Romeo and Juliet
ROMEO AND JULIET
AFTER WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S TRAGEDY. I ACT Ballet
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikowski
Original choreography by Elena Radchenko
Choreography assistant — Alexander Daev
Sets and costumes by Elena and Sergey Radchenko
Libretto by Elena and Sergei Radchenko
History
The idea of creating the play belongs to Elena Radchenko, who is also a choreographer and co-author of probably the music for the ballet. Helen went to the production of the play is very creative. She used the works of Tchaikovsky: fantasy-overture «Romeo and Juliet» and the Symphony number 6 in B minor, Op. 74 «Pathetique.» Merge some parts of both works, we got a full one-act ballet that is unique in its kind. Scenery designer, Sergei Radchenko is. choreographed fight scenes staged Alexander Daev. Premiered in 2010 in Moscow.
PROGRAM NOTES
Scene 1
The Capulets are hosting a magnificent celebration. By their house a crowd of guests is dancing in the square. The Montagues, who are the Capulets enemies and rivals, are naturally not invited. There are Mercutio and Benvolio with friends. They try to persuade their friend Romeo, Lord Montague’s son, to put on a mask with them and sneak into the feast. Romeo agrees. In the course of the merriment and dancing, Romeo meets Juliet, who unmasks him. They instantly fall in love with each other. Lady Capulet’s nephew, Tybalt, is a desperate rake and squabbler. On seeing the strangers at the celebration, he starts a fight with Mercutio. However Mercutio makes fun of Tybalt and cheers everybody up. Mercutio, Romeo’s best friend, gets villainously killed by Tybalt in a brawl. Romeo confronts and accidently slays Tybalt, who dies before the Capulets’ eyes. They are in grief and ask for revenge. Romeo runs away. He hurries to a rendezvous with his beloved Juliet. Risking his life, Romeo gets into Juliet’s bedroom.
Scene 2
The loving couple meet. They carry on a dialogue. They vow fidelity until death parts them and become a husband and a wife. Suddenly a nurse appears and warns that Juliet’s parents and Paris are coming. They have chosen him as a rich fiancée for their daughter. The parents have a stern conversation with Juliet, who doesn’t want to marry Paris. The father is outraged. He tells Juliet that she will marry Paris tomorrow. The three of them leave the bedroom.
Juliet is stricken with the news. She asks Friar Laurence to give her a hypnotic drug so that she looks dead and the wedding with Paris can be cancelled. Juliet takes the drug to fall asleep, but Romeo does not know anything about it. Learning about Juliet’s death, he runs into her bedroom to die next to her. Romeo sees Juliet and believes that she is dead.. He cannot imagine life without her so he has some poison prepared and he takes it. Before his death Romeo has visions and then everything plunges into darkness. Having woken up, Juliet sees her dead Romeo. He hasn’t left even a drop of poison for her. Juliet then stabs herself with Romeo’s dagger hoping to see her beloved and unite in the next world.
“For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo”
