tonight we went to romeo & juliet at the royal nz ballet. second time to the rnz ballet for me, first for the jboss. it was going to be hard to top the performance of cinderella i saw a year ago, but it quickly became apparent that this was not going to be a competition.
whilst all of the advertisements and the catalogue had images of a classic production when the curtain rises we see a modern italian street scene and performers in modern attire.
doh. just like the performance of la boheme we attended recently this is a modern interpretation of a classic.
This Romeo and Juliet, minted in 2003 by Christopher Hampson for the Royal New Zealand Ballet in its 50th jubilee year, was a triumph here and in England, where it received a Laurence Olivier nomination for Best New Dance Production
we’ve learned to ask more questions before we buy tickets next time.
all through the first act i’m fighting sleep and am afraid that it will be obvious if i do big head bob. i make it to the first interval and i’m trying to choose my words carefully so not rain on the parade – but then the jboss fesses up that she is also struggling to make it through. there is serious discussion of bagging, but we decide we’ll dash out to get some cold caffeine and give the second act a chance. whilst we’re now both wide awake, the performance has not magically morphed back to its classic form, so i’m still enduring rather than enjoying.
at the beginning of the second interval the gent in the seat next to me turns and says
“isn’t this wonderful?”
“uh – yes, it certainly is”
“my son is one of the performers and i’ve traveled here from australia to see him. i’m very proud”
okay… that certainly seals our fate for the night. no leaving early now.
we spent the rest of the interval talking with dad. it helped to make the show more interesting – but in going-to-see-your-niece-in-a-preschool-ballet-recital kind of way.