Romeo and Juliet – Sergei Prokofiev by Reginaldo Oliveira after William Shakespeare at the Salzburg Landestheater.

In Verona live two families that have been enemies to the knife for generations, the Montagues and the Capulets. The son of one family and the daughter of the other fall in love. A love that is not communicable to the respective friends and relatives. When father Capulet chooses a husband for Juliet, the lovers see only one chance: Juliet’s feigned death is their desperate attempt to escape the hopelessness of society’s demands. But their supposedly perfect plan ends fatally.

Romeo and Juliet and the feud across generations

The love between Romeo and Juliet fails because of a society that perpetuates a feud over generations. And in the process forms the breeding ground not only for abysmal hatred, but just as much for exuberant love.

Shakespeare wrote with “Romeo and Juliet” a story that seems made for a translation into dance. With his own powerful scenic imagination and emotional dance language, Reginaldo Oliveira traces this unconditional love under hopeless conditions in his new creation with the music of Sergei Prokofiev.

“Romeo and Juliet,” premiered in Brno in 1938, is still considered one of the highlights of the musical output of Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953). The rich and varied orchestration as well as the rhythmic complexity of the score make Sergei Prokofiev’s composition one of the greatest ballet scores of the 20th century.

After his interpretation of Shakespeare’s “Othello”, which was celebrated by the audience and the press, Reginaldo Oliveira now devotes himself to another material by the famous Renaissance poet. As artistic partners, he has once again been able to win over the team that already created impressive images of “Othello” with him: set designer Sebastian Hannak and costume designer Judith Adam.

Until 22.05.2020 at the Salzbuger Landestheater Introductions to the works: 30 and 45 min before the start. Duration: 2 h 25 min / one intermission

Photo small: Romeo and Juliet – kt. Flavio Salamanka and Marcia Joaquin. Photo large: Flavio Salamanka ©Admin Kuyler

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