Five star review of Northern Ballet's Romeo & Juliet

Everything about the long-awaited revival of one of the jewels in Northern Ballet’s crown is outstanding.

It has been 16 years since the company have performed Romeo & Juliet and it has been worth the wait. Part of the reason for the haitus was due to the devastating damage done to the costumes and sets by flooding, but after careful restoration it has returned to Leeds Grand Theatre where it premiered back in 1992.

Created by choreographer Massimo Moricone and Northern Ballet’s then artistic director Christopher Gable, the ballet is a truly stunning piece of storytelling through dance. Joseph Taylor and Dominique Larose are the star-crossed young lovers, both investing Romeo and Juliet’s tender and tragic love story with authentic emotion and graceful physicality. Their balcony pas de deux, full of tenderness and youthful vigour, is a soaring highlight of the whole production.

The chorography is lyrical and poignant when it needs to be, especially in the moving final scenes between the young lovers, and impressively energetic and fierce at other dramatic points in the narrative. Ensemble set pieces are full of dynamism and the breathtaking fight scenes between the Capulets and Montagues are believably scrappy and aggressive.

And there are some lovely moments of comedy – many provided, as in Shakespeare’s original, by the Nurse (Heather Lehan). As with all Northern Ballet productions, the acting is as impressive as the dancing with a fine attention to detail in terms of characterisation. Performances from the entire company are of an extremely high standard, but there are some barnstorming sequences from Aaron Kok as Mercutio whose cheeky, raucous energy and effortlessly elegant dancing enlivens every scene in which he appears. Prokoviev’s magnificent score is played live by the Northern Ballet Sinfonia. Their beautiful playing and expert musicianship immeasurably enhance both the performance and the audience experience. A wonderful, exhilarating and ultimately extremely affecting retelling of the oft-told story. A must-see.

To March 16, then touring.