Romeo & Juliet

[Farrell Fan]

I understand that in Peter Martins's Romeo & Juliet, the title characters will be portrayed by students at the School of American Ballet. Has there been any official word on this?

[drb]

I understand that in Peter Martins's Romeo & Juliet, the title characters will be portrayed by students at the School of American Ballet....

It is probably a good idea to make NYCB's version clearly distinct from the usual productions -- look how much grief Martins has taken from people who mistakenly think his Swan Lake is Swan Lake.

Looking back at the subscription brochure, it mentions bringing together dancers, students and faculty. Also gives a running time of 2 hours 15 minutes, not as long as the traditional, but perhaps there will be fewer intermissions. But the brochure says nothing about lead casting.

One wonders what City Ballet's ballerinas will be doing for two weeks. Even if it were traditional, there'd only be one ballerina job per show. So if Martins uses students as leads, perhaps they will each have a pair of older siblings to extend Mercutio and Benvolio to, say, two women and two men (only speculating). With children, I suppose the balcony scene will be different, you wouldn't want to have a girl risking running down the stairs and a boy doing those lifts...

[Farrell Fan]

Thanks for the response, drb. I agree it's a good idea to differentiate this R&J from others. And the comparison to Martins's Swan Lake is apt, since this production is also designed by Per Kirkeby.

[Hans]

I would venture to guess that "students" probably means dancers from Level D and Advanced Men--ie, very advanced and technically secure eighteen year olds, so I wouldn't worry about stairs and lifts in that case.

[Dale]

Romeo and Juliet now has it's own website, with web episodes:

http://www.tragiclovenyc.com/?affiliate=nycb

[Petra]

Very interesting website. The synergy between the NYCB website and The Winger reminds me of Google and YouTube.

[bart]

Thanks, Dale, for the Link. The on-going documentary promises to be fascinating. I hope it's the start of many such projects by other companies as well. Sitting in the audience is a much richer experience when one has been backstage.

Will this be the thread for those who want to post on it as it progresses?

P.S. I envy the address "tragiclovenyc". I suspect that many of us, looking back at our mispent youth in Manhattan long ago, might regret never having registered this domain for our own reminisciences. I wonder if "tragicomicallovenyc.com" is still available? :blush:

[Klavier]

Thanks, Dale, for the Link. The on-going documentary promises to be fascinating. I hope it's the start of many such projects by other companies as well. Sitting in the audience is a much richer experience when one has been backstage.

Will this be the thread for those who want to post on it as it progresses?

P.S. I envy the address "tragiclovenyc". I suspect that many of us, looking back at our mispent youth in Manhattan long ago, might regret never having registered this domain for our own reminisciences. I wonder if "tragicomicallovenyc.com" is still available? :blush:

Take your cue from Shakespeare's Polonius: "tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral, tragical-historical, tragical-comical-historical-pastoral, scene individable, or poem unlimited."

How many NYCB dancers can you sharp-eyed balletomanes recognize from the little movie clip narrated by Kristin Sloan? I got Kristin Sloan right away.

[SanderO]

I very much like the work of Kristin, Tony and others on Winger and how they are using the WWW to expand on their dance world. It was reading on Winger that got me to see Hamburg perform Death In Venice and it was a terrific experience. This R+J site is going to get me over to see that performance a number of times... I suspect. Good for them!

[drb]

... I wonder if "tragicomicallovenyc.com" is still available? :blush:

I tried to go to

http://www.tragicomicallovenyc.com

and the answer is that it is still available! Better claim it before the announcement of Peter Martins's Manon.

[bart]

I tried to go to

http://www.tragicomicallovenyc.com

and the answer is that it is still available! Better claim it before the announcement of Peter Martins's Manon.

:blush:

[perky]

The new issue of Pointe Magazine has a cover story on NYCB's Romeo and Juliet. The Juliet's are to be danced by students from SAB. The Juliet on the cover is 16 year old Callie Bachman, who looks wise has a lovely innocent purity about her. The Romeo on the cover is corps member Robert Fairchild. No other mention is made of who else is cast as Romeo, but it will be slighter older dancers than the Juliet's due to the difficult partnering. The article mentions Darci Kistler and Jock Soto!!! as Lady and Lord Capulet. Photos show Danny Ullbricht and Joaquin De Lux sword fighting in rehearsal.

[Klavier]

The new issue of Pointe Magazine has a cover story on NYCB's Romeo and Juliet. The Juliet's are to be danced by students from SAB. The Juliet on the cover is 16 year old Callie Bachman, who looks wise has a lovely innocent purity about her. The Romeo on the cover is corps member Robert Fairchild. No other mention is made of who else is cast as Romeo, but it will be slighter older dancers than the Juliet's due to the difficult partnering. The article mentions Darci Kistler and Jock Soto!!! as Lady and Lord Capulet. Photos show Danny Ullbricht and Joaquin De Lux sword fighting in rehearsal.

Episode 2 on www.suchatragiclovebetweentwoyoungkidsfromveronanyc.com is up, with a piece on the swordfighting and a charming clip of Danny Ulbricht (Mercutio) talking about how hard it is to die. Tastefully, that is. And we have also learned Joaquin de Luz is Tybalt. I'm getting psyched for this. Really a smart marketing tool.

[pugbee]

Episode 3 is up, and includes interviews with Darci Kistler, Jock Soto, Albert Evans, Gina Pazcoguin, and Peter Martins.

[Klavier]

Episode 3 is up, and includes interviews with Darci Kistler, Jock Soto, Albert Evans, Gina Pazcoguin, and Peter Martins.

Gina Pazcoguin as the nurse? Hot, sexy Gina in a part usually played (in every Shakespearean production I've seen) by a heavy, out of breath older woman? The play makes it clear the Nurse had a daughter (now dead) who was born on the same day as Juliet. So the nurse has to be old enough to be Juliet's mother. Well, if you can believe the Capulet parents Darci Kistler and Jock Soto in the clip, they are to think of themselves as 28. This is certainly shaping up to be a very young person's R+J.

[sz]

I'm with Klavier....

If P. Martins hasn't totally lost his mind... there will be many more suitable roles ahead for Gina this season...

As the Nurse in R&J??!! What a waste of Gina's earthy, sexy and technically strong talent.

[carbro]

You just said it, sz. Few dancers have the earthiness necessary for the Nurse. Pazcoguin does. Maybe Martins elevates the role to suit her special gifts. But then we'd probably have to rename the ballet "Romeo and Juliet's Nurse".

[vipa]

OK a silly question. If Juliet's mother is 28 how old is Juliet supposed to be? Or am I getting something totally wrong?

[drb]

... If Juliet's mother is 28 how old is Juliet supposed to be? ...

In those days weren't women who were marrying high married as soon as they were able to conceive, to assure the purity of blood of her husband's firstborn? Laws of inheritance and such. So maybe Juliet was 13 and her mother of similar age at her marriage (and Juliet has no older siblings). Recall that in the first scene with her nurse, Juliet is a bit startled that she's developing breasts.

Another casting wish: Peter Martins as the Friar.

[Klavier]

OK a silly question. If Juliet's mother is 28 how old is Juliet supposed to be? Or am I getting something totally wrong?

JULIET Madam, I am here.

What is your will?

LADY CAPULET This is the matter:--Nurse, give leave awhile,

We must talk in secret:--nurse, come back again;

I have remember'd me, thou's hear our counsel.

Thou know'st my daughter's of a pretty age.

NURSE Faith, I can tell her age unto an hour.

LADY CAPULET She's not fourteen.

NURSE I'll lay fourteen of my teeth,--

And yet, to my teeth be it spoken, I have but four--

She is not fourteen. How long is it now

To Lammas-tide?

LADY CAPULET A fortnight and odd days.

NURSE Even or odd, of all days in the year,

Come Lammas-eve at night shall she be fourteen.

[drb]

......

NURSE I'll lay fourteen of my teeth,--

And yet, to my teeth be it spoken, I have but four--

She is not fourteen. How long is it now

To Lammas-tide?

LADY CAPULET A fortnight and odd days.

NURSE Even or odd, of all days in the year,

Come Lammas-eve at night shall she be fourteen.

Juliet died (for real) four days later, about two weeks short of July 31, which would have been her 14th birthday.

Here's the play's precise chronology:

http://www.clicknotes.com/romeo/Chron.html

[drb]

Of course there is the question, how old was the real Juliet? I'm in no way a scholar on this subject. But, while the character in the play is not a specific historical person, it seems evident that she is, at least in part, a composite of real women. I tend to think the primary historical person was Princess Gavia, the blond-haired daughter of Clodomir, the Merovingien (Frankish) King of Orleans from 511-524 ( his kingdom now would roughly correspond to Burgundy). He was one of the sons of the great King of France, Clovis I.

Not receiving permission to marry her boyfriend (some sources say he worked for the King, others say he was a Goth -- mortal enemies of the Franks, certainly the latter is closer to the eventual play), they eloped and lived happily ever after: they did not have the help of a Friar, but did have the intervention of the Pope. They settled in what is now Piedmonte in Northern Italy. Some say on land owned by her father, but historically that land was then ruled by the Goths, specifically Queen Amalasunta. This could be seen as a cooperative action between the Franks and Goths. The small city still there is now named Gavi, and the region produces a pleasant white wine. Years ago, when I was young and romantic, before attending a performance of R&J, I often enjoyed a bottle of Gavi with pre-performance dinner.

But, to the issue of Gavia's age. I don't know the years of birth and elopement. But her father was born in 495 and died in 524, so he couldn't have been more than 29 when he accepted the marriage. If indeed her mother is correctly identified, then he'd had at least one son before fathering Gavia. I doubt she was far from the 13 of the play.

[sz]

Maybe Martins elevates the role...

Peter tinkers, but I've never seen elevation (directing/choreographing any ballet).

[jimmattimore]

Anyone else care to place a guess on NYCB's R&J casting?! I'll also guess that Kathryn Morgan will be a Juliet..... but with whom as Romeo? Tyler Angle?

Oh wouldn't that be a lovely pairing. Kathryn is my favorite out of the new dancers.

jim

[dirac]

Episode 3 is up, and includes interviews with Darci Kistler, Jock Soto, Albert Evans, Gina Pazcoguin, and Peter Martins.

Gina Pazcoguin as the nurse? Hot, sexy Gina in a part usually played (in every Shakespearean production I've seen) by a heavy, out of breath older woman? The play makes it clear the Nurse had a daughter (now dead) who was born on the same day as Juliet. So the nurse has to be old enough to be Juliet's mother. Well, if you can believe the Capulet parents Darci Kistler and Jock Soto in the clip, they are to think of themselves as 28. This is certainly shaping up to be a very young person's R+J.

There has been a trend to cast Romeo and Juliet younger and younger. The casting of teenagers and thirtysomethings as children and parents is not inappropriate, but it may not always succeed. There was once a saying in the theatre that no actress could do the role properly till forty. While I wouldn’t go along with that, it’s possible for actors/dancers to be too immature to handle the larger emotions of the roles. Juliet may begin as a frisky teenager, but by the time she reaches the potion speech she is a woman who has learned the meaning of passion, and not every very young person can make that transition. (Of course, the base of the ballet is not Shakespeare but Prokofiev, so that makes a difference.) You could also argue that some of today’s audiences may not understand that back then a married woman pushing thirty was a very settled matron (who might not make it to fifty, given life expectancies) and casting R&J somewhat older than their ages on paper could better sense in contemporary terms. I like to see a youngerR&J myself, but it's possible to take the whole youth business too far, IMO.