Romeo and Juliet

Alabama Ballet presents Romeo and Juliet

April 23-25, 2021

Artistic Director – Tracey Alvey

Associate Artistic Director and Choreography – Roger VanFleteren

Composer – Sergei Prokoviev

Lighting & Production Manager – Spencer Webb

Costume Director – Wendy Gamble

Set Design – Kelly Allison

The Alabama Ballet staged a beautiful and extraordinary performance of Prokoviev’s Romeo and Juliet. I was very struck by the dramatic individual characters, the drama and theatricality, the character development of individual figures such as the nurse, the harlots, Lord and Lady Capulet, Tybalt, Romeo and Juliet and Juliet’s approved suitor. I was impressed by the beautiful and technically complex swordplay and by the vibrant urban scenes representing the everyday lives of the masses with powerful leaders and daemonic figures, harlots, the loving nursemaid, the Capulets and the Montagues.

A little reading reminded me that the Russian composer created this in 1935 for the Bolshoi Theatre, an example of so-called drambalet, which has been associated with the requirements of socialist realism – an emphasis on storyline, history, class conflict and even happy endings, rather than primarily the virtuosity of the dance.

 There was plenty of virtuosity here, but it was dance and character theatricality as well. Of course there were several lovely dance scenes between Romeo and Juliet, in which Romeo picks up Juliet and carries her, but there were also amazingly theatrical scenes in which Lord and Lady Capulet seek to crush their daughter’s opposition to marrying the man of their choice. Roger VanFleteren danced the role of Lord Capulet, and Lady Capulet, danced by Heather Brustolon, created astounding images of cruel power – especially in their scenes in black – his magnificent black cape and her diamond-studded velvet gown.

Juliet danced by Ariana Czernobil vividly expressed her dislike and distaste for her parent’s choice of partner for her by moving backward on point in multiple tiny steps. The death scenes were each unique and heroic, combined with glittering sword-fights. The response of Caitlin McAvoy’s Lady Montague to her husband’s death was all expressed in dance movements on the floor, with Claire Hutchinson’s most expressive harlot off to the side – taking some satisfaction in Lord Montague’s death and being unable to fathom his wife’s concern.

The music itself was incredibly dramatic, and dance movements and dramatic moments were accompanied by such wonderful shifts of tone and mood or sometimes by essential silences that music, dance and drama all supported each other.

I was so impressed by this beautiful production, especially in view of the complexity of staging a ballet at the current time. Parts of the Civic Center were under construction, perhaps due to work on the new Protective Life stadium next door, and there were masked personnel to offer assistance at every point. The audience was fairly small, due to social distancing and was required to wear masks throughout the performance. The ushers went to great lengths to be friendly and helpful.

The dancers were all wearing clear plastic transparent masks – luckily it was possible to see the smiles and expressions on their faces, and it wasn’t difficult to ignore the masks, even though spotlights sometimes made them flash a little. A very large cast did a wonderful job, the original choreography had everything – individual dramatic possibilities, exciting chor dancing, sword-fighting and theatricality in the streets, humor, comedy and tragedy.

Emily Robin Jackson

Birmingham, Alabama

April 24, 2021

Performance:

Romeo and Juliet

Date:

April 24, 2021

Genre:

ballet

Venue:

BJCC