Roméo et Juliette – review

Royal Opera House, LondonThough it's a mere 16 years old, Nicolas Joël's staging of Gounod's opera looks far more ancient. Nothing in it would have seemed advanced, or even modern, 50 years ago. The medieval architecture of Carlo Tommasi's designs registers as curiously fragmented, and gets in the way of the action. The opening ball scene is denied any dancing, despite Gounod's tripping mazurka. Visually, it's a dull evening.Musically things go rather better. Lacking the variety or theatrical ...

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