Displaying items by tag: The Capulets

I’ll cut right to the chase and say THE CAPULETS by Chicago Repertory Ballet may be the finest dance show I’ve seen since I saw the Joffrey dance Christopher Wheeldon’s iconic adaptation of Nutcracker.

I had the delight of speaking both before & after the show with Wade Schaaf, founder and Artistic Director of Chicago Repertory Ballet and choreographer of THE CAPULETS [and looking, just BTW, perfectly splendid in an Elizabethan-themed doublet!]. schaaf wears many hats – a true Renaissance man! I wish I could have seen them dance, and I’m thankful they founded this company when they retired and sustained it ever since (that goes on my Thanksgiving list!). They told me this ballet has been dwelling in their head for years; they were thrilled that it was coming to life tonight in its world premiere.

The dancers’ visual illustration of the tale integrated superbly with the auditory portrayal of Matty Mattsson's captivating musical score. Together they portrayed the story begun by Shakespeare so long ago and now extended by Wade Schaaf. Is THE CAPULETS then the backstory to ROMEO & JULIET? I think not – nothing so simple nor so disconnected. THE CAPULETS is a completely new tale, only borrowing characters from the Bard’s iconic play. [I might even characterize it as fanfiction, though some would see this as trivializing a rich and vibrant independent work.]

Zach Minnich and John Pobojewski fashioned ingenious digital sets that drew us in without sacrificing an inch of the dancers’ floor space and were further enhanced by David Goodman-Edberg’s creative lighting. Liviu Pasare’s videography was also masterly, though some of the projected text was difficult to read quickly, distracting my attention from the dance, which was telling the story quite efficaciously on its own.

 Nathan R. Rohrer brilliantly fashioned costumes that were nearly monochromatic – chiefly black but using splashes of red (e.g. a cloak’s lining) to highlight the major characters. On the whole, the Artistic Team created a vessel for the passionate patterns and movements of the dance and the music’s unrestrained exuberance.

We all know the Capulet family from Shakespeare’s celebrated original story, and THE CAPULETS begins similarly, with a playful duel between Mercutio (Nathaniel Urie) and Benvolio (Molly Gemechak), escalating into a brawl until Prince Escalus (Phillip Ollenberg) breaks it up. Add one more laurel to Wade Schaaf’s creative repertoire: the stage fighting was eloquent and authentic (reminiscent of my beloved Babes with Blades), while even the fiercest combat retained the contours of ballet.

In THE CAPULETS Schaaf realigns the love and partnering depicted by Shakespeare. We see Romeo (P.J. Spagnoletti) and Juliet (Tessa Castellano) fall in love at the Capulet’s ball, but they are peripheral characters. Rather, Schaaf presents a poignant tryst between Lord Capulet (Rosario Guillen) and Paris (Skyler Newcom), thereby fulfilling my long yearning for a male-male pas de deux, where both dancers may perform lifts and throws – Bravo! Bravamissio Renaissance queers!

The lead couple of THE CAPULETS is Lady Capulet and Tybalt. Miriam-Rose LeDuc danced Lady Capulet with passion and pathos, and her pas de trois with Lord Capulet and Paris was sensational. Schaaf’s choreography was very generous, showcasing all participating dancers while including wonderful solos for each.

I always have a favorite character and, as I so often do, I’ve left the best for last: Jackson Ferreira. This Brazilian native began dancing relatively late – not until age 16 – but has more than made up for any lost time. In solos and pas de deux he was magnificent, yet with the company he did not attenuate the other dancers, as may occur with exceptional dancers [though I must admit that I personally couldn’t tear my eyes from him!]. But please don’t suppose my admiration for this one artist undermines my veneration for the other dancers and the company as a whole.

Nothing is perfect, not even THE CAPULETS. I would plead for some alteration of the text projected Stage Left in Act II – I had difficulty reading it, thus stealing my attention from the dancers for several crucial seconds… and the dancers were already telling the story. Or maybe the text could be projected above the stage…. And my companion and I both found the final scene discordant. Why burden a terrific story with a happy ending?

Through November 16th at Ruth Page Center for the Arts. For more information or tickets, visit https://www.chicagorepertoryballet.com/thecapulets.