Romeo & Juliet At the London Coliseum, July 11^th  to 17^th  for 9 performances only

FULL CAST CONFIRMED FOR ROMEO AND JULIET

Natalia Osipova & Ivan Vasiliev - Romeo & Juliet

 

FIRST MAJOR REVIVAL OF THE ASHTON – PROKOVIEV MASTERPIECE FOR 25 YEARS

When the curtain rises on fair Verona at the London Coliseum next month, a rare treat is in store for ballet fans from this hugely talented international company.

Preparations continue apace for one of the most spectacular ballet events to be seen in London for many years. Quite simply, a sensational revival of Sir Frederick Ashton’s rarely staged and much revered production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ with the Bolshoi superstars – and real-life fiancées  -  Ivan Vasilev and Natalia Osipova in the lead roles.  The last revival of this seminal production was in 1985, presented by ENB.

Vasiliev, who has been hailed by the critics as the ‘new Nureyev’, will be playing the lead role of Romeo, while his Juliet, also a much fêted Bolshoi star, will be played by  his future wife Osipova.

SCHAUFUSS FATHER AND DAUGHTER MAKE IT A FAMILY AFFAIR

Meanwhile, the supporting cast features a sparkling array of international talent, including the show’s Olivier Award-Winning producer PETER SCHAUFUSS as Friar Laurence and his daughter TARA SCHAUFUSS as Livia, at 19 now a member of the Royal Danish Ballet.  But the Schaufuss family’s emotional and physical connection with Romeo and Juliet goes much deeper:  Peter’s mother, MONA VANGSAAE, played Juliet with the Royal Danish Ballet in 1955, with his father FRANK SCHAUFUSS appearing as Mercutio, in the first production of Romeo & Juliet to be seen in the west.  It’s a unique production for the way in which Sir Frederick Ashton fused Prokofiev’s music and Shakespeare’s characters into a ballet to reveal a rare intimacy between the performers and the audience.

Later in life, Sir Frederick and Peter Schaufuss became close friends and collaborated on the revival of Romeo & Juliet for English National Ballet at the Coliseum in 1985. Hence Sir Frederick Ashton leaving this work to Peter when he died in 1988.

Rising star ALBAN LENDORF, recently promoted to Principal Dancer of the Royal Danish Ballet, will dance the role of Mercutio.  Alban was trained at the Royal Danish Ballet School and appointed soloist in 2010.  At 21, the über-talented Lendorf has already danced the Prince in Christopher Wheeldon’s The Sleeping Beauty, the Prince in Swan Lake and Gennaro in Napoli.

Benvolio is Frenchman ROBIN BERNADET, who trained originally in Toulouse, at l’Opera de Paris and at the Princess Grace Academy in Monte Carlo. He’s also been engaged with Scottish Ballet English National Ballet and the Royal Swedish Ballet.. and has been a member of the Peter Schaufuss Ballet since 2000.

Lord Capulet is STEPHEN JEFFERIES a stalwart of the British ballet scene for more than three decades. His career has been marked by his exceptional interpretative skills: he was widely regarded as one of the finest dance-actors of his generation. After more than 20 years with the Royal Ballet, in1995 he left to take up a post as director of the Hong Kong Ballet.

The Prince of Verona is BENJAMIN WHITSON, Ballet Master of the Peter Schaufuss Ballet, who has danced in productions with the English National Opera,  Atlanta Ballet and Opera Holland Park. Whitson joined the Peter Schaufuss Ballet in 2000.

YOKO TAKAHASHI will be dancing the part of Juliet’s nurse. Yoko trained at the Izumi Ballet, IS Ballet Academy, Japan and at the Northern Ballet School, Manchester, receiving the Baines Hewitt Award in 2003 and joining the Peter Schaufuss Ballet in 2006.

The full cast is now confirmed as follows

JULIET                                  Natalia Osipova

ROMEO                                   Ivan Vasiliev

MERCUTIO                            Alban Lendorf

BENVOLIO                           Robin Bernadet

LIVIA                                       Tara Schaufuss

TYBALT                                 Johan Christensen

PARIS                                     Stefan Wise

LADY CAPULET                   Zoe Ashe-Brown

LORD CAPULET                  Stephen Jefferies

FRIAR LAURENCE               Peter Schaufuss

JULIET’S NURSE                 Yoko Takahashi

PRINCE OF VERONA          Benjamin Whitson

Listings information

Theatre: London Coliseum

Dates: July 11 - 17  for 9 performances only

Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri at 7.30pm, Thurs and Sat at 2.30pm and 7.30pm and Sunday 3pm

Website  

Phone number: 0871 911 0200 

Tickets: Tickets from £5 – £85

VIP and Premium packages available, call and ask for more details

53 seats per performance available at £5

124 seats per performance available at £10

Excludes Gala Night where these prices are £1 more

Natalia Osipova & Ivan Vasiliev - Romeo & Juliet