The Australian Ballet does Romeo and Juliet: precision over passion

Grace Carroll as Juliet and Joseph Caley as Romeo in John Cranko's Romeo and Juliet

The Australian Ballet in John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet

Grace Carroll as Juliet and Joseph Caley as Romeo in John Cranko's Romeo and Juliet

Brodie James with The Australian Ballet in John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet

Grace Carroll as Juliet in John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet

By Katie Lawrence, 26 April 2026

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“swashbuckling sword fights remain reliably thrilling”

Reviewed at Sydney Opera House: Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney on 24 April 2026

Romeo and Juliet (John Cranko)

The Australian Ballet

Jürgen Rose, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Jon Buswell, Lighting Designer

Opera Australia Orchestra

Hot ice: Osipova and Brændsrød sizzle in Cranko’s Onegin

Mark Pullinger, 3rd June

Natalia Osipova, a seasoned Tatiana, is joined by Lukas B Brændsrød, making his debut as Onegin in the summer return of John Cranko's take on Pushkin's classic verse novel.

*****

The Royal Ballet in Onegin: supreme performances across the board

Graham Watts, 22nd January

The welcome revival of a borrowed jewel in The Royal Ballet's treasure chest of story ballets.

*****

Onegin is the Bridgerton of ballet

Ivy Lin, 20th June

Two very promising debuts in the lead roles and good performances in the supporting roles, made this an enjoyable Onegin.

****1

Farewells and bold debuts in National Ballet of Canada's Onegin

Gianmarco Segato, 24th November

National Ballet of Canada's connections to John Cranko's Onegin run deep and this revival featured beloved company farewells and exciting next generation debuts.

****1

Petipa Awards Gala: thrilling theatrics and star turns!

Margaret Willis, 23rd September

A shimmering smorgasbord of some of today’s most exciting international dancers, who performed pristine works by Petipa.

****1

Pushkin in Prague: a fine revival of Onegin by Czech National Ballet

Jonathan Gray, 9th February

Powerful performances by the four leading dancers brought dramatic weight to this tremendous revival of John Cranko's Onegin by Czech National Ballet.

****1

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Katie Lawrence

Katie Lawrence has a background in ballet, jazz, and contemporary, and spent much of her adolescence in the dressing room of dance eisteddfods. She is still mildly triggered by the smell of hairspray. She is now a regular in Sydney's dance audience crowd and can often be found at Sydney Dance Company and Tanya Pearson adult classes.