Romeo and Juliet (Nureyev)
Of all the ballet versions of Romeo and Juliet, Nureyev’s is the closest to Shakespeare’s play. He took the task of presenting a precise adaption so seriously that he considered having the role of Juliet danced by a boy, as would have been the case in the bard’s day. He also resisted any attempts to glamorise the harsh realities of the time in which the story is set. His Romeo and Juliet captures the ribaldry of the period and the constant, hovering presence of death. Throughout the production, there are stark reminders of the fragility and brevity of life.
Another overarching theme of Nureyev’s Romeo and Juliet is a morbid obsession with fate. The ballet begins with four grotesque figures in dark robes huddled over a game of dice. The dice are rolled, and the figures leap up and run offstage. A literal veil of darkness descends, in the form of a sheet of black fabric. A rickety cart stacked with the lifeless bodies of plague victims rumbles across the stage, followed by a procession of black-clad mourners. Romeo makes his first entrance among these signs of approaching tragedy, his tender youth and innocence in contrast to the gruesome images that surround him.
Although some critics found Nureyev’s choreography of the pas de deux overly busy or too acrobatic,the ballet delighted audiences and received critical praise for its deft musicality, devastating emotional power, and Nureyev’s commitment to the creation of a historically accurate piece.
In The Nureyev Image, Alexander Bland observed that Nureyev’s rendition of Romeo was the first balletic interpretation to present him as a multi-faceted character. Instead of showing Romeo simply as a doomed figure, Nureyev portrayed him as an inexperienced, eager and endearingly feisty young man. Further proof of Nureyev’s talent for characterisation lies in his rendering of Juliet, who is depicted as a mature but passionate young girl, boldly rebelling against the restrictive societal expectations of the day. The sensitivity of these characterisations combines to make Nureyev’s ballet an especially heart-wrenching rendition of Shakespeare’s classic story.
Romeo and Juliet is still in repertoire today.