Friar Laurence, the Nurse, Lady Capulet, and Some Other People

Pacific Northwest Ballet principal dancer Noelani Pantastico and soloist Lucien Postlewaite in Jean-Christophe Maillot�s Romeo et Juliette. Image � Angela Sterling

See these two? That's Romeo et Juliette, and you'll see them together for what feels like a combined total of 20 minutes in the Pacific Northwest Ballet's new version, which debuted last night. PNB is the first American company to perform Jean-Christophe Maillot's production of the famous tale. It's joined with a raptuous score by Sergei Prokofiev, composed in 1938.

"Maillot takes risks I admire," writes PNB director Peter Boal in the program. These include fewer characters, simple costuming, and a very minimalist set design that uses lighting to sculpt the shapes of rooms and moods. Also, there are many changes to the narrative that will confuse those who enter only with knowledge of Shakespeare's version and not one of the "more than eighty" choreographic ballet versions over the years. (Seattle has most recently been familiar with Kent Stowell's version, which I haven't seen).

For these reasons I encourage you to read the synopsis before the ballet starts—little did I know how useful "The Nurse/Enter Juliet/Enter Lady Capulet" would have been. Although, I feel it shouldn't be that confusing to people who think they're familiar enough with the story to pick it up.

But about Friar Laurence: he acts as the fil-rouge, or "common thread/guide" throughout the ballet, appearing onstage with his "two acolytes" to instigate and herald major turning points in the plot. Class clowns that my companion and I were though, again having not read the synopsis, we thought for a while that he was Shakespeare himself. Who is this dude, and where are our doomed lovers? I must say though, the dancer playing the Friar, Olivier Wevers, was so gorgeous to look at—his body like a bold, shapeshifting shadow on the stark backdrops—you didn't really mind waiting. Wevers is best known as a leading man but was surprisingly powerful and enthralling in this character part.

Also getting an unusual amount of stage time were Juliet's Nurse (Jodie Thomas), Tybalt (Casey Herd, looking like glam-rocker Dave Navarro in an armpit-less black getup), and the shameless, lusty innuendoes of Tybalt's and Lady Capulet (Louise Nadeau)'s interactions. I won't burst your bubble with the major plot changes, though a puppet show in Act II might. Arguably the best (and certainly the most romantic) scene comes right before the first intermission, when Romeo (Lucien Postlewaite) arrives to woo Juliette (Noelani Pantastico) in private. Juliette is so spunky in this production, communicating a knowing womanliness from her first appearance, that you almost question her attraction to the seemingly less-mature Romeo. But the two dancers do a lot with the scenes they're given together to certify the characters' romance for the viewer. I recommend this ballet, which will inspire more conversation than tears, and should sufficiently arouse your Valentine this February. Beneath the balcony, the scene of flirtation and seduction ends on a near-orgasmic note, with Romeo worshipping Juliette's body, starting at her elegant feet.

Romeo et Juliette continues through February 10. http://pnb.org

Topics: Ballet & Dance

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