Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Romeo and Juliet: The Ballet

Last night was the final ballet of my season tickets to the San Francisco ballet and it was by far and away my FAVORITE. It was in the more classical style of ballet which was the perfect way to convey this timeless story. The costumes were unbelievably beautiful- rich velvets, silks, outer robes, dresses, and even head pieces. My absolute favorites were the dresses of Juliet's mother- black velvet and lace with hints of salmon as a liner. The scenery and staging was beautiful and poignant- my favorite scenes were the sword fighting scenes that happened on two levels of a higher walkway and then the stage. The death scene in the crypt with the lone platform and the wrought iron gate behind it. The dancers did an amazing job of embodying the teenage angst and despair from the story. I LOVED the ballroom scene with all of the company and partner dancing- it was truly magnificent.

There were a few hokey elements such as Tibult's VERY over exaggerated and prolonged death and then Romeo dancing around with Juliet's limp body (it was just bizarre and awkward, not really romantic/attractive). My all time favorite ballet is still Swan Lake but I would have to say that this is definitely one of the top ones. I am definitely planning on getting season tickets next year.

1 comment:

mj said...

ah. i'm so sad to have missed it! i was just a few blocks away. WHY did my two big events have to be on the same night!? glad you enjoyed it.