There are a few jarring transitions, and some overwrought moments, but the "Romeo and Juliet" that the Washington Ballet performed Thursday at the Eisenhower Theater is more streamlined and polished than when it premiered here four years ago. Artistic Director Septime Webre, who choreographed this production, wisely cut some of the coarser elements that bogged down his earlier iteration. There is no slain child, for example, nor as much noisy smooching, and one barely notices the harlots.
Instead, the spotlight is on the doomed lovers. Michele Jimenez is a heartbreakingly sympathetic Juliet, her joy hardening into chill resolve when parental pressure closes in. Runqiao Du's more restrained Romeo -- playful, but with an undercurrent of seriousness -- is an effective foil.
Romeo (Runqiao Du, left) gets in the way as Tybalt (Brian Corman) stabs Mercutio (Jason Hartley).
(Photos Katherine Frey For The Washington Post)
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This is not, however, the most satisfying "Romeo and Juliet"; it feels too rushed and busy in parts. Webre's efforts to trim the narrative and the Prokofiev score so that the work runs little more than two hours long makes for a strong theatrical experience, but a rather thin one emotionally.
Still, Jimenez and Du give the ballet needed depth. Both dancers have enriched their interpretations since 2001 (they were paired then, too). Jimenez uses her appealing physical softness to emphasize Juliet's youth and tenderness, which sets up a stunning contrast when she becomes brittle and shivery with loathing after learning that her parents intend for her to marry Paris, a nice fellow but no Romeo. Du already seems to have a hint of tragedy about him at the beginning, and his natural reserve gives him the air of an outsider, someone who, like Jimenez, is too pure for this sullied crowd.
The supporting dancers make the most of one-dimensional roles. Jason Hartley is an antic Mercutio with a bounding jump, with Alvaro Palau's good-natured Benvolio as his sidekick. As he has in past productions, Brian Corman stands out for his princely air; his Tybalt has just the right mix of high-born hauteur and gutter-level bullying. Webre makes quite plain Tybalt's illicit relationship with Erin Mahoney's Lady Capulet, Juliet's mother. You can hardly blame Lady C for taking up with her nephew, however, when you see Lord Capulet's attire. As the patriarch of one of Verona's most feared and powerful families, poor John Goding must maneuver about with a hat like an enormous salad bowl on his head. Suspended from it, and dangling down one side of his face, is what looks to be a kitchen towel.
All in all, the Capulets are a mighty cranky bunch, given that the mister and missus can barely stand each other, Tybalt is in a dark mood and even their ball guests look grim. If only they would take off their hats -- that would surely ease the headache. Not a one has any reasonable sort of headgear. The ladies wear what look like huge papier-mache insect wings, and Tybalt, in his pirate's beard, is topped off with the Jolly Roger.
Luckily, we move on quickly from the House of Capulet. Jimenez never once dropped her glowing smile in the balcony love scene, even in the trickiest of diving, twisting lifts. The sword fighting that leads to Mercutio's (long-winded) and Tybalt's (blessedly quick) deaths is impressively swift. But so is the transition between this scene, which results in Romeo's banishment, and the next, wherein he and Juliet are romping about in bed. Somehow, it's hard to reconcile that glowing Romeo with the remorseful murderer of his wife's kin.
That's the trouble with an abridged version. The story is all there, but not the pacing, the mood, the sustained feeling. Tightly woven as it is, this "Romeo and Juliet" suffers from a few holes.
The performance was a credit to the professionalism of the dancers, who didn't give any hint of the labor troubles that have plagued the company in recent months. Over management's objections, the dancers voted to unionize in February, and a few weeks later a charge of unfair labor practice was filed against the company regarding the dismissal at the end of this season of two dancers, Corman and Nikkia Parish. This week, failed negotiations caused a trip to Italy to be canceled. And yet, admirably, the work went on.
"Romeo and Juliet" will be performed through tomorrow, with cast changes.
