Image: Connor Walsh and Karina González in Houston Ballet Presented by The Australian Ballet Romeo and Juliet photograph by Jeff Busby.
Victorians, if you can’t make it to Houston, Houston has come to you until June 9 and to miss seeing its wonderful production of Romeo and Juliet would be regrettable.
As one of the greatest love stories ever told, written originally in Italy before Shakespeare brought it to the Globe Theatre in the 16th century, the story of Romeo and Juliet is coloured by the conflict between two warring families, the Capulets and the Montagues and their friendship with the royal house of Escalus.
It is a credit to our education system that Shakespeare is still being presented but if, like me, that was a long time ago, do take time to read the summary in the comprehensive program before the ballet begins or you will be so carried away by the pageantry that the finer details of the story may escape you.
Having seen many ballet greats like Fonteyn, Nureyev and, indeed, the parents of Stanton Welch, Marilyn Jones and Garth Welch, perform the pivotal roles, I was sceptical about how Welch would present the ballet and was, at first, a little overwhelmed by the busy opening scene which, along with a rather extended sword-fighting sequence, I felt could have benefitted from a little editing. However, this was only a slight criticism and soon completely abandoned as the story progressed. Thankfully, there was no corps de ballet in tutus and, when the whole company did come together towards the front of the stage in the Dance of the Three Oranges, it was a magnificent demonstration of the most exciting choreography I’ve seen for years.
The rhythm of the story took flight and didn’t stop until the full house of balletomanes rose to their feet, cheering, at the end.
And that’s the beauty of the Houston Ballet under Welch’s direction. Deserving of its reputation as one of North America’s leading ballet companies, it is different, in subtle ways that have brought the company and its very young performers up to the 21st century as accomplished actors as well as proficient dancers.
Welch’s original interest in an acting career ensured that every member of the company understood the role he or she had to enact as well as dance. Welch also wanted to present the whole ballet, with Prokofiev’s complete musical score, to give as many dancers as possible a chance to shine as solo dancers or in small groups, which they did, with perfect synchronicity that never faltered.
The interpretation of the pas de deux between lead dancers, Karina González and Connor Walsh was exquisite on all three occasions but the first, when they display their love for each other, is the epitome of everything Welch has done to combine movement, music, mime and sentiment. The free-flowing material in Gonzalez’ dress is so diaphanous that when she moves it’s as though she is being carried along by a light breeze, lifted effortlessly by Walsh in a white shirt to rival Colin Firth’s in another literary classic.
Welch began his career as a Principal dancer with the Australian ballet and eventually became its resident choreographer, a position he still holds. But thirteen years ago the Houston Ballet beckoned him as it had dancer, Li Cunxin, when he first defected from China much earlier.
From a company that originally began with 15 dancers, Welch has created a creditable milestone in bringing 54 dancers, with magnificent costumes and sets, to Melbourne for the first time.
The Houston Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet has given us a glimpse of ballet opportunities keeping pace with the modern world so that the dreams of young dancers can one day be expanded from, as one young hopeful told me, delivering the dancers drinks in the wings.
A special Welch touch, I felt, as maybe a tribute to his own childhood as a ballet lover, were the brief appearances of seven children as playful street urchins, all members of the Australian Ballet School.
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Houston Ballet Presented by The Australian Ballet: Romeo and Juliet
Choreography: Stanton Welch
Music: Sergei Prokofiev
Costume and Set Design: Roberta Guidi di Bagno
Lighting: Lisa J. Pinkham
4 July – 9 July 2016
Arts Centre Melbourne
