Sergey Prokofiev
Romeo and Juliet

This production by Kasatkina and Vasilyov can be classified as a neo-classical ballet, rather than a purely classical one.

Prokofiev’s score in this version differs from that in the famous production of the Bolshoi Theatre staged by Lavrovsky with great Ulanova dancing the title part. World-famous conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky did an enormous job to restore Prokofiev’s original score.

Kasatkina and Vasilyov were the first to use this unique score in a ballet production (1971, Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre).

The choreographic image of the production is inspired by Italian middle age culture and combines the immensity of the Renaissance fresco and the delicate psychologism of the 20th century art.

«In our production we wanted to be as close as possible to Shakespeare’s original, not to lose anything when translating the work of the great English playwright to the choreographic idiom. We were equally keen on portraying the romantic images of the main characters, the genre figures of the servants, the grotesque characters of the carnival, i.e., Verona in a close-up. In our production, Romeo and Juliette are not unique personalities in the beginning. What makes them unique is their feeling, fortitude, and intensity of emotions.

We believe that the Shakespeare play perfectly relates to our time. All the characters are worthy of love, but the insuperable power of deep-rooted tradition leads to the tragedy. People have to find a nerve to escape from the cruel trap of misconceptions. ».

Natalia Kasatkina, Vladimir Vasilyov