REVIEW: Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet - Queensland Ballet

Lyric Theatre, QPAC – 2025 Season

Duration: 2 hours, 50 minutes (including two intervals)

I had the pleasure of seeing Queensland Ballet's magnificent production of Romeo and Juliet at QPAC’s Lyric Theatre—a breathtaking opening to their 65th anniversary season. While I don't consider myself an expert in dance, I do know when I’ve witnessed something truly theatrical. Everything about this production was utterly world-class: from Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s masterful choreography to Prokofiev’s iconic score, brought to life by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. The music alone was worth the price of admission! This 3-hour ballet (it's Willy Shakespeare, after all) follows the passionate yet doomed love story of two young lovers from feuding families in Renaissance Verona.

This ballet was first performed in 1965 and remains one of MacMillan’s greatest narrative works. It is no small feat to bring this masterpiece to the stage — companies must receive special permission from the MacMillan estate. The level of artistry required is immense, and it’s only performed by companies who meet incredibly high standards. Queensland Ballet didn’t just meet those expectations—they soared past them.

I was especially lucky to attend a performance featuring two guest artists from The Royal Ballet: Principal Artists Calvin Richardson and Akane Takada, dancing the roles of Romeo and Juliet. It was a genuine privilege to see such internationally acclaimed artists perform live in Brisbane. Their chemistry was magnetic, their technique exquisite, and their storytelling deeply moving. From their very first glance to their final tragic embrace, I believed every moment of their love story.

The visual world of the production was simply divine. The sets and costumes, acquired from a German ballet company, had been meticulously transferred and restored. They transported us straight to Verona, with a richness and grandeur rarely seen. Lush velvets, hand-dyed fabrics, delicate glass-beaded gowns, and real gold-leafed textiles shimmered under the warm lights. The Capulets were draped in bold reds, blacks, and teals, contrasting beautifully with the pastel-toned Montagues.

The set itself was a marvel—a grand central staircase, a two-storey arched structure that transformed into marketplace, ballroom and balcony, and finely detailed locations like Juliet’s bedroom and the Capulet tomb. This staging was opulent and completely immersive. Each scene felt like we were watching a Renaissance painting come to life. Even the stage curtain was a work of art, featuring an intricate artwork of Verona. The lighting, designed by John B. Read and Jacopo Pantani, added layers of atmosphere—whether it was the golden warmth of Verona’s sun-drenched days or the cool, haunting shadows of the tomb.

The opening featured what felt like the entire population of Verona — I half-expected someone to come out selling popcorn. With the full company of over 50 dancers, the stage was a flurry of motion and colour! Unlike most ballets that centre the female dancers, here the male dancers had some of the most dynamic moments, especially in the camaraderie and mischief of Romeo (Calvin Richardson), Mercutio (Ivan Surodeev), and Benvolio (Joshua Ostermann). Their cheeky antics, particularly in their interactions with the nurse (Janette Mulligan) and Rosaline (Alison McWhinney), adding levity before the inevitable tragedy unfolded in a series of precisely choreographed sword fights.

I found myself swept away not only by the beauty of the movement but by the story itself, which was remarkably clear—even without a single word spoken. Who needs Shakespeare’s complex prose when you can dance it out?! Even if you don’t know a plié from a pas de chat, the theatricality of this show was so accessible and evocative that it didn’t matter. The emotion was conveyed through grand gestures and subtle mime, with the orchestra swelling behind each dramatic turn.

One of the most memorable elements for me was the masquerade ball scene, where the entire ensemble moved in synchronisation to the Dance of the Knights. That iconic bass-driven score made the audience behind me audibly giddy with recognition. While Mercutio and Benvolio created clever distractions, Romeo and Juliet stole away for their first dance — a series of tender lifts and touches that built their entire relationship without a single word spoken. He literally swept her off her dainty feet.

Akane Takada’s portrayal of Juliet was a revelation. She embodied the delicate cusp of childhood and womanhood, playing with a doll one moment in a white gown of purity, then grappling with devastating adult choices the next. Akane was captivating in her innocence, playfulness, and vulnerability. As the ballet progressed, she transformed before our eyes into a woman full of passion, agency, and rebellion. Her final pas de deux with Romeo in her bedroom was breathtaking, with lifts and movements that looked effortless but demanded extraordinary skill.

Calvin Richardson’s Romeo was just as nuanced — lovesick, impulsive, and completely enraptured. Romeo was the original king of main character energy. He fell in love, got married, killed a guy, got exiled, and died — all in under three hours. Together, they danced like two magnets, constantly drawn to each other. Their balcony pas de deux was a perfect blend of theatricality and technical mastery. Bathed in moonlight and accompanied by an organ-led score that built into a full orchestral swell, the pair expressed a declaration of love not through Shakespearean prose, but through intimate touch, sweeping lifts, and breathless closeness. Watching Akane melt into Calvin's arms was one of the most romantic moments I’ve ever seen on stage.

The remainder of the cast were just as beautiful in appearance and skill, but they could not shine quite as brightly as the the guest artists. Ivan Surodeev portrayed Mercutio with a cheeky charisma, embodying the friend who consistently stirs up chaos at pre-drinks. In contrast, Clayton Forsyth's Tybalt added intensity and fire. The sword fights were skilfully choreographed, yet I wish the elegance of ballet could have conveyed the gritty, real tension more effectively. The climatic deaths in this act were harrowing (largely due to Calvin's silent screams), with Mercutio and Tybalt both meeting their ends in stylised but deeply emotive sequences. The harlots, played by Georgia Swan, Laura Tosar, and Vanessa Morelli, were vibrant with their bouncing curls, colourful skirts, and irreverent energy. And the jesters in the marketplace scene had some wild costumes that reminded me of brushes in a carwash— hypnotic, playful, and impossible to look away from.

In Act Three, the emotional stakes reached their peak. A particularly strong theatrical decision was Juliet's moment of complete stillness when she was compelled to consent to marrying Paris. It felt as if time stood still as she paused, weighing her options, while the orchestra crescendoed behind her. Paris (Patricio Revé) hoisted her like a rag doll as she disassociated from the present — her eyes vacant, her body slumped, avoiding his gaze — as she fluttered gracefully, appearing to float around the stage (is bourrée the correct term?)

And then came the tomb. What an ending. A moment that truly lingered with me was when Romeo, believing Juliet dead, danced with her lifeless body—his anguish clear, her limpness portrayed so delicately. And when Juliet awoke, discovered him dead, and ended her own life, the theatre held its breath. Her crawl back to Romeo after stabbing herself was so devastating and slow that you could hear a pin drop as that curtain came down.

Even without a deep knowledge of ballet, I was completely immersed in the emotional power and visual spectacle of this production. Queensland Ballet have honoured the history and grandeur of this iconic ballet while infusing it with fresh talent, emotional depth, and unmatched beauty. I just wish I could have afforded a seat closer to the stage (or remembered to bring binoculars.)

If this breathtaking ballet is the prologue, Queensland Ballet’s 65th season might just be their greatest love story yet.

Photographs by David Kelly