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Sarah Frater's rating
, Mismatched lovers in Mariinsky Romeo and Juliet
By
Sarah Frater
4 Aug 2009
It can't be easy being the Mariinsky. The Russian visitors are in London with seasons of both opera and ballet, and both look set for unfavourable reviews. Last week the opera company pleased no one with its Ring cycle, and it’s hard to imagine many warming to the ballet’s opening production of Romeo And Juliet.
It’s actually a strange start to a Mariinsky ballet season. The company is best known and much loved in London for the 19th century classics, where its perfectly schooled, endlessly elegant dancers transform the old-style fairytales of Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty into dreamy physical poetry.
Romeo And Juliet, by contrast, was made in 1940 with few of the corps de ballet scenes so appealing to London ticket buyers. That wouldn’t matter if the dancers were committed to the drama, but most struggled to look interested in a bombastic production that includes orange wigs and Dastardly And Muttley villains.
The audience shared the general ennui as the massed Capulets and Montagues twiddled their moustaches and Tybalt (Ilya Kuznetsov) rolled his eyes. It’s impossible to know if they’ve freely chosen pier-end acting, or if they’ve been coached into cartoon baddies. Either way, they convey little of the rivalry and pride at the root of the tragedy.
The lovers themselves are mis-matched. Vladimir Shklyarov’s Romeo has a boyish appeal in an Indiana Jones kind of way. He throws himself around the stage, almost losing his footing, which hints at his character’s impetuous passion. He also has a good leap and appealing looks, with a fresh face and floppy hair unlike the exaggerated coiffure of some Russian dancers.
Alina Somova’s Juliet is a fledgling’s interpretation. The tall blonde is billed as the Mariinsky’s new star, but she shows what happens when you combine runaway technique with undeveloped artistry. With good coaching Somova could tame her freakishly long limbs and almost ghoulish flexibility.
The pretty 23-year-old could also learn to stop waving her arms and shaking her head. She, too, may have been encouraged to flash her split leaps and high kicks, but they’re a million miles from the passionate humanity of Shakespeare’s Juliet.
None of this is helped by the wobbly sets (as dancers charge about, the painted masonry wafts on the canvas clothes), while the orchestra’s raucous playing misses the sorrow of Prokofiev’s score.
Romeo and Juliet until 6 August. The Mariinsky Ballet season continues until 15 August. Information 020 7304 4000. www.roh.org.uk
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (3)
I was a little surprised, not to say disappointed at the poor scenery and what can only be described as ludicrous wigs. Most of which, including Tybault’s laughable ginger version, looked like they had been sat on or packed very badly. I enjoyed the dance, but this was badly let down by what looked like scenery and costumes from an out of date pantomime. Surely the Mariinsky can do better than this.
- Caroline, London, 09/08/2009 14:14
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This review is for Swan Lake Fri 7th Aug.Overall,it was disappointing.The orchestra sounded out of synch with the dancing,how does Mr Gruzin manage to get Tchaikovsky to sound like an oompah oompah band?I agree with the first reader review,they sounded under rehearsed,but how can this be with such a company,in such a venue.All the subtlety was knocked out.Was it my imagination or did Ulyana seem tired and going through the motions in places?her fuettes looked very underpowered.There was little dramatic impact,but Swan Lake has been so over done in the last year,maybe I am a little jaded. I really wanted to see The Mariinsky do something at which they supposedly excel.Admittedly,in parts it was beautiful,but the whole didnt move you as it should.The wobbly swans being pulled across the stage by clearly visible ropes and generally not very impressive scenery were not what one expects at this level,they seem stuck in a time warp.Towards the end,a stagehand appeared by mistake on the side of the stage,realised he was visible to the audience and disappeared,which got a laugh.Had the performance been top rate,I dont think people would have found this amusing.At least I didnt hear any mobiles ringing,although there was the usual coughing,nose blowing etc.Also,do people think the overture and any music that is played while the curtain is down,is just filler and it doesnt matter if you talk over it?
- Jacqueline, chesterfield derbyshire, 08/08/2009 14:38
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Thoroughly disappointing. I agree that Shklyarov was by far the best thing about the lacklustre and, in places, lazy production. The orchestra seemed under rehearsed, which in itself seems preposterous for the Mariinksy, and the cloying over acting of the likes of Tybalt and Old Capulet proved to alienate the understandably under-enthusiastic audience. Wobbly sets, stumbling dancers and costumes seemingly rescued from a bad 70s medieval TV play are excusable from an amateur touring ballet company, but not from the great Mariinsky. Shame on you.
- Visitor, London, UK, 04/08/2009 15:37
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