Love London Love Culture rounds up the reviews for Matthew Bourne’s reimagining of Romeo & Juliet .
The Independent: **** “Where many Romeo retellings emphasise contemporary divisions, Bourne reframes it as a story of young people against a uniformly oppressive system.”
The Telegraph: ***** “For a few agonising moments during the press night for Matthew Bourne’s new dance-theatre version of Romeo and Juliet, it seemed that there might be no show to review.”
The Guardian: **** “The result is freshness and dynamism. As ever, Bourne tackles the classics on his own terms, with clever twists and hijacks of the plot (plus a few holes).”
Evening Standard: **** ” a masterful imaginative reimagining. Get in line for those return tickets now.”
Broadway World: ***** “this is one of Bourne’s leanest, most impressive shows. Its flow, dramatic intensity and momentum are never lost; there’s no breather for the audience and no fluff or filler.”
WhatsOnStage: **** ” powerful, timely and exhilarating adaptation that fizzes with youth and firmly roots an age-old tale in the preoccupations of the present day.”
The Stage: ***** “Radical it may be, but Bourne’s storytelling gifts are in full flower here. In spite of the remodelling, the excisions and the hermetically sealed universe, the narrative is as clear as day.”
British Theatre Guide: “Not only is Bourne furthering the careers of young dancers (indistinguishable from the professionals on stage), ‘young associate’ choreographers, designers, conductors, and orchestrators, but the programme also lists helplines and organisations for distressed minds. There’s a lot of admirable work invested in this two-hour production.”
Time Out: **** “Fitzpatrick and Braithwaite, meanwhile, are a superb lead pair; their balcony scene duet is a truly touching lip-locked tumble of desperation – teenage lust mixed with a longing for the affection that both characters have been starved of. In their second, sombre pas de deux, as tragedy looms, they wear a hard-earned maturity instead, carrying the weight of their travails with elegantly judged weariness.”
Mature Times: “Bourne’s production is a far cry from the great, tragic love story we all know. A synopsis in the printed programme would have been useful.”
Reviewsgate.com: ***** “It is magnificently danced, sinuous and athletic, sexy and disturbing. But just what is going on is never really clear.”
Romeo & Juliet continues to play at Sadler’s Wells until the 31st August before continuing to embark on its UK tour.