Ballet in three acts (1936)
Since its 1965 premiere with The Royal Ballet, Kenneth MacMillan’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ has become a great modern ballet classic of the world repertory. The nuanced and detailed choreography gives dancers in the lead roles (here Royal Ballet Principals Marcelino Sambé and Anna-Rose O’Sullivan) a wealth of opportunity for differing interpretations of the doomed lovers.
Evocative designs by Nicholas Georgiadis bring the colour and action of Renaissance Verona, where a busy market all too quickly bursts into sword fighting and a family feud leads to tragedy for both the Montagues and the Capulets. Prokofiev’s ravishing score sweeps this dramatic ballet towards its inevitable, emotional end.