Though part of the point of a review is to persuade readers to see the
show whilst it's on , I find myself at the last showing of Romeo and
Juliet at Sadler's Wells , performed by the Scottish Ballet. So I invite
you to think of this as a review of the company primarily and not just
the show.
So first of all , the vibe between the dancers is so palpable! Benvolio (Andrew Peasgood) and Mercutio (Daniel Davidson) played so well together as the cheeky friends of Romeo (Christopher Harrison) - the kind of friends who start all the scenarios that would later be the "d'you remember when" stories. Ben and Merc's flirtations set the perfect vibe for the street scenes as they saunter between the ladies. Dressed in rather delicious suits, Merc and Ben steal the stage every time they bound on stage. Merc's especially hilarious as he tries to distract Tybalt (Owen Thorne) from Romeo and Juliet's blossoming love - pure gold. And even though everyone around the world knows the story of R&J, going by the girl sat next to me, the murder of Merc and Tybalt respectively was so well executed that said audience member audibly gasped and jumped from shock. Though R&J is primarily about the couple, the other protagonists create quite a babe vibe (if that makes sense). Kara McLaughlin who played mummy Capulet was pure sexy gold - every single time she came on stage she stole the attention of all audience members and owned it! Speaking of owning it, Friar Laurence (Rimbaud Patron) had the best entrances of all time as the top lighting went out and the dancers where lit from head on giving a fun ghost-y vibe as none the the background was lit. The lack of the Prince Escalus of Verona made Friar Laurence's part much more important, as it was his character that was seen as the authority figure between the feuding families. There was also no mention of
Rosaline (or at least I did not notice any).
I can't claim to understand the hierarchy of a ballet company, but as Davidson is a Coryphée, and Peasgood an artist, it may have been some kind of tryout performance to see if Peasgood can move up the ranks - which is damn true! Peasgood's charm reached even the higher tiers (where I was placed due to my student pocket-money wallet).
As I try to pull away from going on too much about Ben and Merc, attention must be given to the titular protagonists. Juliet (Claire Robertson) and Romeo (Christopher Harrison) were the young and desperate lovers we have all come to know and love, with their furtive glances and innocent embraces. Robertson also portrays the awkwardness of Juliet as she dances with Paris and how Juliet frees up as she dances with Romeo perfectly. The scenes in which Romeo is Juliet-less, he is one of the delectable lads with Ben and Merc.
Based on this performance, I shall endeavour (if my student-lack-of-money lifestyle will allow it) to see another performance by the Scottish Ballet. Their ability to adapt a story everyone knows into something worth watching and combing characters without losing any parts of the story proves they can cleverly retell stories without messing up.
So first of all , the vibe between the dancers is so palpable! Benvolio (Andrew Peasgood) and Mercutio (Daniel Davidson) played so well together as the cheeky friends of Romeo (Christopher Harrison) - the kind of friends who start all the scenarios that would later be the "d'you remember when" stories. Ben and Merc's flirtations set the perfect vibe for the street scenes as they saunter between the ladies. Dressed in rather delicious suits, Merc and Ben steal the stage every time they bound on stage. Merc's especially hilarious as he tries to distract Tybalt (Owen Thorne) from Romeo and Juliet's blossoming love - pure gold. And even though everyone around the world knows the story of R&J, going by the girl sat next to me, the murder of Merc and Tybalt respectively was so well executed that said audience member audibly gasped and jumped from shock. Though R&J is primarily about the couple, the other protagonists create quite a babe vibe (if that makes sense). Kara McLaughlin who played mummy Capulet was pure sexy gold - every single time she came on stage she stole the attention of all audience members and owned it! Speaking of owning it, Friar Laurence (Rimbaud Patron) had the best entrances of all time as the top lighting went out and the dancers where lit from head on giving a fun ghost-y vibe as none the the background was lit. The lack of the Prince Escalus of Verona made Friar Laurence's part much more important, as it was his character that was seen as the authority figure between the feuding families. There was also no mention of
Rosaline (or at least I did not notice any).
I can't claim to understand the hierarchy of a ballet company, but as Davidson is a Coryphée, and Peasgood an artist, it may have been some kind of tryout performance to see if Peasgood can move up the ranks - which is damn true! Peasgood's charm reached even the higher tiers (where I was placed due to my student pocket-money wallet).
As I try to pull away from going on too much about Ben and Merc, attention must be given to the titular protagonists. Juliet (Claire Robertson) and Romeo (Christopher Harrison) were the young and desperate lovers we have all come to know and love, with their furtive glances and innocent embraces. Robertson also portrays the awkwardness of Juliet as she dances with Paris and how Juliet frees up as she dances with Romeo perfectly. The scenes in which Romeo is Juliet-less, he is one of the delectable lads with Ben and Merc.
Based on this performance, I shall endeavour (if my student-lack-of-money lifestyle will allow it) to see another performance by the Scottish Ballet. Their ability to adapt a story everyone knows into something worth watching and combing characters without losing any parts of the story proves they can cleverly retell stories without messing up.
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