Events Edinburgh

Event Details

The story, as timeless as love itself, is performed against a striking multi-media backdrop and is set to Prokofiev's formidably dramatic score, performed live by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra. Scottish Ballet dancers are at their best, bringing these iconic roles to life with emotional intensity and breathtaking performances.

And mixing the aesthetic allure of contemporary dance steeped in classical ballet technique is Krzysztof Pastor, resident choreographer at Dutch National Ballet and the Artistic Director of Polish National Ballet who translates Shakespeare's most famous tale with the support of esteemed dramaturge Willem Bruls.

Set in the 20th century, this tender story of forbidden love unfolds through three dramatic acts as time moves on inexorably. Beginning in black-and-white in a metropolis, somewhere in Italy, Pastor shows a world torn apart by conflict with the aid of back projection of film of First World War trenches. The second act moves to the sepia-coloured 1950s, in the wake of Mussolini's Fascist dictatorship. Finally, the third act is one set amidst the backdrop of today's warring nations, a land dominated by the eerie blue light of the television cameras that report 24/7 from the frontline of global wars.

Although the personal journeys of both Romeo and Juliet are integral to the tale, this is a love story within a clear social and political context and a tragedy that repeats endlessly.