Ballet West began its 2025-2026 season with Michael Smuin’s Romeo and Juliet set to music by Sergei Prokofiev. I was fortunate to see this ballet with my friend Mony a few years ago, and I absolutely loved it, so I was excited to have an opportunity to see it again. I purchased a ticket for last Saturday night’s performance, and Ballet West delivered an exquisite production!
Sergei Prokofiev composed Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64 as a full-length ballet score in 1935 (shorter portions also exist as orchestral suites), and countless choreographers have since interpreted his music to tell Shakespeare’s famous tragedy through movement. Michael Smuin, who studied at the University of Utah under Willam Christensen and worked at San Francisco Ballet with Lew Christensen, choreographed his version in 1976. Ballet West first acquired it in 1988, and it became an oft-repeated audience favorite through 1994. The company has reworked portions of it a few times since then to arrive at the production that opened this season.
Smuin’s Romeo and Juliet follows Shakespeare’s narrative quite closely, with a few new elements added to heighten the drama. The audience sees the streets and townspeople of Verona, feuding Montagues and Capulets, Paris courting Juliet, a masked ball where Romeo and Juliet meet, their interaction outside Juliet’s balcony, the young couple’s secret marriage in Friar Lawrence’s cell, the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt, Romeo’s departure, Juliet’s seeking help from Friar Lawrence, and Romeo and Juliet’s suicides in the Capulet family crypt. Prokofiev’s music, Smuin’s choreography, and Ballet West’s dancers eloquently tell this story. It impresses me how clearly and poignantly the story comes across without relying on words to advance the action.
Hadriel Diniz danced the role of Romeo and Amy Potter that of Juliet last Saturday night. They exhibited a natural chemistry with each other that convincingly conveyed the star-crossed lovers’ relationship. Their choreography features two significant pas de deux, the balcony scene and later in Juliet’s bedroom before Romeo must leave, and each of these has stunning lifts that Diniz and Potter executed superbly, drawing “aahs” from the audience. They infused their whole performance with grace, beautiful extension, and passion — even down to observable facial expressions that showed the emotions of each moment. They were a delight to watch!
Dancers in supporting roles contributed equally dynamic performances. William Lynch as Mercutio and Loren Walton as Benvolio joined Diniz to dance several exuberant, playful trios. These moments showcased dancing well in unison as well as Walton’s expressive style and Lynch’s athleticism. I thoroughly enjoyed the comedy and drama they brought to the plot.
Smuin’s Romeo and Juliet adds an affair between Lady Capulet (Nicole Fannéy) and Tybalt (Adrian Fry), which is confusing given that Tybalt is the Capulets’ nephew. I am unfamiliar with the backstory that justifies this relationship development. However, it allows for intricate choreography and intense emotional expression among Lady Capulet, Tybalt, and Lord Capulet (Robert Fowler). I really liked a trio they danced in which Lady Capulet has to oscillate between her male partners, appearing loyal to her husband while simultaneously clinging passionately to Tybalt. Nicole Fannéy sustained this intensity in a particularly dramatic portrayal of Lady Capulet’s grief over Tybalt’s death, and I loved the spectacle of the moment.
Renaissance-inspired costumes and sets with a rich color palette of burgundy, blue, brown, and gold supported the action and made this a visually compelling production. Multiple scenes and poses evoked paintings by Renaissance masters, drawing the audience in to Romeo and Juliet’s world.
Romeo and Juliet was the beginning of what promises to be an engaging Ballet West season. Click here for information about what comes next in 2025-2026.
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