The Royal Ballet

Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet

Encore Screening

The greatest love story ever told – through ballet. Shakespeare’s star-crossed romance is brilliantly retold through this modern ballet classic celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2025. The fervent longing Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet is perfectly captured by Kenneth MacMillan’s impassioned choreography, while evocative music by Prokofiev sets the scene for stolen romantic moments and deadly feuds and sweeps the ballet towards its inevitable and tragic conclusion.

The Capulets and Montagues are sworn enemies. Yet it is love at first sight for Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet when they meet each other at the Capulet ball, into which Romeo has snuck. The two fall in love and they profess their devotion to each other at Juliet’s balcony. They secretly get married. The stakes are raised for the young couple when Romeo avenges the death of his friend Mercutio who has been killed by Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin. For this, Romeo is exiled from Verona. Meanwhile, Juliet’s parents are forcing her to marry another suitor. In order to be together, Romeo and Juliet must risk it all.