Romeo and Juliet

Based on the assumption that everyone is familiar with Romeo and Juliet, Jean-Christophe Maillot took a choreographic approach that avoids paraphrasing Shakespeare's literary masterpiece. Rather than retrace the rift between the Capulets and Montagues to its tragic denouement, the choreographer rewrites the play from an original perspective. The ballet plunges us into the depths of Friar Laurence's soul, a man whose good intentions ultimately provoke the demise of the two lovers.

Jean-Christophe Maillot's Romeo and Juliet is told through the flashbacks experienced by this distraught man of the cloth as he reflects on just how this tragic end came to be. The choreographer interprets Romeo and Juliet not as a social conflict or clan warfare governed by a strict code of honour, but as a tale of accidental tragedy that leads to the death of children more concerned with the path of love than that of hatred.

Romeo is a young irresponsible and disoriented when he stumbles upon a new sweetheart who causes him to forget his past conquests, while Juliet has fallen in love for the very first time. The feelings she experiences are powerful enough to elevate Romeo to the status of an embodiment of Love rather than merely a lover. Absolute love in contrast to which everything else pales into insignificance.

« A piece of flawless beauty. {…} A spectacular company. » LENOUVELOBS.COM  (June 2015)

« The dancers of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo are a very distinctive bunch. They move with sleek refinement, beautifully honing the shape of their dancing, yet they also underpin their high elegance with a high-intensity muscularity. {…} Maillot’s choreography hurtles the story along with incredible pace. » THE TIMES (April 2015)

« Romeo and Juliet succeeds both in its modernity and originality which respecting the origins and tradition of its subject. {…} It is a youthful, energic version. » DANCING TIMES (Sept. 2008)

Choreography: Jean-Christophe Maillot
Based on the play by: William Shakespeare
Music: Sergueï Prokofiev
Scenography: Ernest Pignon-Ernest
Costumes: Jérôme Kaplan
Lighting: Dominique Drillot
Duration: 2h15 (including an intermission)

With the participation of the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by David Garforth

Premiere held on December 23rd 1996, Salle Garnier Opéra de Monte-Carlo