Romeo and Juliet
2 to 25 June 1977
The performance on 2 June 1977 was the world premiere of Rudolf Nureyev’s version of Romeo and Juliet, commissioned by London Festival Ballet. Nureyev and Patricia Ruanne went on to dance all 25 performances in this first run, which marked the start of a ‘Nureyev Festival’ at the theatre.
You can read more about Nureyev’s Romeo and Juliet here. London Festival Ballet are now called English National Ballet and you can read more about the creation of the ballet on their website here. There is a New York Times review of that first run of performances here.