User Reviews

This opera is based on my least-favourite Shakespeare play. I have always struggled to empathise with these two teenage lovers who fail to synchronise their suicide attempts. Gounod wrote some sumptuous music for this opera but it failed to hold my attention on account of the silly plot; this despite the glamorous coupling of Anna Netrebko as Juliette and Roberto Alagna as Romeo. Alagna, apparently was standing in for an indisposed Rolando Villazón but it is one of his signature roles and his light tenor is perfectly suited to the role. I was not so convinced by Anna Netrebko's performance. Her creamy soprano is possibly a little bit too heavy for Gounod's light confection. She does, however, come into her own during the scene where she takes poison which comes closest to the bel canto mad scenes that she does so well.

This is a sumptuous production from the Met. I particularly enjoyed the Busby Berkley homage with dancers filmed from above on a revolving stage. This is topped by the love duet, with the two principals suspended above the stage on a silken bed. Alagna and Netrebko make an attractive couple. I noticed that they were both wearing passion-killers under their nighties, possibly at the insistence of Angela Gheorghiu and Erwin Schrott.

I love opera, and while Romeo and Juliet is not my favourite of Shakespeare's plays it is touching. Gounod's opera is wonderful, touching as it should be with sublime music, my favourite being colouratura soprano favourite Juliette's Waltz Song.

This Met production is good, but not great. It is a visually sumptuous affair, particularly in the first act, with beautiful costumes and sets(particularly the tilter turntable set, very unique and well-incorporated), and the whole production looks fantastic in high definition.

Musically, as you would expect from the Met, Romeo Et Juliette is also great. The orchestra play with a lush sound, and Placido Domingo's conducting is wonderfully understated. There is one disappointment though which was when the orchestra lagged behind quite severely in Capulet's solo.

Staging is mostly good, particularly in the Waltz Song, the Party and the final scene. The bed scene is very risqué and captures the wonderful chemistry between Netrebko and Alagna very well, but perhaps in regard to the story itself and the music with all the writhing about, flashes of Netrebko's legs and stroking the scene was a little TOO intimate. Also Romeo and Juliette's wedding scene, with the moon background, it did look as though Netrebko and Alagna were space-walking.

The singing is fine. Roberto Alagna is wonderful in one of his signature roles, and while her voice is darker and thicker than what I would prefer for the role, Anna Netrebko still has many moments where she shows creamy and expressive singing and she really comes into her own in her poison-taking scene. Of the support cast, which were generally solid, Nathan Gunn as Mercutio and Robert Lloyd as Frere Laurent fare best.

All in all, good but could've been better. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Romeo and Juliet is a very good play and this opera is very good.Roberto Alagna and Anna Netrebko have very good chemistry together as Romeo and Juliet,even though they are not teenagers .Their weeding night was quite sensual and erotic and you can definetely see that Romeo and Juliet had sex on their weeding night.I wasn't fond of the sets,they were a bit weird.This opera makes Juliet to wake up just after Romeo takes poison,too late to stop him.The ending is as tragic as it should be.Very good Romeo and Juliet.,but could have been better 7/10