The curtain has just come down on the opening night of Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Opera House. Here’s a first look at Marianela Nuñez as Juliet and Federico Bonelli as Romeo in tonight’s cast.
Since its 1965 premiere with The Royal Ballet, Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet has become a great modern ballet classic of the world repertory. The nuanced and detailed choreography gives dancers in the lead roles a wealth of opportunity for differing interpretations of the doomed lovers.
Evocative designs by Nicholas Georgiadis bring the colour and action of Renaissance Verona, where a busy market all too quickly bursts into sword fighting and a family feud leads to tragedy for both the Montagues and the Capulets. Prokofiev’s ravishing score sweeps this dramatic ballet towards its inevitable, emotional end.
| Romeo and Juliet | The Royal Ballet |
| Cast | 10 January 2022 |
| Juliet | Marianela Nuñez replaces Natalia Osipova |
| Romeo | Federico Bonelli replaces Reece Clarke |
| Mercutio | Marcelino Sambé |
| Tybalt | Ryoichi Hirano |
| Benvolio | Téo Dubreuil |
| Paris | Tomas Mock |
| Lady Capulet | Christina Arestis |
| Lord Capulet | Gary Avis |
| Escalus, Prince of Verona | Aiden O’Brien |
| Rosaline | Gina Storm-Jensen |
| Nurse | Kristen McNally |
| Friar Laurence | Bennet Gartside |
| Lord Montague | Bennet Gartside |
| Lady Montague | Annette Buvoli |
| Juliet’s Friends | Mica Bradbury, Leticia Dias, Isabella Gasparini, Romany Pajdak, Charlotte Tonkinson, Yu Hang |
| Harlots | Hannah Grennell, Olivia Cowley, Meaghan Grace Hinkis |
| Mandolin dancers | Joonhyuk Jun, Leo Dixon, Joshua Junker, Harrison Lee, Giacomo Rovero, Joseph Sissens |
| Ballroom Guests, Townspeople | Artists of The Royal Ballet |
