BRB, Romeo and Juliet, Sadler's Wells

See Shakespeare’s tragic tale of two star-crossed lovers translated into heart-wrenching dance as Birmingham Royal Ballet travels in to wow London dance audiences this summer.

Romeo and Juliet is one of two programmes being presented at Sadler’s Wells by Birmingham Royal Ballet this season, which is likely to be the penultimate visit the company will make under the current director, David Bintley.

Bintley announced in March that he would be stepping down from the position in July 2019, by which time he will have been Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet for twenty-four years.

Undoubtedly, the company’s classical ballet dancers will set hearts alight when they take to the stage to bring to life the most famous love story ever told.

In Romeo and Juliet, a dangerous cocktail of arrogant youth, simmering tension and deadly feuds erupts. This leaves two young lovers at the mercy of powerful families and their own hearts…

Romeo and Juliet from Birmingham Royal Ballet on Vimeo.

Indeed, it is difficult to think of a more dramatic or romantic story than that of Shakespeare’s young lovers. Countless versions of the ballet have been created but Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet – first performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 1965 starring Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn – prevails in the British dance repertoire.

MacMillan places the passionate young Juliet at the centre of his production, and his visionary choreography seamlessly weaves together dance, character, narrative and emotion.

The exhilarating ballet has many poignant highlights, from the balcony scene’s ecstatic pas de deux to the lovers’ heart-breaking deaths.

Set to Sergei Prokofiev’s glorious score, Romeo and Juliet is a lavish classic and an indisputable must-see!