Royal Winnipeg Ballet

Romeo and Juliet

Music of Sergei Prokofiev

Queen Elizabeth Theatre

February 25-27

Reviewer: RM PINK

The Royal Winnipeg Ballet impressed Vancouver audiences with this timeless classic.

This passionate story of two lovers caught between the rivalry and bitter hatred of two families, the Capulets and the Montagues, was a story which Shakespeare immortalized after beign inspired by the commedia dell'arte troupes that roamed England and the European continent.

A simple tragic love story: Romeo and Juliet wish to wed but she is expected to marry Count Paris. Romeo and Juliet secretly wed. One day, Romeo finds Juliet in a deep, potion-induced sleep, he fears that she is dead and kills himself. When Juliet discovers her lover/husband dead, she kills herself.

The RWB and artistic director Andre Lewis have a gift for presenting enchanting and powerful ballet, and they did rise to the occasion in this production. Moreover, the company is blessed with the extraordinary talents of Evelyn Hart, clearly one of the great ballerinas of this age. Ms. Hart moves and seemingly floats across the stage with a technical mastery that is brilliant.She is able to convey great emotion with even the slightest twitch of her lean and energetic body.

Her partner as Romeo, dancer Steven Hyde, is also a powerful dancer and very physical yet he is able to give charm to his performance. He conveys emotion well and like all good dancers is also a good actor