“Romeo and Juliet” at the Opéra-Bastille, in a dark and inspired staging by Thomas Jolly

The opera opens with an epidemic scene, thus reconnecting with the very essence of Shakespeare. The only decor is revealed little by little: the mythical staircase of the Palais Garnier. The tone is set: the show will respect the original text and will be original. Carried by a subtle, non-demonstrative orchestral direction by Carlo Rizzi, Charles Gounod’s masterpiece was acclaimed by an enthusiastic crowd during the five acts, until the final ovation. The recipe: the dark and luminous staging of Thomas Jolly, the Romeo and Juliet couple, Benjamin Bernheim and Elsa Dreisig, exceptional, and an inspired orchestra.

Lovers of Angers

The plague and the Covid. Did the pandemic inspire Thomas Jolly to revisit The Lovers of Verona? “In March 2020, containment occurred. I had just taken up my post as director of the Quai national drama center in Angers. So I was the director of a closed theater,” he says. What is the hottest director doing right now? He convinces his companion to play Juliette and improvises a show every night. On the balcony of their apartment in Angers. “At 9 p.m., my neighbors are at their windows, I play Gounod’s music in my silent street, ‘I enter’ on my balcony, I start Romeo’s monologue from Act II, Scene 2 . Then, upstairs, the light shines, the window opens and Juliette appears… We unroll the entire scene”, he remembers. A few weeks later, the director of the Opéra Bastille, Alexandre Neef, contacted him to offer him the staging at Bastille of Romeo and Juliet.

die from love

Benjamin Bernheim and Elsa Dreisig, at the June 17 premiere, came close to perfection. They were untouchable, aerial, inhabited by grace and talent. They weren’t playing Romeo and Juliet, they were. The tenor was without a net, his absolute generosity. His range of emotions is simply impressive. Romeo lives and dies with his voice. It takes body and soul. The soprano and tenor literally transport the audience to the heart of Shakespearean dramas. The exceptional performances of Jean Teitgen and Laurent Naouri, respectively Frère Laurent and Capulet, should also be noted. And highlight, for once, the people behind the curtains, in this case the wonderful work of costume designer Sylvie Dequest.

Thomas Jolly has chosen to be faithful to teenage love, to Romeo and Juliet. “The temptation is great to be presumptuous and to offer a new reading. Rather than a new reading, I chose to just read it”, analyzes who is in charge of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games. Romeo and Juliet, a dark and luminous opera. Heart stroke.

Form

Title : Romeo and Juliet, opera in 5 acts, after William Shakespeare

Dates: Until July 15 at the Opéra Bastille

Music : Charles Gounod

Booklet: Jules Barbier and Michel Carré

Musical direction: Carlo Rizzy

Head of Hearts: Ching-Lien Wu

Staging: Thomas Jolly

Distribution : Elsa Dreisig (alternating with Pretty Yende), Benjamin Bernheim (Francesco Demuro), Laurent Naouri

Orchestra and Chorus of the Opéra national de Paris

The show will be broadcast live on June 26, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. on France.tv/Culturebox and also, with the help of FRA cinema, in UGC cinemas, as part of their season. “Long live the Opera!” in CGR cinemas and independent cinemas in France and Europe, and later all over the world.