Romeo and Juliet ABT Met 2022

[DPell]

Per his Instagram, Carlos Lopez will be on as Prince Escalus/Friar Laurence at the Wednesday evening performance and Saturday matinee. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf3sMcogUts/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

[Rick]

Did anyone see last night's program with Hee Seo and Daniel Carmago?

[WLH]

I did not attend opening night. My first R&J and first time seeing Cornego will be on Sat! I hope I chose at least half decent seats.. (this is my first season seeing ABT and going to the Met, seen NYCB many times)

Hope anyone who is attending tonight and the rest of the week enjoys and is generous enough to share their thoughts  Recently discovered this forum and I’m so impressed with you all!

[morningside]

I saw opening night with Hee Seo and Daniel Camargo-- they were divine. Initially I was unsure, as I had heard middling reports about Camargo, and the opening scene in Act I with Romeo & friends looked out of sync and under-rehearsed (understandably, as he stepped in for Cory), but by the balcony pas I was full-on swooning. Camargo's style is somehow very different from others on the roster-- there are moments where his lines aren't totally "formal" the way they would be if it was, say, someone like Hallberg, but there are also moments that are jaw-droppingly crystalline. He did a diagonal set of tours that left me agog. Propulsive, elegant, perfect. Overall he's very appealing and has a warm and wonderfully natural quality to his dancing and acting. I really cannot wait to see him again (by Act III I had decided to buy a ticket to Friday's show with the same cast) and am thrilled he's joining the company permanently. Hee was also just stunning-- she's never been my favorite in general (probably because of that one season where everyone was injured so she was cast in everything), but this is absolutely her role. Dramatically, she was excellent. The stark beauty of her line and her total abandon in the balcony and bedroom pas brought me to tears. It was the best Romeo and Juliet I've seen in recent memory. Other thoughts: Joo Won Ahn and Luciana Paris were excellent as Tybalt and Lady Capulet. Gabe Shayer's Mercutio had swagger, but he was very sloppy with no refinement. I've seen the sword fight between Tybalt and Romeo many times, but last night it was truly thrilling, despite one of the swords being bent. Very special evening!

Edited July 12, 2022 by morningside

[JuliaJ]

Wonderful R&J last night. Teuscher gave a vulnerable, dramatic performance with more fluidity in her movement that I expected (and her issues with flexibility weren't really a problem with this choreography). She is ten years older than Bell but was convincingly innocent and youthful. And is there any dancer in NYC with more beautiful épaulement? She's had an amazing season and is suddenly a dancer I want to seek out more. Bell was also great, very boyish, and was technically strong although maybe a bit more careful than usual. There have been mysterious reports of him being injured this season, and I saw no clear evidence of that, although I've seen him give more "wow!" performances in the past. The balcony scene was just stunning. Partnering was smooth throughout. These two have good chemistry together and I hope the company continues to pair them together. They are performing again on Saturday if anyone is still deciding on a cast to see. 

Garegin Pogassian was very good as Mercutio. Mostly clean dancing, convincing acting. He's a very small guy. Loved Forster as Tybalt. Sung Woo Han also great as Benvolio with lovely long lines. 

[WLH]

52 minutes ago, JuliaJ said:

Wonderful R&J last night. Teuscher gave a vulnerable, dramatic performance with more fluidity in her movement that I expected (and her issues with flexibility weren't really a problem with this choreography). She is ten years older than Bell but was convincingly innocent and youthful. And is there any dancer in NYC with more beautiful épaulement? She's had an amazing season and is suddenly a dancer I want to seek out more. Bell was also great, very boyish, and was technically strong although maybe a bit more careful than usual. There have been mysterious reports of him being injured this season, and I saw no clear evidence of that, although I've seen him give more "wow!" performances in the past. The balcony scene was just stunning. Partnering was smooth throughout. These two have good chemistry together and I hope the company continues to pair them together. They are performing again on Saturday if anyone is still deciding on a cast to see. 

Garegin Pogassian was very good as Mercutio. Mostly clean dancing, convincing acting. He's a very small guy. Loved Forster as Tybalt. Sung Woo Han also great as Benvolio with lovely long lines. 

Lovely! I enjoyed Bell in Swan Lake. I wonder if they would be worth seeing on Sat vs now Trenary and Royal, hmm, maybe I’ll look at what seats are available..

[abatt]

I was only able to stay for two-thirds of last night's R&J, but my reaction to Devon was that she seemed too sophisticated and mature  to play  Juliet.  Also, I didn't see much of an arc between the initial meeting with Paris, when she should be very shy and girlish, and her blossoming into womanhood in the encounters with Romeo.  Bell danced beautifully and if he was injured it did not show.   

Added - I think that in terms of stature and demeanor, Juliet could be a good fit for Brandt.  I'm curious to see what Trenary will do on Saturday.

 

Edited July 13, 2022 by abatt

[tutu]

15 hours ago, abatt said:

Added - I think that in terms of stature and demeanor, Juliet could be a good fit for Brandt.

With those big eyes?  Yes please.  Could be really interesting.

I think I’m only going to be able to get in one R&J, and I’m thinking I’ll make it the Seo/Camargo performance if I can get the timing to work.  Sounds like it’ll be a perfect way to appreciate Seo’d strengths, and I can finally see Camargo in action.

[ABT Fan]

6 hours ago, tutu said:

With those big eyes?  Yes please.  Could be really interesting.

I think I’m only going to be able to get in one R&J, and I’m thinking I’ll make it the Seo/Camargo performance if I can get the timing to work.  Sounds like it’ll be a perfect way to appreciate Seo’d strengths, and I can finally see Camargo in action.

The discount code ABTPRIDE works on a lot of the seats. I got one for this performance myself. Code doesn’t work on the most expensive seats it seems, but orchestra down front on the side for example does.

[WLH]

2 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

The discount code ABTPRIDE works on a lot of the seats. I got one for this performance myself. Code doesn’t work on the most expensive seats it seems, but orchestra down front on the side for example does.

I believe ABTFRIEND works in the center of the orchestra also, if that’s helpful for anyone. 

[abatt]

In the past I've been lukewarm on Boylston in dramatic roles.  I've also avoided her Juliet because she is frequently paired with Whiteside, who is not one of my favorites.Last night was my first viewing of Boylston's Juliet.  I was very impressed.   I liked her youthful energy as Juliet.  HUGE jumps, fast spins.  It all played perfectly into building the character.  She  frequently danced with abandon.  Very convincing.  And Camargo was excellent.  His acting was terrific.  Also, his technique and partnering were very strong.  Definitely a winning cast that I hope to see together again in the future. Those pesky swords unfortunately created moments of unexpected comedy, but that's show biz.

 

[ABT Fan]

So, this is confusing. Per my other post on the SS casting thread, Cornejo was replaced by Royal at Saturday matinees performance, per ABT’s site and the Met Opera site. But Trenary has recently posted an IG story which Cornejo even re-posted of them doing a tech rehearsal. The scenery is clearly R&J so it’s from this week. The story was posted yesterday when I believe her tech rehearsal was. So is the updated casting wrong? Is Cornejo still going to perform Saturday?

https://instagram.com/cassiepearlt?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Edited July 14, 2022 by ABT Fan

[angelica]

I have attended every ballet this season in which Shevchenko has danced the leading role, and Wednesday matinee's performance did not disappoint. It's worth it for me to travel 1 1/2 hours from Westchester just to see her arabesque, of which there were many astonishing ones yesterday.  Her line, her proportions, her carriage, her fluidity, her facial expressions, her immersion in a role, all make for an exquisite ballerina.

I thought the performance, both Royal and Shevy, was beautiful. She was a childish 13 and throughout the dramatic arc of the ballet became an impassioned one, and then grief-stricken. The moment when she and Calvin locked eyes for the first time, which I wait for every R&J, was sudden and magnificent, totally believable. In addition, her fluidity is one of her strengths, and this ballet brought that out in abundance. Royal is getting better and better. He is gorgeous to look at and his acting has grown into highly detailed and believable performances. The two together were a treasure to watch, and I look forward to seeing them again next time.

The audience, although rather sparse for a Wednesday matinee, was appreciative. In the last scene, it seemed as if the audience members were on the edge of their seats, holding their breath, until the final chord, when they burst out with cheers and hoopla. Flowers were thrown to the stage and actually got there. So wonderful to see these two dancers, homegrown, so perfectly matched.

[ABT Fan]

8 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

So, this is confusing. Per my other post on the SS casting thread, Cornejo was replaced by Royal at Saturday matinees performance, per ABT’s site and the Met Opera site. But Trenary has recently posted an IG story which Cornejo even re-posted of them doing a tech rehearsal. The scenery is clearly R&J so it’s from this week. The story was posted yesterday when I believe her tech rehearsal was. So is the updated casting wrong? Is Cornejo still going to perform Saturday?

https://instagram.com/cassiepearlt?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Quoting myself…

It’s almost like ABT reads this site because they just posted this, Royal is dancing Saturday:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cf_3YL2KsPP/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

[FauxPas]

I am seeing Camargo and Seo in "R&J" on Friday and Trenary and Royal III on Saturday afternoon.

Please in your reviews could you discuss the supporting casts?   There seems to be lots of new casting for Mercutio (Klein & Pogossian), Benvolio (Frenette), Tybalt (has Jarod Curley been cast in the role?) and Count Paris.  Also the mime roles of the Nurse, Friar Lawrence and Lady Capulet probably have lots of new faces this season.  I am curious as to who is up there these days with all the rising new corps dancers and changes in personnel.

Edited July 14, 2022 by FauxPas

[DPell]

1 hour ago, ABT Fan said:

Quoting myself…

It’s almost like ABT reads this site because they just posted this, Royal is dancing Saturday:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cf_3YL2KsPP/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Cornejo has Covid. https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cf_811AA0WA/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

[Papagena]

22 minutes ago, DPell said:

Cornejo has Covid. https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cf_811AA0WA/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Wow, they are stunning and Cornejo looks as good as ever. Even though Trenary has danced with Royal before (including the balcony pas), it must be a bit heartbreaking to rehearse such a connection-base role for her debut - her only major role of the season - and then have to swap partners at the last moment. 

I did enjoy Royal's recent post on R&J prep and can't wait to see what he brings to the Saturday performance: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cf_nRw-ge-7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

[ABT Fan]

2 hours ago, DPell said:

Cornejo has Covid. https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cf_811AA0WA/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Oh no! Thanks for the info.

[fondoffouettes]

I was at last night's performance and found Forster to be an ideal Romeo in many ways. He was 100 percent committed dramatically and gave an intense, compelling performance. There were some slight corrections in his Act I street scene dancing, but by the balcony scene, he was dancing beautifully, with great sweep and authority. His partnering was of course very strong. I won't soon forget the duel scene between him and Tybalt; it was blood-chilling. Zhurbin more than showed why he's deserving of the status of principal. His acting was consistently excellent last night.  

While I found Forster's performance to be fully satisfying, and at times quite moving, Murphy's performance had its ups and downs. I found Act I to be by far her weakest. She really couldn't convincingly pull off the naive young girl vibe. Her interactions with the nurse looked a bit awkward. I don't think "abandon" has ever been in Murphy's vocabulary, and unfortunately, that was clearly on display during the balcony pas de deux. When she at first reached down from the balcony toward Romeo, she did it with no yearning; it was like she was just doing the required choreography. And while I'm glad she was thinking of her safety, I've never seen a Juliet walk so gingerly down the balcony stairs and then do a little jump off with no sense of drama. The choreography also revealed just how stiff her upper body has become. The swoony, go-for-broke quality of the pas de deux was sorely missing, and I'm afraid this was due mostly to Murphy.

Murphy was much, much improved in Act III. I felt like she more than credibly pulled off Juliet's despair, and her acting was committed. She conveyed these more mature, subtle emotions far better than the broad strokes of impetuous, adolescent love required in Act I. She and Forster were both fantastic in the tomb scene; it was heartbreaking and not overdone. They struck a good balance between naturalism and making sure the emotion could be read from the back of at the house.

Pogossian was a fantastic Mercutio, with impressive leaps and jumps that repeatedly won over the audience. Yes, he needs refinement, and will certainly gain more dramatic authority with time, but I thought he was fantastic. He has the makings of a great Mercutio, in the vein of Cornejo (though will anyone ever equal Cornejo in that role?). Frenette was great as Benvolio, and looked much more at ease than in other roles this season. 

Chloe Misseldine (subbing for Kiely Groenewegen as Lady Montague) looked like a Laurana bust that had come to life. What beauty and regal authority.

It was a dramatically satisfying evening, but I left feeling like I'd really like to see Forster with a different Juliet. Romeo is a great role for him.

Edited July 15, 2022 by fondoffouettes

[Rick]

Truly beautiful R&J last night - Murphy’s Juliet was more restrained and thoughtful than most, but had such depth and nuance in the second half of the ballet. Forster’s Romeo - what can I add to the beautiful observations of fondoffouettes - he embodied the role and was born to dance it, with his ardor, supremely elegant line, and gracious partnering. The tomb scene was overwhelming and I’ll never forget it. 

[angelica]

What a strange experience I had last night at R&J! I thought Camargo was good, seemed very comfortable in the role and danced well, nailing all the jumps and turns. I especially liked his renverses. However, for a final opinion I would need to seem him in a princely role, because what some people described as a "natural" manner onstage, I felt showed a lack of pure classicism.  Now, of course, Romeo is not a prince,, so perhaps that was intentional on Camargo's part, but to me, accustomed to the "Hallberg" look, I felt something was lacking. He could have grown an extra inch by pulling up more. Perhaps that will come being surrounded by the guys at ABT. I think he's a good acquisition for the company and I would be happy to see him again.

I was totally taken by Joo Won Ahn in the role of Tybalt. I had never, in all my years of watching R&J, paid much attention to the role of Tybalt. But Ahn's body proportions, carriage, and demeanor just blew me away. And that gorgeous costume! He looked like the poster child for classical form. and perhaps that's another thing about Camargo--I wish he were equipped with longer legs. I have actually heard that there are exercises to elongate the leg muscles, but I don't know if that's true or not.

The other person I was delighted to see was Joey Gorak, whose career stalled for reasons to which I'm not privy. But he was in performance shape and looked great.

I wish I had been able to see a different Mercutio. I had seen Gabe Stone Shayer in his previous performance with Shevchenko and Royal, and it would have been interesting to see one of the newer corps guys. I found Shayer's acting believable, but I wish he would do something about his technique, as he's really quite sloppy as a dancer. 

[MarzipanShepherdess]

Today's matinee was a great end to the season! My favorite ABT performance this year.

Calvin Royal stepped in for Herman and delivered a wonderful performance. I know it was Cassandra's day, but he was really the highlight for me. Calvin's Romeo shares some qualities with his Siegfried: this is a youthful, innocent Romeo (very different from Herman who dances Romeo with more flirtatiousness, confidence, and all-around swagger), giddy with first love. He really captured the heady, destabilizing, even slightly goofy energy of teen love. The ballroom moment where he first sees Juliet was great, he played it like he was so surprised that someone so gorgeous could exist. It was particularly moving to see Calvin's Romeo blossom in the Act I balcony pas de deux. His exuberant manège felt like such a pure expression of joy at feeling his love reciprocated, and as soon as he finished it his face broke into this huge smile which projected not bravado but rapturous adoration for Juliet ("I did this for YOU!"). He brought out the best in Cassandra: I enjoyed her performance most when she was playing off him and least in her solos. Some of the more bravura moments in his Act II solo did not look great (particularly the jumps where he was reversing his torso orientation in the air, I don't know the name of this step), but I can overlook that when the overall performance is as strongly felt and beautifully articulated as his was.

It was a solid debut for Cassandra but I wouldn't race to see her in this role again for another season or two as I'm sure she'll develop more from here. She looked beautiful and I especially admired her elevation and jump. But to me she is still figuring out the dramatic side of this role. This was particularly apparent in her Act III bedroom scene after Calvin exited. This is such a juicy scene for a ballerina, who can choose to dance it with gentle sweetness, or heartbreak, or even rage or insanity (as Diana Vishneva used to, bringing it into full-on mad scene territory). Cassandra didn't seem to know quite what she was going for here and there were some awkward moments, like when she was sitting on the floor and then later sitting on the bed, and not really projecting any emotion in particular or using her body to convey anything. It felt like she was just waiting for the music to pass by. I do think she has chemistry with Calvin, and she gave a much stronger performance when she was reacting to him like in the balcony scene where she was particularly lovely and lyrical. It was sweet to see her being showered with flowers at her curtain call.

Jonathan Klein debuted earlier this week as Mercutio, and he already radiates confidence and ease in the role and is giving richly detailed performances. He delivers the whole arc, from the machismo acrobatics to the tragic panic of his death scene. Really, really excellent. A soloist promotion is not far off for him, I imagine. Big big applause from the audience.

Another highlight for me: Zhong-Jing Fong as Lady Capulet. This is a role that the right ballerina can really do something with (like Veronika Part and Stella Abrera used to), and Zhong-Jing was the most imperious, most icily elegant lady Capulet I can recall...which made her final breakdown in Juliet's tomb all the more heartbreaking. Beyond her dance talents, Fong is really a fabulous character artist and I hope she has a long career in these kinds of roles with ABT like Roman has had. Would LOVE to see her Carabosse after this performance. 

 

[ABT Fan]

I went last night and again this afternoon. They were drastically different performances.

Last night I had very high expectations and I was not disappointed. I haven't seen a lot of Seo in recent years and never her Juliet but I thought this could be her best role and I really think it is. She had me at her very first entrance: 100% believable as a young, naive girl, exquisite dancing throughout with natural, nuanced acting. She had some trouble with a few turns in Act I but other than that her technique was gorgeous and strong. After seeing Carmago as Dionysius in Love/Rage I figured his dramatic abilities would make him a wonderful Romeo and they did. I'm so glad he's joining as a full time principal. He was a boyish, natural Romeo (not a prince, which I kinda hate in R&J), great partnering, clean strong dancing. These two had fantastic chemistry and exemplified the drunk on love, can't live without you kind of passion that this ballet needs to be believable. Seo was beside herself with torment during the scenes with her parents and Paris and consumed with passion during their bedroom scene. Carmago was so overcome with despair at the tomb I got chills. The only thing that went "wrong" with them was during that iconic lift in the balcony scene where Romeo is on his knees and he holds Juliet up while one of her legs is in arabesque and the other is in low passe - he was struggling to keep her up, maybe his hand position was off, and on the 3rd press it looked like he was losing his grip and she put one her hands down on his shoulders. It wasn't a visibly big error and this was his third (!) Romeo this week so the guy was probably exhausted. Other than that, he was incredibly strong in both partnering and in his own solos you'd never guess he had such a rough week. I found myself holding my breath, in every good way possible, because these two captivated me completely.

Ahn as Tibalt was a big surprise. He needs to develop his facial expressions more, but the carriage of his entire body was perfect - domineering, cocky, in control. A fabulous death scene. Forster's Tibalt is the best I've seen so far (I haven't seen Zhurbin's) - it was frightening. Ahn came very close, hurling his body at Romeo. Shayer was ineffective as Mercutio. As others keep saying, his dancing is rather sloppy. He has extreme flexibility and lose joints which he takes great advantage of at the expense of line, form and clean movement. Acting wise he was fine, but he did not make much of an impression on me. Zhurbin as Lord Capulet was as perfect and profound as could be. 

This afternoon was Trenary's debut and Royal only debuted Romeo earlier this week, so I hope they are both really proud of what they accomplished.
- Where they succeeded: Trenary's dancing was pretty much perfect; luscious, expansive, musical, technically spot on. Royal's partnering was superb, he showed amazing stamina, no wavering near the end as I've seen with a few Romeo's in the past, gorgeous presence and engagement, high jumps.
- What needs work: not sure if this is fixable, but their chemistry wasn't fully there. And, they didn't have that love at first sight and burning passion that Seo/Carmago did; they came close during the balcony scene so I think they just need more experience. Some of Trenary's acting choices didn't really work - when she finally agreed to marry Paris, she gave a hearty nod with matching body language, while Seo's "yes" was a reluctant acquiescence which dramatically made more sense. And, I didn't see a development arc from a young girl to a young woman faced with adult choices - Trenary was lovely throughout but she was the same young, lovely woman. Royal is not blessed with good feet nor knees that appear to straighten all the way so unfortunately those two things diminish lines and can make a few steps look a bit awkward. But, he was blessed with the most gorgeous long arms I've ever seen which perfectly go with a billowy long-sleeved blouse. Probably one of my favorite things about Royal is how much he truly loves to dance, he just oozes joy out of every pore, he can't contain it. His face and huge smile never fail to light up the opera house. But, as Romeo, having a huge grin even when it's completely natural and genuine doesn't always work - he also needs to work on not only character development but how to convey other emotions, although he did a good job expressing grief in the tomb scene.

Lyle as Tibalt was very good but he faded into the background a bit and his death scene wasn't very strong. Ribagorda fortunately reprised his role as Benvolio and made a big impression.

The biggest revelation of today was the completely outstanding Jonathan Klein as Mercutio. I'd love a good explanation as to why this man is still in the corps. He danced like a principal - far surpassing any hope I had of him, and I thought he'd make a strong debut. Everything about his performance was extraordinary - I am still thinking of the Mandolin dance. One or two of those super fast jumps he couldn't get his left arm position up quite fast enough, but other than that this man has a huge jump, gorgeous, fast pirouettes, beautiful feet, the ability to execute difficult jumps with ease, and dramatically it was if he has been doing this role for many years instead of debuting it this week with wonderful, intelligent theatrical choices. He alone was worth the entire afternoon. Also, he was giving me major Johan Renvall vibes.

Like I've already written a few times, the company is rich with talent these days. Jacob Curley kept catching my attention - both last night and this afternoon he was positioned right behind Lord Capulet in the ballroom scene and I couldn't stop watching him. He would make an excellent Tibalt. I wouldn't want him to be type cast as always the bad guy, after this season, but I hope to see him in that role some day. So many other dancers I could point out, but then this would become 10 pages long.

Lastly, I can never go to ABT's R&J without thinking of dear Freddie Franklin, and Abrera as Lady Capulet. I wish they had brought Abrera back to guest in this role, even once.

Added: Royal's husband was sitting up front and threw several bouquets up on the stage during the bows. It was lovely to see.

Last ADD: One thing Trenary did artistically that I really respect - as she was dying her final collapse was in a semi fetal position partially face down, not the common and overly-dramatic "let me roll over onto my back while I'm bleeding to death and do an extreme backbend over the concrete slab to show off how flexible my back is because this looks so cool". I've always hated that. Some dancers don't overdo it like Seo the night before. But, it still doesn't make sense. If MacMillan choreographed it that way, it still doesn't make me like it. I'm glad Trenary went with a more realistic, and yet still effective, choice.

Edited July 17, 2022 by ABT Fan
Additional thought about Trenary

[WLH]

Jonathan Klein needs to be promoted yesterday, frankly.

Trenary technique wise was pretty exquisite. I agree that her and Royal although very sweet maybe lacked the bone chilling/passionate/tragic element. Of course it’s not only new for them both but also a bit of a last minute partnership.

It was a lovely curtain call. Can’t believe it’s the last day of the season!

Edited July 17, 2022 by WLH
word repeat

[choriamb]

I saw the Saturday 7/16 matinee with Trenary and Royal:  this really was a great cast.

Trenary is the best Juliet I have seen...I think she will have the most complete interpretation of her generation. Her dancing was both pristine and completely through-acted:  so many details about the choreography that I'd never noticed before (like how Juliet stretches toward the window/bed Romeo left and how she is manipulated in the "Capulet" dance with Paris during the betrothal). And she and Royal actually had chemistry in the balcony and bedroom scenes:  I cried for the first time at an ABT performance since Vishneva/Gomes.  The most exciting thing is that Trenary hasn't danced a full-length opposite a really experienced partner beyond her debut in SB:  what might she do opposite someone like Camargo?

Royal continues to impress. I can tell he's in his first principal season, but he's showing that he's the full package:  even between Of Love and Rage and this show, I saw increasingly consistent technique and increasingly confident acting. 

Really, the entire cast gave a very satisfying performance. ABT often casts Tybalt with rapier-thin matinee-idol types who come off as petulant or ineffective; Duncan Lyle made him a bit more brutal...and it was very effective. I like Raffa's Nurse. And Ribagorda simply IS Benvolio.

Klein's technique was pristine and the audience rewarded him for it. Better yet, he's begun breaking out of the danseur noble mode that a lot of technicians get stuck in and displayed some of Mercutio's roguish charm. He has a way to go dramatically, but he's further than Cornejo was at a comparable stage in his career.