The Cairo Opera Ballet Company acts out “Romeo and Juliet
One expects a certain element of drama in any rendition of the legendary Shakespearean love tragedy “Romeo and Juliet. Performances of the ballet by the Cairo Opera Ballet Company this week trump all previous interpretations with what can only be referred to as “the tamsilaya factor.
The term refers to the quality that typically governs Egyptian dramas, from TV serials to the stage, where every emotion a performer relates becomes an exaggerated melodrama. Taking this into consideration, what the performance of “Romeo and Juliet lacked in skill, it more than made up for in entertainment value.
As a full-length classical ballet, “Romeo and Juliet has wide appeal among audiences. The story is well known and director Abdel Moneim Kamel stayed true to the original characters. Ahmed Yehia’s Romeo was portrayed as the hopeless romantic who only understands “true love when he meets Juliet, but he was upstaged by the supporting roles. Possibly it is the predictability of Romeo and Juliet’s roles that allowed Mercutio and Tybalt to steal their spotlight.
Ahmed Nabil’s Mercutio, Romeo’s loyal friend, drew attention with his whimsical dancing and class-clown antics – the comic relief. Tybalt, played by Hany Hassan, has an incredible on-stage presence. Mercutio and Tybalt’s fight scene was the dramatic peak of the evening, though the drawn-out death scenes were too melodramatic, and highly entertaining, judging from the audience’s hearty cheers. Their acting abilities, however, overshadowed their dancing.
The choreography did not challenge the dancers. Missing were the powerful leaps and pirouettes we have come to expect from the male soloists. Romeo and Juliet’s duets were repetitive. Rather than feeling that they were dancing intimately, Romeo felt more like a prop to lift Juliet, played by Katia Ivanova.
Whether their capabilities hindered the choreography, or the choreography did not give them a chance to showcase their talent, we’ll never know. The end result was too much acting, and definitely not enough dancing.
This isn’t to say, however, that the choreography was entirely disappointing. The sparring scene between the Montagues and the Capulets in the opening act was amusing, as was the minuet at the Capulets’ party.
Together set designer Mohamed El-Gharabawy and costume designer Marina Martisenko did a skillful job of recreating the Elizabethan era, which added to the general atmosphere.
The Cairo Opera Orchestra, conducted by Nader Abbassi, did justice to Sergei Prokofiev’s composition. The music will haunt you long after the curtain falls. If the “tamsilaya factor is too high for your tastes, simply close your eyes and enjoy the powerful music.
The international and local performances that have been staged at The Cairo Opera House’s main hall in the past, though, have raised audiences’ expectations, expectations that “Romeo and Juliet did not meet.
The ballet had the charm and entertainment value of a Broadway musical performed by a high school drama club: entertaining but not exceptional. The Cairo Opera Ballet Company’s performance is reminiscent of the American musical, “A West Side Story (without the singing) – which ironically, is loosely based on Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.
That said, the Cairo Opera Ballet has a pool of potential talent. Only through the support of its patrons will that talent be challenged and realized. So show your support and attend their performances, just check your expectations at the metal detectors at the door and keep an open mind. After all, there’s never anything good on TV anyway.
Romeo and JulietCairo Opera BalletCairo Opera HouseNov. 30-Dec. 1
