The Royal Opera House is in my opinion the most elegant building in London’s Covent Garden. To really gain a sense of its scale and appreciate the wonderful facade with its tall creamy white pillars and arched glass windows you need to stand on the opposite side of the road. It would be easy to leave the tube station, turn right out of floral street, and walk straight inside without appreciating the glorious stature of it all.
The Royal Opera House is also of course the premier place to enjoy Ballet. I recently went to see The Royal Ballet performing Romeo and Juliet and I cannot imagine a more beautiful setting for such a beautiful ballet. The ballet is divided into 3 acts, each one just as captivating as the last. The choreography by Kenneth Macmillan was so clever and it was not at all difficult to follow the events of the ‘greatest love story of all time’ The scenes with solo performances by Romeo and Juliet were breathtaking and full of intensity and feeling. Equally entertaining, although in a different way were the market place and ball scenes which involved a large number of dancers performing in unison.
Romeo and Juliet is a story I feel I know reasonably well. I did it for ‘A’ level and have seen it in various forms (although not ballet) since. And yet I still found myself completely transfixed by this interpretation and inwardly willing Romeo not to drink the poison. The principal dancers perform with such grace and fluidity, creating moments of gentleness, emotion and high drama. The rapturous applause and tears on faces around me as it ended were testimony to what a fabulous production this is.
This is a gorgeous ballet. The colours, the costumes, the music and of course the dance combine to make the perfect afternoon of cultured calm.
Romeo and Juliet is playing to packed houses from now until the 11th June with only a few tickets left. If you want to treat yourself or someone else to something very special then I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Image 1 via ROH
Great photos and an amazing ballet. xx