ROMEO AND JULIET

Created in 1996, Romeo and Juliet celebrates its 30th anniversary this year! Performed over 400 times on major international stages, the piece has become a signature ballet for the Company. In this narrative ballet, Jean-Christophe Maillot infused all the elements that would come to define the unique character of his repertoire. Based on the assumption that everyone is familiar with Romeo and Juliet, Jean-Christophe Maillot took a choreographic approach that avoids paraphrasing Shakespeare's literary masterpiece. Rather than retrace the rift between the Capulets and Montagues to its tragic denouement, the choreographer rewrites the play from an original perspective. The ballet plunges us into the depths of Friar Laurence's soul, a man whose good intentions ultimately provoke the demise of the two lovers.

ROMEO AND JULIET
Choreography: Jean-Christophe Maillot based on the play William Shakespeare | Music: Sergueï Prokofiev | Scenography: Ernest Pignon-Ernest | Costumes: Jérôme Kaplan | Lighting: Dominique Drillot | Premiere : 23 December 1996, Salle Garnier Opéra de Monte-Carlo.