Thur
7:00pm		 May 12, 2011
| choose another day »
ROMEO AND JULIET
Sergei Prokofiev / Emil Wesołowski

Ballet in three acts after William Shakespeare's tragedy
World premiere - Státni Dívadlo, Brno, 30 December 1938
Polish premiere - State Opera, Warsaw, 22 May 1954
Premiere of this production - 18 May 1996

 

Running time: 3 hours



Conductor - Tadeusz Wojciechowski
Choreography - Emil Wesołowski
Set Designer - Andrzej Kreutz Majewski
Costume Designer - Boris Kudlička

 

Polish National Ballet and Orchestra of the Polish National Opera

Juliet and Romeo, young lovers from two warring families in the Italian Renaissance, succumb to their love against or perhaps in spite of the will of their hostile parents. They will pay the highest price. This by now mythical love story has moved people for centuries and continues to warn them against the tragic effects of hatred between adults. Clearly to no avail, seeing that Shakespeare’s play constantly returns in different forms and art disciplines. There is probably no more beautiful transposition than the ballet version to the dramatic music of Sergey Prokofiev. This work has conquered the hearts of audiences everywhere and continues to appear in different choreographies all over the world. It is the pride of the repertoire of leading ballet companies. Brilliant interpretations of the roles of Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio and Tybalt, have been and continue to be created by the greatest dancers. At our theatre, Prokofiev’s ballet drama is presented by choreographer Emil Wesołowski with sets designed by the great Polish stage designer Andrzej Kreutz Majewski. Their production has already been shown almost a hundred times at the Teatr Wielki and enjoys enduring popularity. [pch]


This lucid, compact, and lively ballet story takes maximum advantage of the virtues of Prokofiev’s brilliant music. You can feel its inspirational role in every step and gesture of Wesołowski’s choreography. At the same time, it is worth mentioning that the excellence of this production by no means lies in the innovative nature of the choreographic aspect; the dance sequences are largely quite simple, but what attracts the attention is the pure, stylistically uniform, logical and beautiful composition of the whole. … Elements of humour in this show are intertwined with genuine drama, the lively scene of the fight between supporters of the Montecchi and the Capuleti is like a sequence from today’s films (a brilliant display of fencing skills on the part of almost the entire male cast). The harmony between emotional tension and technical skill visible onstage the whole time makes Romeo and Juliet a genuine success, a pleasure to write about and a pleasure to watch. [Teresa Grabowska, Trybuna] 

 

Photo: Juliusz Multarzyński

SYNOPSIS

ACT I

Scene 1. As day breaks, Romeo, son of Montague, comes back from a night fun. With the sunrise, the market place fills with townspeople, among whom are members of the two rival families, the Capulets and the Montagues. The Duke of Verona appears and warns the two factions that death will be the ultimate punishment if the feud does not stop.

Scene 2. Juliet receives her first ball dress from her mother, Lady Capulet, and learns that she is to meet the noble Paris to whom she will be betrothed on the following day. Now she must bid farewell to her childhood.

Scene 3. Guests appear for the Capulets' ball. Romeo and his friends Benvolio and Mercutio, masked, follow her to the ball.

Scene 4. Juliet dances with Paris but suddenly she and Romeo behold each other, and it is love at first sight. Tybalt, suspecting Romeo's identity, tries to start an argument but is prevented by Juliet's father who abides by the laws of hospitality.

Scene 5. On the balcony outside her bedroom Juliet dreams of Romeo. He appears below in the garden. They declare their eternal love.

ACT II

Scene 1. A carnival is in progress in the main square. Romeo, indifferent to the gaiety around him, is discovered by Juliet's nurse, who brings him a letter from her. She asks Romeo to meet her at the chapel of Friar Laurence.

Scene 2. In his cell, Friar Laurence joins young lovers in mariage.

Scene 3. At the height of the carnival, Romeo returns to the square. Tybalt accosts him but Romeo declines to fight. Mercutio, angered, engages in a duel with Tybalt, and dies at his hands. Romeo, distraught, turns on Tybalt and kills him.

ACT III

Scene 1. In Juliet's bedroom the lovers are awakened by the sunrise, and Romeo, under sentence of exile, must leave Juliet and Verona. Lord and Lady Capulet enter with Paris, but Juliet rejects him.

Scene 2. Juliet, appealing for help to Friar Laurence, receives a potion from him that will place her in a deathlike sleep. He explains that Romeo will find her in the family tomb and both can escape together.

Scene 3. Juliet agrees to her marriage with Paris. After he leaves with her parents, she takes the sleeping draught and is thought to be dead when her family and friends discover her.

Scene 4. Romeo, who has never received Friar Laurence's message revealing the plan, believes Juliet to be dead and rushes to her tomb. There he finds the mourning Paris and kills him. Embracing Juliet for the last time, he takes poison. Juliet awakens to find Romeo dead. Grief-stricken, she kills herself.

Go to topGo to top
PrintPrint