CriticalDance Forum

<B>Romeo and Juliet</B><BR>by Donald Hutera<BR>The Times<BR>Empire Theatre, Liverpool<BR> <BR> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>DEATH may stalk Rudolf Nureyev’s Romeo and Juliet, but not at the expense of this three-act ballet’s sensual, sometimes abrasive vitality. On Tuesday night, at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, English National Ballet revived Nureyev’s 1977 take on Shakespeare’s tragedy, in a restaging by Patricia Ruanne and Frédéric Jahn that tours the UK until the end of March. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,685-228849,00.html" TARGET=_blank><B>more...</B></A>

<B>A real-life romance</B><BR>By Kevin Bourke for Manchester Online<P><BR>WHEN English National Ballet's revival of Rudolf Nureyev's production of Romeo And Juliet comes to Manchester next week, there'll be at least two smiling faces in the house. <BR>They'll be those of producers and former English National Ballet principal dancer Patricia Ruanne and her partner Frederic Jahn, who danced the first Juliet and Tybalt for Nureyev in 1977.<P>"A year before we did Rudi's Romeo," remembers Ruanne, "we were learning Ronnie Hynds's Nutcracker. I was Louise (the one that does Sugar Plum, in that production, naturally) and Ric (as she calls Frederic), who had just joined the company, was King Rat. We were at that creative stage in rehearsals when Ronnie would say, `right, take Ric's hand' - then he'd get sidetracked. We held hands for hours while Ronnie worked with other dancers." <P><A HREF="http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/entertainment/theatre/news/content.cfm?story=258555" TARGET=_blank><B>click for more</B></A>

<B>3 stars<BR>Empire Theatre, Liverpool<BR>More reviews<P>Alice Bain<BR>Guardian</B><P>Monday March 11, 2002<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I wonder what the little girls in the audience make of the cart of plague victims hauled on stage in the first act, or of Juliet's dream of being ravished by the devil in the second? Despite its romantic reputation, Rudolph Nureyev's Romeo and Juliet has a heart of darkness. It's also a ballet for the boys: there's so much sword-thrusting and male bonding that the ladies (with the notable exception of Juliet) hardly get a look-in. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><A HREF="http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4371737,00.html" TARGET=_blank><B>more...</B></A>

<B>Romeo and Juliet @ Opera House</B><BR>By Alan Hulme for The Manchester Evening News<P><BR>WHEN Nureyev created it, back in 1977, this version of the world's greatest love story was a pretty staggering experience. And it still is - for about half of its lengthy three hours.<P>It''s been in English National Ballet's repertoire on and off over the 25 years and is faithfully reproduced again now by Nureyev''s original collaborators.<P>But faithful repros can be a mixed blessing and at the risk of incurring the wrath of balletomanes everywhere, I would like to suggest that instead of slavishly sticking to the original, some rethinking would freshen things up so it would make the same impact now it made then.<P><A HREF="http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/entertainment/theatre/reviews/content.cfm?story=259360" TARGET=_blank><B>click for more</B></A>

<B>Rising to the occasion</B> <BR>ENB’s dramatic revival of Nureyev’s Romeo and Juliet is more than faithful to the lavish original, says David Dougill in the Sunday Times. Also reviewed is the Dame Beryl Grey Gala. <BR> <BR> <BR>I don’t suppose Prokofiev could have imagined, when he composed his Romeo and Juliet score in Russia in the 1930s, that it would attract countless choreographers worldwide and become one of the most performed ballets of modern times. On our home ground at the moment, both English National Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet are touring their productions. The Northern Ballet Theatre and Royal Ballet versions make a comeback next month. <BR> <BR><A HREF="http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/article/0,,187-234739,00.html" TARGET=_blank><B>click for more</B></A>