State Street Ballet will present Romeo & Juliet, the classic tale of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, March 23-24 at the Lobero Theatre. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday.
The production features new hand-painted sets by designer Jean-François Revon, updated costumes and lighting designs, and performances by company and international guest artists.
State Street Ballet Artistic Director Rodney Gustafson choreographed his Romeo & Juliet to music by Prokofiev, intensifying the drama by editing the composer’s five-act score to a two-act version.
The production includes fast-paced action, with fight scenes originally staged by Frank Moran, known for his work in creating realistic fight scenes for the movie industry.
First premiered in 1997, and described as “seamlessly melded together” by Los Angeles Times reviewer Victoria Looseleaf, Romeo & Juliet is a popular staple in the company’s repertoire.
The part of Romeo will be danced by guest artist Aaron Smyth, from Australia, who played Basilio in State Street Ballet’s 2016 production of Don Quixote.
Smyth has been a company member with the American Ballet Theatre II in New York, The Royal Ballet in London, and The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago where he danced soloist and principal roles.
He has danced for royalty and the Obamas, and now travels the globe as a principal guest artist.
Smyth recently performed on London’s West End in Christopher Wheeldon’s An American In Paris, and will appear as the Snow Cavalier, opposite Misty Copeland, in Disney’s upcoming film The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.
He has won numerous medals in international ballet competitions and is the founding director of his company Dance For Humanity and wellness house EC1 Studios in London.
The role of Juliet will be danced by Deise Mendonça, a native of Brazil.
Mendonça has been a principal dancer with The Bolshoi Company in Brazil, and performed with Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Ballet Municipal of Rio de Janeiro, and Ballet de Santiago in Chile.
Mendonça joined State Street Ballet in 2013, and has performed the principal roles of Cinderella, Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Beauty in Beauty and the Beast, and Alice in Alice in Wonderland.
The production also features guest artist Francois Llorente as Mercutio, and State Street Ballet company members James Folsom as Tybalt, and Chang-Hung Chung as Benvolio.
Tickets are available at lobero.com or the Lobero box office, 963-0761.
State Street Ballet’s 2017-18 season is sponsored by Margo-Cohen Feinberg and Robert Feinberg, and Tim Mikel. Major funding for Romeo & Juliet was provided by Sara Miller McCune.
Media sponsors include Santa Barbara Independent and Noozhawk.com.
The company’s season is also funded in part by the Community Organizational Development Grant program using funds provided by the city of Santa Barbara in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission.
— Barbara Burger for State Street Ballet.