Romeo & Juliet [Varna International Ballet] – Review – Hull New Theatre

By Karl Hornsey, February 2025

The Varna International Ballet return to Hull this week with three performances of some of the most iconic productions – Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and, first of all, Romeo & Juliet. This was the second time we’ve seen Shakespeare’s tragedy performed in Hull, having also been lucky enough to see Matthew Bourne’s version last year, and the second time we’ve seen a production by the world-renowned Varna collective.

The story, of course, is remarkably familiar and one that will forever seem to be, as the tale of two young lovers caught up in the feud between their families, which ultimately leads to the tragic deaths of many of the major characters. Prokofiev’s ballet is faithful to the original story and the key to any staging of R&J has to be the relationship between the two leads and whether their overwhelming love for each other is successfully portrayed. And it most certainly was here. Mirko Andreutti as Romeo and Andrea Conforti as Juliet are outstanding in their roles and the absolute highlight of this production, especially during the second act, which quickly unravels once the young lovers have been secretly wed.

“Focal point”

The sets are very minimal, largely using frozen backdrops to remind us where we happen to be at any one point, and perhaps a little too basic for what was required, but that’s more than made up for by the imagination put into the costumes and the overall quality of the production. Also, if I’m being picky, a larger orchestra would have given the composer’s work the extra ‘oomph’ it required to make it even more powerful and poignant. Of course, no performance of R&J is complete with the wonderful Dance of the Knights, which was beautifully done here, demonstrating the power of the families involved and the depth of hatred and menace that runs through the story.

With Tybalt and Mercutio to the fore in the opening act, Romeo and Juliet become the real focal point after the interval, as tragedy upon tragedy besets the characters, ultimately leading to the deaths of both leads ahead of the curtain falling. It’s hard to do something original with such a timeless scene, but the ending here was remarkably conceived, using the Death Heralds with stunning effect to seemingly lead each character to their demise. The sight of two dozen performers, forming waves of death on the stage was one to behold. The love between R&J and the contrast between joy and pain is portrayed wonderfully by the leads, building to a climax that, even though everyone knows it’s coming, is still something to take the breath away. I have no doubt that anyone fortunate enough to be attending Swan Lake and The Nutcracker are likewise in for a special treat.

Karl Hornsey( Writer )

Karl’s love of writing was piqued at the age of eight, when he won a Blue Peter badge in an essay-writing competition. The location of said badge might be a mystery now, but the memory never fades. Hours spent writing about sport as a teenager, in pre-internet years when you had to make your entertainment, honed his skills, and Karl has worked in TV and radio listings at PA Media for 28 years, and the age of hybrid working means 50% of that can be at home listening to Classic FM and thinking about his next visit to his beloved Yorkshire Dales.
@KarlHornsey, hornskar

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