All Are Punished
"Romeo and Juliet"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
June 15, 2023
The last time Toronto audiences saw Alexei Ratmansky’s “Romeo and Juliet” was in March 2020. Just two days into the run, theatres in Toronto (and around the world) shut down when the pandemic hit. As the National Ballet of Canada gradually resumed live performances, the return to Ratmansky’s production marked a full circle moment. Dancers who have been preparing for “Romeo and Juliet” could at long last perform this dramatic ballet. The opening night cast featured a strong ensemble with great depth from the corps de ballet to the soloist and principal roles.
Ratmansky’s version stays true to the heart of William Shakespeare’s enduring story, using a blend of classical and contemporary dance vocabulary, mime and stagecraft to convey the essential emotions and drivers of the plot. In the crowd scenes especially, he matches the energy of Sergei Prokofiev’s powerful score, taking the audience on a journey from moments of peace and calm to sudden eruptions of conflict and hostility between the two feuding families.
Lavish sets and costumes designed by Richard Hudson immerse the production in Renaissance era Verona. Scenes in the town square feature a rich, terracotta
hue bathed in sunlight, while the masked ball is decadent with huge torches, gold accents, brocade fabrics and plush velvet. While the lack of a unique color schemes to differentiate the Montagues and the Capulets make the first town scene a bit confusing, the warm autumn palette that everyone wears to the ball creates a lovely contrast to Romeo and Juliet’s pale blue, white and silver attire. Another striking set is Juliet’s bedroom, dwarfed by an exaggerated, towering canopy bed. It is constructed without right angles, creating a trompe l’oeil effect. Using two point perspective, a greater sense of depth is achieved, making her room look cavernous.
Heather Ogden is an experienced Juliet who manages to maintain a youthful air about her, despite being at the stage in her career when she is one of the NBoC’s veteran ballerinas. She was originally scheduled to dance with Harrison James, but due to injury, he was replaced at the last minute by Ben Rudisin. Luckily they have danced full length ballets together in the past, including “Swan Lake”. One would never guess that they only had a short time to rehearse “Romeo and Juliet” together. Their partnering was secure and their chemistry believable. Ogden has been dancing Juliet in this production since its premiere in 2011, while Rudisin is one of the compnay's newer Romeos. He made his debut in February 2023 during the company’s Ottawa tour.
Ogden has grown with this role and her interpretation shows the care and attention of someone who has mined her character’s inner world. Over a short period of time, she clearly differentiates early Juliet’s naïveté and girlish playfulness with late Juliet’s resolve and determination to not only be with her beloved, but also to carve out her own future and destiny. When she stabs herself at the crypt, she does it so quickly and decisively, it is shocking. Even though we knew it was going to happen, we are still left gutted. Over her dramatic interpretation, she layers technical brilliance with floating jumps and dizzying turns.
Rudisin is a lyrical, long-limbed dancer that is well matched with Ogden. He navigated the very difficult partnering skillfully, making the many overhead lifts appear to be a natural expression of a young man’s passion. His Romeo is sensitive and introspective, but also forthright and confident. His first kiss with Juliet is not at the end of the balcony pas de deux. He impulsively steals a kiss in the ballroom scene, even before they start dancing together. His solo in the crypt is powerful. He moves with the weight of the world on his shoulders. When he finds his beloved seemingly dead, he slams his fist into the ground hard. After he drinks the poison, Juliet wakes up. He staggers back in fear as if he has seen a ghost, before that heartbreaking moment when the two lovers are reunited, only to realize their tragic predicament. That scene shows why Romeo and Juliet are two of the greatest dramatic roles for dancers, and Ogden and Rudisin more than did it justice. The audience fell completely silent.
Strong acting chops are required in the supporting roles as well. Stephanie Hutchison and Etienne Lavigne were Lady and Lord Capulet. They represented the rigid and austere parenting style of the time. Hutchison gave Lady Capulet a moment of struggle as she witnessed Juliet’s distress at being told she must marry Paris the next day. She became tearful and seemed to empathize with her daughter, as if remembering being in a similar position herself in the past. However, this only lasted a moment before she gathered herself and coldly turned away from a sobbing Juliet. She forced the nurse (a gentle and warm Alejandra Perez Gomez) to leave the room, denying Juliet the comfort of her confidante.
Peng-Fei Jiang was a memorable Tybalt. From his first entrance, he was a ticking time bomb, frightening in his rage and aggression. His leaps and turns were as sharp and forceful. Although Romeo tried to de-escalate him, he would not stop until he got the fight he wanted. His opponent, the witty and attention-seeking Mercutio (Jack Bertinshaw) gave him just that. Bertinshaw was brilliant and brought real pathos to his role. He is also a virtuoso technician who elevates showy steps with clean alignment and beautifully pointed feet. Peter Ottmann reprised his role as Friar Laurence and managed to be quite moving with his relatively brief moments on stage. In the final scene, everyone is devastated and grieving, but perhaps no one more than Friar Laurence.
Just as performing demanding classics such as "The Sleeping Beauty" helps keep the company in top form technically, regularly performing "Romeo and Juliet" seems extremely valuable for the dancers to stretch themselves dramatically. As Ratmansky's production is now 12 years old, many of the original cast are retired or no longer with the NBoC. It will be interesting to see how the younger generation of dancers continue to grow with subsequent opportunities to dance in "Romeo and Juliet".
copyright © 2023 by Denise Sum
