Roméo et Juliette has had to wait patiently for a century to enjoy a new staging at the Staatsoper Berlin. In Mariame Clément's production, her first staging for the Staatsoper unter den Linden, the action is updated to a conventional present-day setting, underscoring the validity of the plot – feuding families and class differences are still relevant. In the case of Gounod's opera, boundaries seem to be overcome and there is hope for redemption, a hope that is dashed through unfortunate timing.
Framed by Sébastien Dupouey's video projections with a main theme featuring the metamorphosis of butterflies as symbols of life and death, Julia Hansen creates an upper middle class setting reminiscent of the 1960s to celebrate Juliette’s birthday. Her only rebellious insignia is a shock of unkempt blue hair. Roméo’s punk friends crash the party and so the classic love story takes its course. One important and attenuating difference from the original Shakespeare is that Gounod has Juliette awake just in time for a final duet with Roméo before they die in each other's arms. Gounod dispenses with all the trappings he considers unimportant, thus achieving great intimacy and a sense of privacy. Magnificent duets, composed for the two lovers, are juxtaposed with magnificent choral tableaux.
Clément avoids any cloying romanticism. The beginning and ending scenes features operagoers seated in a theatrical setting, thus introducing a layer of separation between audience and singers. The events that unfold result from bad timing as much as from the intrinsic actions and underlying emotions. Her telling of the story leans toward telling it from Juliette’s perspective. The only night the couple spends together is in her pink bedroom and it is her doubts about the effectiveness of the poison that are sung. The hallucinations Juliette suffers after taking the poison are presented in dance form, choreographed by Mathieu Guilhaumon.
Soprano Elsa Dreisig was the perfect Juliette, her youthful naïveté was touching and in contrast to the tough image she wants to project to the world with her blue hair and fishnet stockings. Tenor Petr Nekoranec was her Roméo, equal to her in stature and candor, their voices harmonised in the light lyric vibrato so often heard in French opera. Bass-baritone Nicolas Testé, although announced as indisposed, portrayed Frère Laurent as a religious teacher, surrounded by his young pupils. A person who sincerely believes that love conquers all and whose sincerity is never doubted, he performed the impromptu wedding ceremony in the classroom (they were presumably his two ex-pupils). Luxury casting with Marina Prudenskaya in the supporting role of Gertrude imbuing her warm mezzo with the love she has for her charge. Tenor Johann Krogius portrayed Tybalt with just the right touch of arrogance, while baritone Jaka Mihelač gave Mercutio a melodramatic turn. Noteworthy also was mezzo Ema Nikolovska with her Stéphano a chap wearing his heart on his sleeve.
The Staatskapelle Berlin played with lyrical subtlety, but under the baton of Stefano Montanari they did not fully exploit the rich colours in Gounod's music. Conversely, the chorus, rehearsed by Dani Juris, stood out for its homogeneous sound and good diction. It was pleasantly surprising that all the singers followed the three rules of French music: diction, clarté, élégance!
Whether Clément's production will remain in the repertoire of the Staatsoper for 100 years is doubtful, but it is a welcome addition to the current repertoire.
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