The ballet has long had a tradition of being only for those with a large disposable income, with tickets for the stalls in the Royal Opera House being £80+. What a lot of people don’t realize, is that you can get seats right at the top from just £8, and the view is quite good – you can see everything!
We decided to go along to Romeo and Juliet and test out these bargain seats. Unfortunately the really cheap ones had already gone as we booked late, but we managed to get two seats for a very reasonable £24 each. They were quite high up, but were normal seats whereas the £8 bargains are benches.
From the first strike of Prokofiev’s score to that final flawless adagio, the Royal Ballet did him proud. Natalia Osipova was a welcome new addition to the ballet, and danced beautifully; full of expression, performing entirely to Prokofiev’s tremendous musical talents, she was almost dreamlike to watch. A perfect match, Osipova isn’t just a dancer but an actress, able to perform the role of a teenage girl with all of the emotions and actions that one would display when unable to get her own way.
The famous Dance of the Knights was powerful and breathtaking; the strength in the leaps and interactions between the dancers made the scene what it was, interpreting the music, and displaying through action what a musical genius Prokofiev really was.
The entire performance through all three acts was sublime, with Osipova’s style and beauty leading the way, the rest of the ballet company performed with such an excellence that my heart raced from the excitement of seeing such wonderful dancing. Romeo and Juliet is one of those ballets, much like Swan Lake, that leaves you breathless from awe. Personally I’m not a huge fan of the likes of The Nutcracker or Sleeping Beauty, but give me Swan Lake, Giselle, or Romeo and Juliet, and I’ll leave with tears in my eyes begging for a ticket for the next night’s showing.
Bravo, Natalia Osipova, you can stay. And bravo Sergei Prokofiev, you continue to make my heart melt.
