceviewtimes.com/2005/Autumn/08/romeo.html

Something about descriptions of the Ashton that intrigued me was that he apparently centered the action in the personal tragedy of the two lovers, whereas other versions -- following the Soviets -- interpolate and get a lot more mileage out of the swordplay, secondary characters, and crowd scenes. This includes the MacMillan (especially the openings of Acts I and II) and, for example, the version performed (very well on video) by Northern Ballet Theater.

Perhaps this is like the way Ashton treated The Dream: editing out most of what does not enhance the story of relationships among the main characters. I'm looking forward to hearing what Anderson does with the various possibilities.

[carbro]

When he was AD of London Festival Ballet, Peter Schaufuss (who, like Andersen, would have grown up knowing the Ashton R&J), brought Ashton in to stage that version, which has been described as "intimate". An intimate Prokofiev R&J is hard to imagine, since the score is so grandiose.

I have a vague recollection of having seen Fonteyn (with Nureyev?) in the balcony scene on tv -- Ed Sullivan or Bell Telephone Hour or something. I hadn't yet heard of Ashton, but somehow I think it was his. Anyone remember?

Sorry for further diversion from the topic. I, too, look forward to Helene's report.

[kfw]

I was going to suggest that maybe we should have a discussion on "Romeo and Juliets"!

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I'd like to read this. For one thing, it might help me decide whether to buy tickets for ABT's production at the Kennedy Center in February.

[Leigh Witchel]

kfw - it depends on the casting. Macmillan's version has its good points and its flaws, and can definitely be held together with an excellent cast. My first Juliet was Makarova in that production - wow, that's now 20 years ago. I stood three times in a week to see her again.

[kfw]

Thanks, Leigh. Casting is just what I'm waiting for.

[Helene]

I just posted the synopsis/review in the Ballet Arizona forum:

http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/index.p...t=0#entry172953

Warning: it's even longer than usual. I separated out the scene-by-scene description with lines of asterisks ********************************.