Romeo & Juliet review: Ballet Ireland’s lead dancers give a near flawless portrayal of Shakespeare’s young lovers

Romeo & Juliet

Gaiety Theatre, Dublin★★★☆☆

Love conquers all in Ballet Ireland’s production of Romeo & Juliet. Act one offers moments of lively energy that read like memorable snapshots, reflective of the style of Morgann Runacre-Temple, the production’s choreographer. But it is the couple’s evolving relationship in the second half of the ballet that proves most captivating.

Erica Vadelka and Ramón Valls Barba dance with such tender passion and heartfelt abandon that their love overshadows everything that comes before it.

This version of the ballet classic begins in a school where students learn about Romeo and Juliet from their chaplain, a role danced exquisitely by Igor Person.

The contemporary setting initially works, as the energetic young students in white button-down shirts and ties playfully leap upon tables and chairs, teasing each other before upping the ante and causing trouble. It reads like the preamble to a romance at a current-day private school.

As the narrative progresses, what’s happening with the students becomes blurred with the actual Montague-versus-Capulet story, creating a blended portrayal of Shakespeare’s tale.

This intentional technique of mixing traditional and contemporary elements makes the action harder to follow as the story continues. A regal Niamh O’Flannagain dances a captivating Lady Capulet, although her relationship with Tybalt seems to vacillate between maternal and romantic.

Still, Runacre-Temple’s clean, well-thought-out steps, crisply performed by a strong cast, make for light, punchy vignettes that keep the scenes moving. Her storytelling and ability to evoke emotion deepen once Romeo and Juliet meet, which in some ways feels like the beginning of an entirely different ballet.

Vadelka and Barba offer a near flawless portrayal of the young lovers, Vadelka’s Juliet delicately dancing around Romeo when they first meet as he watches, in awe of her.

Their coquettishness masks a growing passion. As they are drawn closer to each other through elegant, flowing choreography, their emotion burgeons into what becomes the heart of this transcendent story.

The two lovers promise themselves to each other, sealing their love with stolen kisses atop the simple, effective set that is Juliet’s balcony. At this point in Runacre-Temple’s vision, the classroom seems like a different world entirely.

Having arranged their secret marriage with the chaplain and Juliet’s servant (an enthusiastic Koharu Numamoto), Romeo and Juliet seal their vows, and following their first night together they tumble out of bed and into one of the more touching love scenes depicted in a ballet version of Romeo and Juliet.

Vadelka and Barba’s movements ebb and flow as they melt into each other, hesitant to part, their emotions expressed through swift, passionate lifts that express their wonder and playfulness, followed by gentle, romantic glides across the stage.

Prokofiev’s momentous music helps guide the action that ultimately drives this tale to its tragic conclusion, so that despite the disconnect between its layered storylines, this portrayal shows that, in the end, love is what matters most.

Romeo & Juliet is at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, until Saturday, November 14th; Hawk’s Well, Sligo, on Tuesday, November 17th; Market Place, Armagh, on Thursday, November 19th; Ardhowen, Enniskillen, on Saturday, November 21st; Glór, Ennis, on Tuesday, November 24th; Lime Tree, Limerick, on Thursday, November 26th; National Opera House, Wexford, on Saturday, November 28th; An Grianán, Letterkenny, on Tuesday, December 1st; Draíocht, Blanchardstown, on Friday, December 4th, and Saturday, December 5th; Watergate, Kilkenny, on Wednesday, December 9th; Siamsa Tíre, Tralee, on Friday, December 11th, and Saturday, December 12th; Mermaid, Bray, on Tuesday, December 15th, and Wednesday, December 16th; and Solstice, Navan, on Friday, December 18th, and Saturday, December 19th