A Debut To Remember
It was a long summer. Clinging on to ballet videos on YouTube and re-watching the same clips from the ROH channel is pretty much the only way to feed oneself during the ballet-less summer months. I couldn't wait to get back into an auditorium and knowing that the Royal Ballet's season was opening with one of my favourites, Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet, really built up my excitement. How funny to then arrive at the ROH to moans and cries already about the first few performances. It is only the start of the season and already the ballet world has a critical eye of the partnerships and depictions of Shakespeare's finest. It's that typical English temperament, where we put on our Eeyore faces and pick up on the negatives. I've heard a lot of sighs about the lack of chemistry in the current run of Romeo and Juliet and how no-one has been particularly moved by it. Well I'd like to raise a glass to Yasmine Naghdi and Matthew Ball who gave everything as Romeo and Juliet and who definitely brought the tragedy back into Verona. Anyone who can still moan after this performance should probably take a visit to the doctor.
Perhaps it is the chemistry that's been missing in the past few performances of this production. After all, this is one of the hardest love stories to convey in a very short amount of time on a stage. The attraction, lust and love has to be present from the minute their eyes connect and this either happens or it doesn't. I think the ballet is successful if I'm moved as the curtain closes at the end and there are many occasions where I think 'how beautifully danced', 'what lovely acting' yet I put my coat on when it's finished, get on the Tube and think about my lunch for the next day. It's rare to still be thinking about it a week later but that's exactly what happened with Naghdi and Ball's performance. As Kylie would say, I can't get it out of my head. The chemistry was all there and I especially loved the affection towards each other. I loved how Matthew really took care of his Juliet, nuzzling her hair, kissing her softly during pas de deux and placing her around the stage so carefully. It all felt so real, so natural, so moving. It reminded me a lot of young and first love and the want to take care of each other. We have to remember that this isn't 'Onegin' love, where time has passed and maturity has stepped in. This is immediate passion and the dancers have to convey this in such a way that we can believe it is possible to fall in love at first sight. Sometimes, it doesn't happen. But with this performance, I felt that such a ridiculous storyline could actually unfold in reality.
I honestly thought, when I rocked up to that afternoon debut performance, that I'd enjoy it, perhaps see flickers of potential greatness and leave the Opera House thinking 'in a few years' time, that partnership, in those roles, is going to be gold.' I thought wrong. Reader, it's all already there. The chemistry, the trust and the honesty in their performance made it seem like they had been doing it for years. I thought Naghdi would be good but not great and that Ball would be fine but not fab, and again I was wrong. Technically, they were both superb but I have to say, this was expected. We've all had an eye on these two for months and watching them in their supporting roles, in particular as Olga and Lensky in Onegin last season, it became clear that not only were they lovely dancers, but technically, every step was faultless. I was more interested, however, to watch their portrayal of Romeo and Juliet as I think many of us are when we watch MacMillan. I'm not too bothered whether Juliet's getting all the steps right, I'm more interested in her face when she drinks the potion, and if Romeo wobbles slightly during his dance with Juliet's friends, I look past it as I'm more keen to see how he interacts and focuses on Juliet. Typically with MacMillan, there are hundreds of tiny touches built into his masterpiece which should really add up to create a climactic and tragic ending. I have always loved the moment Romeo picks Juliet up at the end of her variation during the ball, paired with the music, it's symbolic of Juliet's awakening and Romeo's confidence – it's the first time she's been held by a man and she feels as if she is floating. Naghdi and Ball captured all of these subtle details and it made everything seem more real. They also have youth on their side since both are still in their early twenties, so this also helps to portray the innocence and naivety of this type of love. There's no potential about any of this because as I've already said, the depiction, details and professionalism of this debut was breathtaking. There were many subtleties that I hadn't seen before, such as Matthew's choice to sit on the steps in Juliet's tomb, wracking his brain with all of his options and realising that death is the only answer, or when he gives her body one last embrace and sits next to her, taking his time to process what has happened. Again it added a very realistic approach; it was more like watching what he would actually do in that situation, if this were real, if this weren't ballet. I was very surprised by it and moved by his whole treatment of Juliet in the final scene. Ball was so good, in fact, that after ten minutes on stage you can see his star quality. He has everything that Romeo should possess -youth, good looks and a lot of charm. I have no doubt he will go far in his career and I think there are many great things to come. I mean the guy screams Albrecht to me, and I would be in favour of Naghdi as his Giselle. If he could continue dancing with Naghdi, perhaps we could see the type of partnership blossom whose success is reminiscent, dare I say it, of Fonteyn/Nureyev.
But let's also mention Naghdi's unique details as Juliet. The potion scene was one of the most haunting that I've seen for a long time. She managed to make it eerie and creepy, which perfectly matched Prokofiev's score at this point. She was frightened and so were the audience. One of the most memorable Juliets that I have ever seen was Evgenia Obraztsova, mainly for her eyes alone. They told the whole story and while she clutched the potion bottle, she looked up into the audience, crying for help. It was so uncomfortable and harrowing that it really emphasised her isolation in the bedroom. In fact, her isolation in life. The potion scene should make us uncomfortable as it's the dramatic turn in the ballet. We should feel like screaming 'don't do it girl' from our seats and for me, it will be the eyes that really portray the horror of the scenario. Naghdi had this perfected. Throwing the potion bottle around the room, debating in her head whether to drink it or not, hounded by voices and confusion- every step of Juliet's decision was crystal clear. It reminded me of Natalia Makarova's Juliet, from what I've seen in videos, as she too uses her eyes and expression to convey the sheer terror that consumes her body. The choreography is so brilliant because it depicts this for us; however, to make it believable, Juliet herself must add her own dramatisation. Naghdi's whole demeanour was utterly convincing and it was clear she had allowed herself to dig deep into the psychological aspect of the role.
This certainly was an intellectual portrayal. After all, Juliet is taken on a journey, from innocent child to determined woman and there aren't many who get this done to perfection, especially not in a debut. If someone told me that Naghdi had in fact been dancing Juliet for many years I would believe them completely, such was the mature and confident portrayal in this performance. All in all, as debuts, go, one would be hard pushed to see something better. I must also mention the brilliant supporting cast of Luca Acri as Mercutio, Benjamin Ella as Benvolio and Nicol Edmonds as Paris, all of whom were utterly convincing in their roles. I love how they are all young and coming up within the company. The chemistry between the three friends was believable, and we could really understand Romeo's needing to avenge Mercutio's death. Nicol is always beautiful as Paris and I like the way he is perceptive and angry with the situation he has found himself in.
I would say that the only flaw in this performance is that it came too early in the run, as topping it is going to be very difficult indeed.
* Photo Copyright of David Long