Straight after this year’s Britmums Live conference finished in London, I shot off to the The Royal Albert Hall for the first time in my life, to watch a ballet performance (also a first for me).
Watching a famous ballet, has been on my 30 before 30 list for quite some time. Thanks to two tickets from online ticket booking company, Seatwave , I got to tick that off my list.
I arrived in awe of how beautiful The Royal Albert Hall is; both the exterior and the interiors! What a stunning building.
Our tickets were for seats in the upper circle – which is rather high up. The view was phenomenal. We were near to the orchestra too, so we could see every single musician playing and the conductor leading them.
I chose to watch Romeo and Juliet, because I know (and love) the story so well. I was worried that if I watched a ballet to which I didn’t know the story, the interpretation may be lost on me.
The music was incredible.
The dancers were also extremely talented, particularly the dancer playing the part of Juliet. She fit the part so well. She was adorable, talented, believable and expressive. The part of the nurse, was also played terrifically. If I’m honest, I do feel that Romeo lacked emotion. Whilst a brilliant dancer, his part was just not convincing for me as Romeo.
There were two parts in the performance which I felt were dragged on a little too long (but surprisingly NOT the death scene!). One of these was the part where Romeo says goodbye to Juliet, as he is banished to Mantua. This is where the performance lost a little of it’s clarity for me. I know from studying the story during my GCSE’s that Romeo was banished, yet in the performance, it looked as though he had left out of choice.
I didn’t feel moved or emotional at the end of the performance, even though I was expecting to. I cannot help but wonder if this was due to sitting so high up, that the dancers facial expressions weren’t very clear. Despite this, I did thoroughly enjoy watching the show and the whole experience in general. I would go back and watch another ballet. I like that the atmosphere was both sophisticated and relaxed at the same time.
I’d definitely recommend the theatre, ballet and also Seatwave, for a great grown-up night out.
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