The Astana Ballet Theatre has
presented its own iteration of the world-famous love story of Romeo and Juliet.
Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, with music composed by renowned Sergei Prokofiev,
has gained a new sound in the production of Vladimir Yakovlev, the Honored
Artist of Russia and Tatarstan. The performance is known for reflecting eternal
themes and depicting youthful impulsive behavior, which acquires a special
dynamic and form in the production. The theatre’s representatives note that the
troupe intensively worked on the premiere, striving to convey the intensity of
emotions in the first forbidden love and the tragedy of the feuding families of
Montague and Capulet through the language of choreography. According to Astana
Ballet Artistic Director Nurlan Kanetov, the production touches on contemporary
issues and promises to evolve into a grand theatrical event.
“This is a grand-scale show characterized
by an abundance of mass scenes, beautiful settings and costumes. Almost all of
our ballet artists have been preparing for this performance for a long time. They
have mastered the art of handling rapiers with virtuosity, adding an extra
layer of spectacle to the numerous combat scenes,” Kanetov shared.
“This is a very complex show,
both in terms of dance and acting. The roles of Romeo and Juliet are very
dramatic. Tybalt, Mercutio, and jesters are distinctive characters as well. Also,
the show includes comedic scenes. We had to reveal all the actors and not just
perform and make movements automatically but bring life to the stage and fully
immerse ourselves in this performance,” Yakovlev noted.
