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A review from 5D Music & Theatre writer Maria Robertson.
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When my son was young we ended up watching Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty one Christmas on the television. He was transfixed by it, and stayed up way past his bedtime, which at that age was quite unheard of. I was thrilled to get the chance to enjoy it with him, whilst relieved he did not understand the dark undertones (and the sex scene), and have been a bit besotted ever since. However last night was the first time I have managed to see a Matthew Bourne production live, and I must say it was well worth waiting for. My now teenager did not accompany me as he is in the awkward teenager stage of thinking kissing is disgusting and I had seen a couple of clips online and knew it was quite a raunchy production. It was much more comfortable to be sat next to my Romeo, my husband. Although I did see a young boy was there and wondered what he thought of it all, there is a 14+ rating.
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The set design is seemingly simple but works very effectively. We are told that it’s Verona Institute but not what kind of place this is. The characters are mostly young people, but there’s two medical staff, a warden of some kind, and a vicar type character. In the program there’s an interview with Matthew Bourne where he explains that it’s purposely left to the imagination of the viewer to decide what kind of institution they think it is. Perhaps because I’ve seen One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest before, I thought it was a place for people with mental health issues. It also made me think of the book I’ve just finished reading: The Naked Bird Watcher by Suzy Johnston when she spends time in a psychiatric ward. One of the girls at the start of the second half was reaching towards an overhead light and it made me think of Suzy’s explanation of why she self harmed, to feel something through the void of darkness in her depression. Indeed there is a level of desperate madness to some of the dancing too. In a beautiful choreographed way, perhaps showing that even individuals with their own dark minds can come together in the right circumstances.
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The background at first made me think of a swimming pool as it is white tiles with doors on either side, one marked boys and one marked girls. There’s a walkway up above with a barrier and this becomes a useful way for characters to come in and out of the Institute, or to travel from one part of the building to the other as the storyline requires. The lighting is also very clever and an integral part of the production. Most of the time it is stark and bright white but when Romeo and Juliet inevitably fall in love it takes on the red glow of a sunrise or a sunset. When there’s a party in the Institute a massive glitter ball comes down and lights up the whole of the theatre with this happy dancing. The white wall at the back reflects the lights creating shadows at more moody parts of the performance.
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This is a production by Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures company, which gives new dancers the opportunity to dance, so although there’s maybe not the big names from the world of ballet, very talented performers have been picked. Romeo was Paris Fitzpatrick and Juliet was Monique Jonas on this showing. They, and the rest of the cast, are all marvellous and awe inspiring. The choreography is so consistent throughout, the movements are be fitting the story, with the madness of the minds, and the order of the discipline providers, and of course the romance of the love. There is one iconic scene with the longest on stage kiss and yes they are still dancing as they do it, they do not just stand still.
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This production truly is magical and romantic and a delight to watch from start to finish, as well as being harrowing and dark. We all know that the storyline will end with the death of the two lovers so it is an interesting concept to take a well-known story and put it in a different setting. I think this works very well, you are still wondering what is going to happen, and who is the Juliet character. As we left the theatre at the end I heard someone say that it is amazing how much emotion can be put across without a single word, just the movement, body language and the music. The music was put together by Prokofiev especially for this production. It is haunting and beautiful and it is violent and romantic, all at once! All the things that the story needs.
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At the end I was one of the first people on their feet for the standing ovation, usually I’m a bit reserved and British about that but the sheer emotion that tore every character apart reached me very deeply. There are tickets still available for the run this week in Aberdeen so if you haven’t already got tickets I really would advise you to get some, because this is a production not to be missed. It is astoundingly beautiful.
Further information: https://new-adventures.net/romeo-juliet#overview
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Maria Robertson is the Chief Music & Theatre Writer for the 5D Pop Culture Website and provides reviews & coverage of local Aberdeen music & theatre gigs. She’s an experienced writer for numerous sources and is a self-confessed live gig addict ever since seeing The Counting Crows at the Barrowlands in 1994.
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