Dancers David Adrian Freeland Jr (back) and Mario Gonzalez (front) in Benjamin Millepied’s ‘Romeo & Juliet’ during its Paris season in 2022. Photo: Julien Benhamou, courtesy Sydney Opera House and L.A. Dance Project.
It’s one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays and is considered one of Western literature’s greatest love stories.
Millepied’s version of Romeo & Juliet, which will have its Australian premiere in June at Sydney Opera House, is a distinctive and new take on the form for a number of reasons.
Instead, as he told the ABC recently, ‘We’re talking about a big love story – a universal love story… so I don’t feel like I have the right to decide to make it just about a man and a woman Romeo and Juliet.’
ArtsHub's Arts Feature Writer Jo Pickup is based in Perth. An arts writer and manager, she has worked as a journalist and broadcaster for media such as the ABC, RTRFM and The West Australian newspaper, contributing media content and commentary on art, culture and design. She has also worked for arts organisations such as Fremantle Arts Centre, STRUT dance, and the Aboriginal Arts Centre Hub of WA, as well as being a sessional arts lecturer at The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).
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