Romeo & Juliet

Shakespeare's timeless tale about doomed young lovers caught in the middle of clan warfare in Renaissance Verona has been a staple of the San Francisco Ballet since artistic director Helgi Tomasson's acclaimed production premiered in 1994. Thomas Grimm's film of the 2015 revival is a worthy addition to the Lincoln Center at the Movies' “Great American Dance” series. This Romeo & Juliet features a judiciously trimmed version of the classic 1935 score by Sergei Prokofiev, robustly played under Martin West's baton. Tomasson's choreography is more classical than innovative, but boasts moments of brilliance—particularly during the final scenes of Act III, which offer a shattering conclusion to the melancholy tale (Martino Pistone's staging of the swordfights is also quite exciting). Maria Kochetkova is a winsome Juliet, Davit Karapetyan is a virile Romeo, and Pascal Molat as Mercutio makes an especially strong impression among the excellent supporting cast. Jens-Jacob Worsaae's sets and costumes favor muted colors but remain elegant. Overall, this is an estimable production that is competitive with the Royal Ballet's mounting of Kenneth MacMillan's version (VL-9/13). Presented in DTS 5.0 (DTS-HD 5.0 on the Blu-ray release) and PCM stereo, extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes. Recommended. (F. Swietek)