As one can expect, anything from Matthew Bourne is not made for traditionalists and so his version of “Romeo and Juliet” builds upon Sergei Prokofiev’s 1935 score and strips any romantic notions one could have of a medieval Verona by placing the action in a mental asylum, the Verona Institute. This is a unrelentingly dark depiction of tragic romance with sexual harassment, rape, unsupervised teenage lust, murder and, of course, suicide. While Shakespeare’s Juliet was just 13, this production, currently at the Ahmanson is recommended for 14 and older.

According to Matthew Bourne’s New Adventure’s website, Sergei Prokofiev’s music “is deeply imbued with a strong sense of psychological characterisation for each of the main protagonists. Romeo, Juliet, Friar Lawrence, Tybalt, Mercutio and the Nurse are all given musical themes which relate to their personalities, and the harmonic development and orchestral variation of these themes propels the emotional dimension of the drama onwards. Additionally, Prokofiev allocates various musical motifs to emotional aspects of the story, and the subtle interweaving of these motifs throughout the score guides the listener towards the emotional heart of the drama as it unfolds.”

The website notes that while it was originally meant for the Mariinsky Theatre in Leningrad, it was rejected by them because “it was impossible to depict the subtleties of Shakespeare’s drama without text.” Then taken to The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, it was deemed “un-danceable” because of its symphonic nature.

Composer Terry Davies re-creates and re-imagines the score to suit a small chamber orchestra of 15 players.

You’ll still recognize the score.

Set in the not too distant future, the costuming for “Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet,” as you can see in the 2019 official trailer,  is modern. The women mostly wear dresses with fitted bodices and full skirts. One man wears a kilt. Other times both men and women are in pants and shirts.

Part of the visualization of Romeo and Juliet in modern times is we imagine a romanticized version of the splendor of a Verona court, and this contrasts with the savagery of the grudge matches between men from the two feuding houses of the Montague and the Capulets.

Yet for the audiences of Shakespeare’s time, these were people while foreign were not so far removed from the aristocracy they knew, particularly when there had been a very real War of the Roses (1455-1487) between the houses of Lancaster and York for the English throne.  In more recent times, the English were subjected to the battle between the newly created Anglican Church and those who followed the Roman Catholic Church. Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church in order to dissolve his marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, in order to marry his second wife, Anne Boleyn. While the union of Catherine and Henry had produced a daughter, Mary, King Henry desperately wanted a son. Boleyn gave brith to another daughter, Elizabeth. By the time Elizabeth was three, Henry had her mother Anne beheaded (charged with adultery and treason) in order to marry a third wife. Henry VIII would have six wives before his death and only one son. After his death, the Anglican Protestants and Roman Catholics would be warring at various levels.

By the time of Shakespeare, the Protestant Edward would have been briefly king to be replaced by the Roman Catholic Mary between 1553-1558 and upon Mary’s death, the Protestant Elizabeth would have come to power (from 1558). Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” was written about 1594-1596.  Thus, the people of Shakespeare’s time were well aware of blood feuds. The people of our times are not.

We are familiar with the inattentive rich parents, mismanaged mental care,  the dangers of being young and the dangers of being a young woman.

As presented in “Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet,” it’s hard to determine if the inmates of the Verona Institute all really need to mental supervision. When we first meet Romeo, he isn’t outwardly troubled. His parents, by their corporate dress and self-absorbed mannerisms, seem to be too rigidly concerned with their own needs and wants and goals. We already know that this institute has a variety of problems that would only increased mental instability. Juliet is subjected to the unwanted attentions of one of the orderlies/security guards.

This isn’t just a tragedy of two lovers, but a one that most certainly effects all the young inmates of this mental asylum hell.

Although it comes during February, this isn’t the kind of production that will inspire romance so you might not want to schedule a Valentine’s Day date here. On the other hand, if you’re on the downside of a bitter breakup, this might be just the ticket to confirm your vow to never fall in love again.

Moreover, if you don’t want to talk about how the movement differentiates between sexual assault, lust and love, then you’ll want to pass on this adaptation of ill-fated teenage romance. What Matthew Bourne’s retelling of the star-crossed lovers does do, is it makes their less one of hysterically high teen hormonal angst and makes their desperation more a product of a bleak inescapable situation.

The production at the Ahmanson has dancers sharing roles, so it is hard to predict who will be performing when you see it. On Friday night, 2 February 2024, Romeo was played by Rory MacLeod, Juliet by Bryony Pennington, Tybalt by Cameron Flynn, Mercutio by Harry Ondrak-Wright and Rev. Bernadette Laurence/Mrs. Montague/Nurse by Kate Lyons.

This “Romeo and Juliet” is 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’  orchestrations of Prokofiev’s score. 

What was once deemed “undanceable” has inspired different interpretations and people interested in choreography and dance should always see different interpretations, especially from a major artist like Bourne. “Matthew Bourne’s Romeo + Juliet” is about the madness of society that finds youth disposable, the madness of women and girls sent to the edge of sanity by sexual assault, the madness of hormonal lust, the madness of love and the madness that allows mental illness to be treated like criminality. And it’s also about the madness of genius that produces something deemed undanceable and the choreographers who rise to the challenge.

“Matthew Bourne’s Romeo +  Juliet” is also available to stream through Amazon Prime’s BroadwayHD channel (2019 production) subscription. Of course, these performance movies don’t replace attending a live performance where you can feel the audience and performers creating a singular night and the movie is only 91 minutes long. The production at the Ahmanson was about two hours with one intermission. However, video allows you to rewatch segments over and over again to better understand the choreography.

“Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet” continues at the Ahmanson until 25 February 2024. Tickets for Matthew Bourne’s “Romeo and Juliet” are available through CenterTheatreGroup.org, Audience Services at (213) 972-4400 or in person at the Center Theatre Group Box Offices (at the Ahmanson Theatre) at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012. Performances run Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.  Special Thursday Matinee, February 22 at 2:00 p.m.
No performance Wednesday, February 5 or Sunday Evening, February 25 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets begin at $35.