Naghdi’s Juliet pierces the heart as MacMillan’s masterpiece returns

Matthew Ball (Romeo) and Yasmine Naghdi (Juliet)

By Mark Pullinger, 05 March 2025

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“feather light, she and Ball hit ecstatic heights”

Reviewed at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 4 March 2025

Romeo and Juliet (Sir Kenneth MacMillan)

The Royal Ballet

Koen Kessels, Conductor

Martin Georgiev, Conductor

Nicholas Georgiadis, Set Designer, Costume Designer

John B. Read, Lighting Designer

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

Natalia Osipova, Dancer

Patricio Revé, Dancer

Luca Acri, Dancer

Téo Dubreuil, Dancer

Kristen McNally, Dancer

Gary Avis, Dancer

Valentino Zucchetti, Dancer

Daichi Ikarashi, Dancer

The Royal Ballet’s Mayerling: violent, feral, tortured dance

Graham Watts, 30th March

In this latest revival of Kenneth MacMillan’s Mayerling, The Royal Ballet presents a roster of powerful and vivid interpretations across the board.

****1

National Ballet of Japan's revival of Manon was devastatingly good

Naomi Mori, 19th March

National Ballet of Japan in Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon has been revived six years after its performances were cancelled because of the pandemic. Exceptionally good interpretations led the opening night performance.

****1

Ballet superstars in Frankfurt for a night to savour

Vikki Jane Vile, 30th November

For one night only, audiences in Frankfurt were treated to some world class ballet on the expansive stage of the Jahrhunderthalle.

****1

ENB’s The Sleeping Beauty: disappointing cuts skew the story

Jonathan Gray, 27th November

English National Ballet's revival of the Tchaikovsky classic The Sleeping Beauty, disappoints at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton.

***11

Ballet Nights makes an impressive and unforgettable Scottish debut

Kathy Elgin, 4th July

Ballet Nights is more than an evening of party pieces: it showcases emerging talent alongside older favourites and, in the case of this first Scottish outing, has an eye to local tradition.

****1

Ballet Nights – Spring Into Summer a fascinating hotchpotch of dance

Graham Watts, 5th June

Ballet Nights 008 – Spring into Summer proved to be a judicious choice of quality and diverse repertoire.

****1

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.

Yasmine Naghdi’s Juliet pierces the heart as MacMillan’s masterpiece returns