[Review] Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet returns to London – drama, trauma and fake blood

In the words of Celine Dion: “tale as old as time…”, and that's often where we find Matthew Bourne, the UK's preeminent (?) choreographer – telling stories. And so is the case at Sadler's Wells where Bourne's Romeo and Juliet has opened for a five-week season, having had its world premiere back in 2019.

Most people love a good story – they allow for connection, comfort, perspective – and Bourne relies on a master of storytelling for his chosen narrative: William Shakespeare.

I believe that the format in which you initially hear or see a story can make a big impact on the way it stays with you. Being an alumnus of the Royal Ballet School, Kenneth MacMillan's masterpiece is the version of R&J I grew up with, and one that keeps getting better with time, with personal maturity allowing for even more understanding of the drama, subtly woven into the choreographic score.

Bourne's interpretation promises to give the existing story a “scintillating injection of raw passion and youthful vitality”, but that's exactly what Shakespeare's original premise includes, no?

However, Bourne offers a jam-packed show – no questions asked. One overflowing with drama, trauma and fake blood. I'm assuming there's a minimum age requirement for audience members, as it's pretty heavy on the trauma – psychological and physical.

As we know, fundamentally it's about the experience of two young people and how they connect with each other, and equally disconnect with their broader situations. Bourne stays in Verona, but it's less centro storico and more correctional facility, with a touch of Prisoner Cell Block H. The Lez Brotherston set is a marvel – institutional white and full of doorways and stairwells signifying both escape and incarceration simultaneously.

The residents of the Verona Institute are primarily troubled young people, but are they troubled or just misunderstood? The latter seems to be Romeo's fate, discarded there by his politico parents like a PR inconvenience. The institute is run by some pretty aggressive screws, one in particular (Tybalt?!) whose obsession with the complex Juliet manifests in open abuse.

Bourne's reading doesn't include the normally pivotal Nurse role, but rather a friendly female Reverend, which gives the story, and its young characters the necessary warmth and support they need, but also reads a little visually jarring.

Choreographically it's a mix. The group scenes are very skilled structurally, but verge on being too regimental, movement and dynamic-wise, to convey a range of tangible emotions. Though Bourne shows the dichotomy of the teenager experience well.

Where things really come together are the scenes for Romeo and Juliet – the love pas de deux early on, and the morning after duet towards the end. Undoubtedly the performances of Paris Fitzpatrick and Cordelia Braithwaite play a huge role in the realness of these moments. Fitzpatrick's Romeo is the epitome of youthful, naive energy, shown through dancing that encompasses both space and drama. Braithwaite's complex, contemplative Juliet is truly something to behold – you don't often see a dancer with equal amounts of refinement and unbridled abandon.

Bourne's choreography is at its best in these duos. A powerful motif sees the young lovers connect at the forehead, as if reading each other's minds. He also shows Romeo being supported by Juliet, which allows the character, and subsequently the audience, to contemplate the reality of destabilising love from both perspectives.

One aspect that feels misinterpreted is the difference between being kept apart, and incarcerated. The family (plural) dynamics of the Shakespeare narrative are what make the tragedies of the star-crossed lovers' unnecessary deaths so painful to observe. Bourne goes down the more obvious, psychodrama route. Which still makes an impact, but in a more Netflix kind of way.

Terry Davies' orchestrations of the Prokofiev score remind us of the power and drama within the original music, and the new arrangement is well structured to suit Bourne's needs. The band took a while to find their feet though – I'd say the first 20 minutes or so sounded kind of rough. But things improved.

So what do we find in the end? A profound piece of dance choreography? No. A dance theatre show that many of Bourne's contemporaries wouldn't be able to achieve? Yes. The storyteller has done it again.

Note: Bourne is clearly a fan of the MacMillan masterpiece as his Crypt scene overall, and the stage placement of the strewing light in the morning-after duet, feel a little too close to home. Less homage, more carbon copy. Awks.

The UK tour continues after the London run to Milton Keynes Theatre; The Alhambra, Bradford; Festival Theatre, Edinburgh; King's Theatre, Glasgow; Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield; Churchill Theatre, Bromley; Wolverhampton Grand Theatre and His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen finishing on 4 November 2023. Dates for the international tour during 2024 will be announced shortly.

Matthew Paluch( Guest Author )

Matthew Paluch was awarded a place at The Royal Ballet School in 1990 where he graduated in 1997. His first four years as a professional dancer were spent working with London City Ballet, Scottish Ballet, K-Ballet and English National Ballet, becoming a full-time member of ENB until leaving in 2006.

Matthew graduated from the Royal Academy of Dance, Professional Dancers' Teaching Diploma in 2007, and was fomerly on faculty at The Royal Ballet School. He completed his Masters in Ballet Studies at Roehampton University in 2011 and has been a freelance writer since 2010. He is a Trustee (2021) of the Royal Academy of Dance and works in the Law Sector.