Romantic, poignant, and undying, the story of Romeo and Juliet is world-famous, immortalized in symphonies, ballet, film and television, and other genres, one of which is the famous poem left by the French composer Gounod. In 2018, the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) staged Gounod's Romeo and Juliet for the first time. 2024 coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France and the Sino-French Year of Culture and Tourism, and recently, conductor Xu Zhong led the National Centre for the Performing Arts Opera Singers' Team, Choir and Orchestra, and joined hands with artists from China, France, Italy and Germany to bring this version to the stage again.
The emotional overture sounded, the curtain slowly rose, opening up a minimalist pure white space, huge arc lines stacked and nested, like a time and space tunnel extending to the depths, the red-clad Capulet family walked, they danced and sang, but the deep red, unrecognizable masks and fencing masks filled the atmosphere with a terrifying undercurrent - the world is familiar with the ending of "Luo Zhu", family strife, and the tricks of fate have revealed the fangs that tear at the young lover's fangs at this moment.
Director Stefano Poda deliberately blurs the time and place of the story, using an avant-garde and highly symbolic choreography style to give this ancient story more universal thinking that transcends time and space, about love, about hatred, and about the eternal repetition of various struggles. "The arc is inspired by the exterior of the National Centre for the Performing Arts, forming a channel of soul and memory from near to far. All the stage elements exist in a 'ring' way, which also means that human history is like a cycle of journey, dazzling and similar. Stefano Poda said. He planted ubiquitous metaphors in his works: the Capletti and Montague families, where Juliet and Romeo belonged, each wore red and black clothes, and the barriers were clear; As the plot unfolds, the staircase begins to rotate, and the "Juliet Balcony", which symbolizes the feud between the two families, appears as the "Juliet Balcony" hangs in the air, weaving a dark line ...... that tells the direction of the story
Pure colors, modern costumes, simple but varied lines, coupled with extremely slow and restrained performances, make this version of "Romeo and Juliet" present a sense of detachment and surreality, I have to say that at the beginning of the curtain, the bizarre, sci-fi style of expression will bring a lot of visual impact to the audience, and even take away a certain amount of attention, but the beauty and strength of ** itself can still overcome some of the "discomfort" of the play.
The National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra led by Xu Zhong has a balance between technique and beauty, passion and lyricism, and its interpretation is quite delicate. Juliet's German actor Ani Jorenz has played this role many times, from the heart of a girl who falls in love to the resolute fearlessness of dying for love, complex and strong emotions gradually progress in her singing, and the French opera singer Thomas Bettinger, who plays Romeo, also interprets the deep affection and pain of the role full and moving. In addition, it is worth mentioning that in the cast of the Chinese group, Zhang Rose, who plays Juliet, has a soft and beautiful voice and clear layers, and this rising young soprano singer has left a surprise for many audiences.