Romeo And Juliet

Houston Ballet's Romeo And Juliet is choreographed by the company's Artistic Director, former leading soloist/resident choreographer with The Australian Ballet and son of ballet royalty Marilyn Jones and Garth Welch: Stanton Welch. For this production's elaborate staging, Italian designer Roberta Guidi di Bagno drew inspiration from Renaissance art, and her Verona features opulent palaces and vibrant marketplaces. Spotted in the marketplace, a well loved blast from The Australian Ballet's past: Stephen Woodgate (who later returns to the stage as the friar). A lot of props (including fruit) fly around in the fight scene; swordplay is impressively choreographed so that each unison clash lands rhythmically on the beat of Prokofiev's striking score.

Houston Ballet showcase impressive pirouettes and impressive acting skills throughout. Humorous sections (particularly those featuring Romeo's sozzled pals) allow the audience some release from all the tragedy. At the close of Act Two, a red curtain drops to the stage to dramatically accentuate bloodshed. Incorporating a lot of scenes, Act Three feels rushed and Juliet 'awakening' to find a not-yet-dead Romeo is an interesting choice.  

But tonight really belongs to principal artists Connor Walsh and Karina Gonzalez in the title roles. Welch's choreography incorporates some jaw-dropping pas de deux lifts (the most spectacular occurs during the bedroom scene when Walsh lifts Gonzalez above his head from a kneeling position before rising to his feet). Houston Ballet's corps de ballet isn't perfect, but we might be unfairly comparing these dancers to the extraordinary unison recently witnessed in Stephen Baynes' Swan Lake.