Romeo and Juliet (Nureyev)

Rudolf Nureyev's production of Sergei Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet premiered at the London Coliseum on 2 June 1977.

Romeo and Juliet
ChoreographerRudolf Nureyev
MusicSergei Prokofiev
Premiere1977
London Coliseum, London
Original ballet companyLondon Festival Ballet
CharactersPatricia Ruanne and Rudolf Nureyev
Created forPatricia Ruanne and Rudolf Nureyev
GenreBallet
TypeNeoclassical

Background and premiere

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Rudolf Nureyev had previously danced as the leading role in Kenneth MacMillan's production of the ballet at the Royal Ballet, Covent Garden in 1965. In 1977, Nureyev left the Royal Ballet and created his own production of the ballet for London Festival Ballet to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee.[1][2][3] This production premiered at the London Coliseum on 2 June 1977, with the British ballerina Patricia Ruanne as Juliet and Rudolf as Romeo. This production is still in the English National Ballet's repertoire.[2]

This production was later staged for the La Scala Theatre Ballet and the first night took place on 20 December 1980, with Carla Fracci as Juliet and the choreographer as Romeo.[4] This production was filmed in 1983 and broadcast in Italy and Britain, with the participation of Margot Fonteyn as Lady Capulet.[5]

In 1984, this production was introduced to Paris Opera Ballet with Monique Loudières and Patrick Dupond as the leading roles.[4] The production was filmed and released in DVD format in 1995, featuring Loudières as Juliet and Manuel Legris as Romeo.

Original cast

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1980 Milan cast

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1984 Paris cast

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1995 Paris (DVD) cast

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References

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  1. ^ Boccadoro, Patricia. "Is Nureyev's Romeo and Juliet the Best Version?". Culturekiosque. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  2. ^ a b "Romeo & Juliet | English National Ballet". www.ballet.org.uk. 29 January 2017. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  3. ^ Pritchard, Jim. "Nureyev's Spirit Lives on in ENB's Romeo and Juliet : Seen and Heard International". Seen and Heard International. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  4. ^ a b "Romeo and Juliet - Nureyev's choreography - Rudolf Nureyev Foundation". www.nureyev.org. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  5. ^ "'Restored' video of Rudolf Nureyev's version of Romeo and Juliet with Carla Fracci and Margot Fonteyn, now on YouTube". gramilano. 2011-10-16. Retrieved 2017-03-11.

Sources

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  • Childs, Peter. and Storry, Michael. Encyclopedia of Contemporary British Culture. Routledge, 2013.
  • Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. The Encyclopedia of World Ballet. Rowman & Littlefield, 2015.