Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( ; Tatar/ Bashkir: Рудольф Хәмит улы Нуриев; rus, Рудо́льф Хаме́тович Нуре́ев, p=rʊˈdolʲf xɐˈmʲetəvʲɪtɕ nʊˈrʲejɪf; 17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet ...

's production of

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, ...

's '' Romeo and Juliet'' premiered at the

London Coliseum The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the London Coliseum Theatre ...

on 2 June 1977.

Background and premiere

had previously danced as the leading role in

Kenneth MacMillan Sir Kenneth MacMillan (11 December 192929 October 1992) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer who was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977, and its principal choreographer from 1977 until his death. E ...

's production of the ballet at the

Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

, Covent Garden in 1965. In 1977, Nureyev left the Royal Ballet and created his own production of the ballet for

London Festival Ballet English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin as London Festival Ballet and based in London, England. Along with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scottis ...

to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee. This production premiered at the

on 2 June 1977, with the British ballerina

Patricia Ruanne Patricia Ruanne (3 June 1945 – 1 November 2022) was a British ballerina, ballet mistress, teacher, repetiteur, and director. Early life Ruanne was born in Leeds, Yorkshire on 3 June 1945 to Robert and Joan Ruane (née Castell). Her father ...

as Juliet and Rudolf as Romeo. This production is still in the

English National Ballet English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin as London Festival Ballet and based in London, England. Along with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scottish ...

's repertoire. This production was later staged for the

La Scala Theatre Ballet The La Scala Theatre Ballet ( it, Corpo di ballo del Teatro alla Scala) is the resident classical ballet company at La Scala in Milan, Italy. One of the oldest and most renowned ballet companies in the world, the company pre-dates the theatre, bu ...

and the first night took place on 20 December 1980, with

Carla Fracci Carolina "Carla" Fracci (; 20 August 1936 – 27 May 2021) was an Italian ballet dancer, actress and ballet director. Considered one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century, she was a leading dancer of La Scala Theatre Ballet in Milan, th ...

as Juliet and the choreographer as Romeo. This production was filmed in 1983 and broadcast in Italy and Britain, with the participation of

Margot Fonteyn Dame Margaret Evelyn de Arias DBE (''née'' Hookham; 18 May 191921 February 1991), known by the stage name Margot Fonteyn, was an English ballerina. She spent her entire career as a dancer with the Royal Ballet (formerly the Sadler's Wells ...

as Lady Capulet. In 1984, this production was introduced to Paris Opera Ballet with Monique Loudières and

Patrick Dupond Patrick Dupond (14 March 1959 – 5 March 2021) was a French ballet dancer and artistic director. He made a name for himself in 1976 when he won the gold medal at the Varna International Ballet Competition in Bulgaria. A virtuoso dancer, he was n ...

as the leading roles. The production was filmed and released in DVD format in 1995, featuring Loudières as Juliet and

Manuel Legris Manuel Legris is a French ballet dancer, born in Paris on October 10, 1964. He was an '' étoile'' (star dancer) of the Paris Opera Ballet for 23 years. On September 1, 2010, he began direction of the Vienna State Ballet. He was appointed artist ...

as Romeo.

Original cast

, Juliet * Rudolph Nureyev,

Romeo Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a priest ...

* Nicholas Johnson,

Mercutio Mercutio ( , ) is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's 1597 tragedy, ''Romeo and Juliet''. He is a close friend to Romeo and a blood relative to Prince Escalus and Count Paris. As such, Mercutio is one of the named characters in the ...

* Jonas Kåge, Benvolio * Frederic Jahn-Werner, Tybalt * Elisabeth Anderton, Nurse

1980 Milan cast

, Juliet * Rudolph Nureyev,

* Paolo Podini,

* Angelo Moretto, Benvolio * Tiziano Mietto, Tybalt * Maddalena Campa, Nurse

1984 Paris cast

* Monique Loudières, Juliet *

Cyril Atanassoff Cyril Atanassoff ( bg, Кирил Атанасов; born June 30, 1941) is a French dancer of Bulgarian descent. Career Atanassoff was born in Puteaux to a Bulgarian father and French mother. He joined the '' École de danse de l'Opéra nationa ...

, Tybalt * Jean-Pierre Franchetti,

Laurent Hilaire Laurent Hilaire (born 8 November 1962) is a French ballet dancer. Regarded as one of the greatest dancers to emerge from ballet over the past few decades, he was an '' étoile'' of the Paris Opera Ballet for 22 years. From 2011, he was the assoc ...

, Paris * Yvette Chauviré, Lady Capulet

1995 Paris (DVD) cast

* Monique Loudières, Juliet *

* Charles Jude, Tybalt * Lionel Delanoë,

* Wilfried Romoli, Benvolio * José Martínez, Paris * Karin Averty, Rosaline * Clotilde Vayer, Lady Capulet * Olivier Patey, Lord Capulet * Annie Carbonnel, Nurse

References

Sources

*Childs, Peter. and Storry, Michael. ''Encyclopedia of Contemporary British Culture''. Routledge, 2013. *Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. ''The Encyclopedia of World Ballet''. Rowman & Littlefield, 2015. Ballets by Sergei Prokofiev 1977 ballet premieres Ballets based on Romeo and Juliet {{ballet-stub