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Shakespeare’s timeless story of forbidden love.
Confined against their will by a society that seeks to divide, the two young lovers must follow their hearts as they risk everything to be together. A masterful re-telling of an ageless tale of teenage discovery and the madness of first love, Romeo And Juliet garnered universal critical acclaim when it premiered in 2019, and now returns to the New Adventures repertoire alongside the very best of Bourne’s world renowned dance theatre productions.
Directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, collaborating with the New Adventures Artistic team; Etta Murfitt (Associate Artistic Director), Lez Brotherston (Set and Costume design), Paule Constable (Lighting Design), Paul Groothuis (Sound Design) and Arielle Smith (Associate Choreographer) with Terry Davies’ thrillingly fresh orchestrations of Prokofiev’s dynamic score.
Sir Matthew Bourne’s Romeo + Juliet garnered great critical acclaim when it premiered in 2019, with many hailing it his finest work. This month, his reimagining of Shakespeare’s iconic romance visits Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. Local dancer Harry Ondrak-Wright is one of the super-talented performers charged with bringing the timeless tale to life. We recently caught up with Harry to find out what it’s like to be part of Sir Matthew’s New Adventures company...
When Harry Ondrak-Wright takes to the stage at the Grand Theatre in Sir Matthew Bourne’s Romeo + Juliet this month, it will be what the young Wolverhampton dancer terms ‘a pinch-me moment’. Or, to put it another way, a dream come true.
Harry, now 26, was a student at Wolverhampton’s Coppice Performing Arts School when he first discovered Sir Matthew’s work, studying his shows for both GCSE and A-level. And when Harry saw Matthew’s company, New Adventures, perform Swan Lake, he knew it was the ensemble for him.
“I watched Swan Lake at Birmingham Hippodrome, and that show - the musicality, the sheer power of the dance on stage and the storytelling elements - was incredible. I walked out and thought ‘That’s what I want to do.’”
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Harry was given the rare opportunity to perform alongside New Adventures when the company staged Lord Of The Flies in 2014 and auditioned young dance students to join the cast.
“I remember going to the audition at the Patrick Centre at Birmingham Hippodrome and then being offered a place. That was my first experience of dancing with New Adventures. They were already a company I aspired to be part of, but at that point I didn’t imagine I would be dancing with them. It was an amazing experience. To work alongside professionals was so fantastic.”
Harry went on to study at London Contemporary Dance School - and worked hard to achieve his dream.
“I was in contact with New Adventures as much as possible. Once I’d decided that was what I wanted to do, I did everything in my power to work with the company. So over the years, I did workshops and warm-up classes.
“I was lucky enough to be involved with a company called Shoreditch Youth Dance, run by Lee Smikle, who used to be part of New Adventures, so through that I did small projects that were loosely involved with New Adventures.
“We did the New Adventures Choreographer Award, which Jamaal Burkmar won that year. We did a piece with Jamaal, and afterwards Matthew came and found me in the foyer of the theatre. He told me he had his eye on me for the next project - which ended up being Swan Lake. That was a really poignant moment.”
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In 2018, Harry gained a position with Matthew’s company and in an upcoming tour of Swan Lake.
“I was really blown away when I was offered a place. I remember I was in morning class, and we were just warming up when I got a notification on my phone. It was an email from Matthew Bourne, and I didn’t open it because I was so nervous. If it was a good verdict, I wouldn’t be able to contain my excitement, and if it was a bad verdict, I would be quite upset. So I just continued with an hour’s class and then took myself into a corner and looked at my phone and saw the email - and that’s when I found out I’d got into Swan Lake.”
The tour took in Birmingham - putting Harry on the stage where he had first seen Swan Lake. “It was amazing being at the Hippodrome. There have been a lot of ‘pinch me’ moments with this company, and that was definitely one of them. I remember thinking ‘I saw this show on this stage, and that inspired me to want to dance, and now here I am doing it.’ It didn’t feel real, in a sense. It was such a fantastic feeling.”
Harry’s next ‘pinch me’ moment will be performing Romeo + Juliet on stage in his home city this month.
“I’m so excited to be going to Wolverhampton Grand. Romeo + Juliet is a show that I really love and have a lot of passion for, so to be bringing it to my home town is really exciting - and especially as it’s the first time that New Adventures has been to Wolverhampton. I’m sure my family members are excited as well - and it coincides with my mum’s birthday!”
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Harry plays a number of characters in the show, including Mercutio, Edmund - and a new non-binary character named Lennox.
“We rotate between casts, meaning everyone learns multiple roles so everyone has to know the show a number of times over. The new character, Lennox, is one of the ensemble characters and they’re the first non-binary character in New Adventures. It’s been created by one of the company, and they’re also non-binary, so it’s very personal to them and their journey. It’s really nice to take that on board and represent it through the show.”
The production, which is based on Shakespeare’s classic love story and set to Prokofiev’s famous score, is one of Harry’s favourites.
“It’s so unique. It has its own way of telling the story. Matthew likes to refer to it as a Romeo & Juliet-esque story. It doesn’t follow the story of Romeo & Juliet as a linear kind of subject; it’s more loosely based on the tragedy.
“It has characters like Mercutio, and all of those elements are the same, but it’s set in a near-future, within an androgynous institute, and it’s not clear why these people are there; whether it’s an experiment or a prison. Aesthetically and thematically it’s very intense and beautiful.
“It’s also really fulfilling and cathartic to play. It’s a tragedy, so you go through these very intense emotions every night. It’s really beautiful to bring to audiences, who respond fantastically.
“It’s an amazing show, a real rollercoaster of emotion. Audiences will get to see some beautiful dancing and some really heartfelt acting. I don’t think there are many people who have come to see this show who haven’t had a visceral response to it.”
Despite having been part of New Adventures for five years, Harry still has trouble believing that his dream has actually come true.
“I feel so lucky to be working for a company where the audiences are so loyal and love it so much. There aren’t that many companies who sell out their shows every night, and you do feel the energy from a full audience. It’s something that I feel really fortunate to get almost every day.”
by Diane Parkes
Matthew Bourne’s Romeo + Juliet shows at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from Tuesday 17 to Saturday 21 October.
on Fri, 22 Sep 2023
Created by Sir Matthew Bourne for his New Adventures company in 2019 and presenting a winning combination of classical and contemporary dance, Romeo + Juliet is this week touring to the Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton.
Although a radical interpretation, the production does retain some of Shakespeare’s original plot and characters. However, rather than taking place in Verona in the 16th century, this classic love story is retold in more modern times, at the soulless Verona Institute, with many of the central characters taking very different roles. The institute appears to be some kind of correctional facility or mental-health asylum designed to incarcerate problem youths who do not conform to society’s norms.
Les Brotherston’s set is minimal and clinical, his costumes white and sterile. Paule Constable’s lighting enhances the impact of both, but especially the set; the smooth surfaces, the barred doors, the highwire fences, the security lights - and particularly the tiled background against which shadows fall, giving an extra menace to some of the show’s darker scenes.
Matthew Bourne’s dynamic choreography is in total contrast to his dancers’ surroundings. This is never clearer than during the unnerving Dance Of The Knights. The young inmates dance in a stiff, robotic style when in the presence of their oppressors, but come alive when unobserved, their bodies intertwining, their exchanges becoming increasingly sexual.
Romeo is the institute’s newest inmate. The audience watch as he is incarcerated by his politician parents for what appears to be the ‘crime’ of not conforming to their exacting expectations. He joins the other young adults, who are heavily controlled, suppressed and segregated. Their anger and resentment is powerfully conveyed by the expertly choreographed, impeccably performed routines they dance in jazz shoes or bare feet.
Romeo meets Juliet at a social event organised for the inmates by the Reverend Bernadette Laurence (Daisy May Kemp), who offers some gentle nurturing as well as spiritual guidance. Unlike in the original, there are no gangs or feuding families keeping the star-crossed lovers apart. The divide here is between the powerless inmates and the people in authority.
Paris Fitzpatrick (Romeo) and Cordelia Braithwaite (Juliet) make exquisite leads. Their desire for one another is palpable and intoxicating. The balcony-scene duet is truly heartfelt. Their long kiss displays not just teenage lust but a feeling of desperation; a longing for the affection of which they have both been starved.
Braithwaite's Juliet is breathtaking. Bravely, she repeatedly stands up to her abuser - the thuggish and predatory guard, Tybalt (Adam Galbraith) - who bullies the inmates and assaults her off-stage. The fear that he instills is strongly felt by the audience. His abuse haunts Juliet and ultimately has catastrophic consequences, resulting in her own and Romeo’s untimely deaths.
The cast is outstanding throughout, with Cameron Flynn, Adam Davies and Jackson Fisch - as Mercutio, Benvolio and Balthasar respectively - all worthy of special mention.
The ballet also features a reorchestrated arrangement of Prokofiev’s iconic score. Although the production has used a smaller orchestra than might typically be expected, the score loses none of its poise or impact, brilliantly adding real depth to the drama unfolding on stage. For touring performances, the music is pre-recorded.
This unconventional retelling of Shakespeare’s famous love story is completely captivating from start to finish but is certainly no walk in the park. Exploring issues including sexual abuse, bullying, knife crime and homophobia, it is harrowing, haunting and heartbreaking. It is also, quite simply, superb. Definitely a show not to be missed.
5 stars
Reviewed by Sue Hull on Tuesday 17 October at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, where it shows until Saturday (21 October).
5 Stars on Tue, 17 Oct 2023