Rudolf Nureyev's production of

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''. , group=n ( – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who l ...

's ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'' premiered at the London Coliseum on 2 June 1977.

Background and premiere

Rudolf Nureyev 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. Ea ...

's production of the ballet at the Royal Ballet, Covent Garden in 1965. In 1977, Nureyev left the Royal Ballet and created his own production of the ballet for London Festival Ballet to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee. This production premiered at the London Coliseum on 2 June 1977, with the British ballerina Patricia Ruanne as Juliet and Rudolf as Romeo. This production is still in the English National Ballet's repertoire. This production was later staged for the La Scala Theatre Ballet and the first night took place on 20 December 1980, with Carla Fracci 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 Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, DBE ( 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 th ...

as Lady Capulet. In 1984, this production was introduced to Paris Opera Ballet with Monique Loudières and Patrick Dupond as the leading roles. The production was filmed and released in DVD format in 1995, featuring Loudières as Juliet and Manuel Legris as Romeo.

Original cast

* Patricia Ruanne, Juliet * Rudolph Nureyev,

Romeo Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Characters in Romeo and Juliet#Lord Montague, Lord Montague and his wife, Characters in Romeo and Juliet#Lady Montague, Lady Montague, he ...

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

1980 Milan cast

* Carla Fracci, Juliet * Rudolph Nureyev,

* Paolo Podini, Mercutio * Angelo Moretto, Benvolio * Tiziano Mietto, Tybalt * Maddalena Campa, Nurse

1984 Paris cast

* Monique Loudières, Juliet * Patrick Dupond,

* Cyril Atanassoff, Tybalt * Jean-Pierre Franchetti, Mercutio * Laurent Hilaire, Paris *

Yvette Chauviré Yvette Chauviré (; 22 April 1917 – 19 October 2016) was a French prima ballerina assoluta and actress. She is often described as France's greatest ballerina, and was the mentor of another pair of well-known prima ballerinas named, Sylvie Guill ...

, Lady Capulet

1995 Paris (DVD) cast

* Monique Loudières, Juliet * Manuel Legris,

* Charles Jude, Tybalt * Lionel Delanoë, Mercutio * 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 about suicide Ballets by Sergei Prokofiev 1977 ballets Ballets based on Romeo and Juliet {{ballet-stub