I recently watched the 2010 version and decided to compare it to the 2002 version. So I decided to leave another review.
After all, no one will beat 2002. It's a wonderful production. But in 2010, there are also good moments.
For example, Lady Montague and Lady Capulet sang wonderfully in “Children of Verona”, not inferior to their predecessors. Women have strong and beautiful voices. Very tragic in their performance of "Hate."
Dancing is pretty good, too. Although the ball reminded me of some Eastern disco.
Mercuzio is not bad in the new version. Mocking, brisk and witty. Now he and Tybalt have become worthy enemies on equal terms. And it became clear why they are always fighting.
Tybalt turned out to be calmer than in 2002, some serious and thoughtful.
A little embarrassed by Death. She's too restless and restless in the 2010 version. Still, Anne Mano's gestures were much better rehearsed. Slow and staid grace. Aureli Badol's Death is too awkward in its movements. Besides, she shouldn't have smiled so much. It would be better to make a more mysterious smile, like the Mona Lisa (that’s what Anne Mano did, barely perceptibly smiled), rather than showing all 32 teeth!
Mr. Montague, good voice in the 2010 version. But in appearance and charisma he lost to the first performer of this role.
Romeo and Juliet sang well, but Juliet is too old. And she's got a little bad makeup. Romeo has grown too old... After all, heroes should be young, almost children.
Benevolio in the second version is not such an incendiary hero, bringing the story to life. However, Gregory Baquet could not surpass.
And I was very confused by the new Prince of Verona. I don’t like his voice (and he sounds uneven in some places), nor his appearance. Why did you replace Frederick Charter? This actor is just the ideal for this role. The creators got 200% with the choice of artist. This is what Prince Verona should be like! From appearance to voice and charisma.
"Verona" and "Power" performed by Frederick Charter forced to listen to the songs again and again. He is a very attractive man, he makes you believe in his game. He is a powerful and powerful ruler who seeks to restore order in the city and destroy the enmity of the two families. It is a pity that he was removed from the role of prince in 2010.
But on the other hand, Frederick Charter is talented in everything. And the role of brother Lorenzo was no worse than Prince Verona. The end of the 2010 version took me no less by heart than Verona in the first version of the musical. The dramatic aria of the monk Lorenzo J’sais plus, who fought desperately for the happiness of young people, touches to the core. And the duet with the nurse turned out well.
And it's a pity that Frederick Charter doesn't play movies and sings only in musicals. He was a very popular actor or singer. It would look great in the movies.
Although the second version gave way to the first, but for the sake of the arias of women of the two families and for the sake of the incredibly charismatic Frederick Charter in the role of brother Lorenzo, it is worth watching a new version of “Children of Verona”.
There is no musical more beautiful in the world. .
And indeed, with this beautiful musical can argue only the famous Notre Dame de Paris. The most interesting thing is that both of these musicals are French, although the ancestor of this genre is not France at all. But the French mastered this niche perfectly, and it is their productions that are much closer to me personally than the same Broadway ones.
That's interesting, but Shakespeare's play, which everyone loves so much, including for the literary part, for the beauty of the versification, managed to put without a single Shakespearean line in fact, and at the same time so love the viewer. We could have thought of the text of the play to put on music, but, fortunately, without it did.
With the first song ' Verona' I was captured by the action on stage and did not let go for 2.5 hours. Beautiful music, beautiful voices, beautiful actors, beautiful dancers. By the way, the chorles were scenery, they created their mood in each individual song.
Damien Sarg and Cecilia Cara were sensual and beautiful, the insistence of Romeo and Juliet. The wedding scene in their performance is the best in the production.
And how good Tybalt was, that is how I imagined him, bright, hot-tempered, indomitable. Tom Ross perfectly coped with the role, showing us a fate no less tragic than that of the main characters.
Benvolo in the musical plays the role of the narrator, he is a kind of Gringoire. Gregory Baquet, I think Romeo would also be suitable for the role.
Mercutio remembered less than others, but it is not his fault, he was not bad, just so brightly played by other actors that against their background it was not the best role.
Adult characters are good for selection, I don’t even know who to single out. I always like the nurse, and this case is no exception, but even Juliet's mother, who is not very pleasant to me, was pleased here. I'll also mention the Count, Sebastian Chateau. It is with his song that the musical begins, and his rare outputs still cannot be missed in the best sense of the word.
In general, the musical is really very good, and I definitely recommend it for viewing.
P.s. I recently learned that the production was revived in 2010, with the former Romeo and Tybalt. Of course, I found and watched this tape. What can I say, it's not like that anymore. The musical has become something more pop. Maybe because of the change of costumes, maybe because both the old and the new actors still looked modern people (especially Juliet, noticeably in this respect lost to Cessily). Or maybe I remembered those former Damien and Tom, the first was more romantic and sincere (and the voice also changed for the better over time), the second was more passionate and tireless. I don't know if I should have done a second staging. I understand that time has passed, and many people want to see this wonderful story live on stage, but the fact is that it will not be the same story. And not so wonderful. That's one downside.
This review combines my views on both versions, 2001 and 2010. I liked the new version much more than the 2001 version. In the first version, I liked everything except for the places of the bruised Romeo (he also in the book from the movie drove out incredibly, and here at least a little adequate made, but still did not like). Sarg, of course, is a divinely handsome man, but beauty will not go far. And in general, my favorite in the old musical was Tybalt, wonderfully performed by Tom Ross, who outplayed all the young people there in the lead roles. Ladies Capulet and Montague were passionate and insidious bitches, in the new they added drama. Joy with Cecilia is not comparable, her Juliet resembled a capricious doll, and not a young girl in love, not afraid to go against the family.
In the new version, the images were cosmetically corrected, and in the best in my opinion. Romeo is more modern and confident, more smiley and does not carry the stamp of universal sorrow. Sarg’s voice is not as ringing as it was ten years ago (glory and star disease did their job), but nevertheless it also catches, the game already takes for the soul, and the image sticks in the memory for a long time, even moving and then it became better. Benvolio, with his hair faded and crazy, smiled, but did not cause rejection, although he was like a bicycle to the moon. But Mercutio came out even better than before: young, fervent, ironic, capable of leprosy and a mountain standing for a friend. The actor sings and dances perfectly, the character reveals magnificently, the musical should be watched only for his sake, even the wildest laughter and that organically fits into the image. But how he gets everyone and everyone can not but cause a smile.
But the star of the musical for me is again Tybald, again performed by Tom Ross. Here he is even more dramatic, grieving his forbidden love and consequently his isolation from others. Tybald here is more mature spiritually - this is not a vile killer with a mental disorder, but a deeply unhappy lonely man. Aggression was replaced by isolation, more definitely showed his unrequited love for Juliet, removed excessive pathos, normally combed and dressed. What an acting game! Again, he outplayed all his partners, except the Prince and the Abbot, he would be in the movies, such material disappears. The new Tybald is surprisingly adequate, calm and in some ways even noble. This is not the first instigator of fights and duels of Verona, whose place was taken by Mercutio. In general, Tybald here even sympathizes with an unprepared viewer, and Tom Ross managed to reveal his hero in a new way.
The rest of the characters are at the level of the first version of the musical, nothing new. In terms of scenery, this version is inferior to the old, but the secular hangouts of the Capulet are still good. But the choreography in my opinion was still better in the old musical. It's still beautiful and incendiary. Separately, I want to note the costumes - capes instead of shirts in a sticker, I still liked it more, the guys looked more beautiful.
In general, the new version is somewhat inferior to the old one, but still has all the rights to an independent life. Thank you to the creators for the beautiful new Tybald and the mature Romeo (Ross and Sarg are delightful).
I would like to write an opinion on two versions of a musical like Romeo and Juliet. The first is a naturally original French adaptation, and the second is our Russian adaptation. Surprisingly, this is the case when I liked absolutely every song, regardless of what language was sung.
Romeo and Juliet is a story that everyone knows. We've all read William Shakespeare's work, seen movies. It all hooks us, but I think a song is the one that can convey people’s emotions and feelings best.
That is why the musical can be called one word – a masterpiece! And that's true, because everything we see over the course of two and a half hours is fascinating. Actors do not play, they live their roles.
Why do I like musicals? Because everything from the scenery and costumes, to the choreography and songs, performed at the level! And most importantly, there is a dynamic that does not let you get bored for a second.
What's the most important thing about musicals? It is natural to sing beautifully. You know? In this musical, every actor can do it! Here the songs themselves are filled with beautiful meaning, and the voices performing them are wonderful.
The only thing I didn’t really like is that the Russian version of the musical is not in good quality, because the production is worthy, and I think it is absolutely not inferior to the original! Yes, although the songs have a slightly different meaning and it does not quite resemble the original, but they are also beautiful.
Of course, it is worth highlighting people like Damien Sarg and Cecilia Kara. These people played the main roles in the musical and did it more than well! Damien, I think, is very suitable for the image of Romeo in terms of voice and appearance. At least, while reading this work, I have an image in my head that is very similar to it. Well, Cecilia showed herself as a vulnerable, kind girl with a beautiful voice! Our Romeo I did not like so much, but also did not leave indifferent, but our Juliet, perhaps, was a little better than Cecilia.
Gregory Baquet to Benvolio. Oh, I personally have this character on par with Romeo. Despite the fact that Benvolio is a secondary character, he is one of the most important! I even have the impression that he is the one from whose lips we have the opportunity to hear the love story of two hearts. Gregory has an incredibly soulful voice. I couldn’t wait for him to finally sing! He was different. He was both funny and serious. I didn't overdo it, which is very important. After all, despite the fact that this is a musical, everything should not look too theatrical. Our Benvolio-Sergei Lee could easily compete with Gregory. Sergey’s character is more serious than that. I think Sergey is a wonderful singer and actor. He was able to hook me with the role of Klopin from the Cathedral, and now I see that he is really growing in his skill. Listening to him, as well as watching him, is a pleasure, and the songs “How to Tell” and its original “Comment lui dire” are among the most beautiful songs of the musical.
Philippe D'Aville is Mercutio. Here is Mercutio, in terms of voice, I liked less than other artists, but, nevertheless, the actor performed with dignity and sang well! I just don't like the way it's played, but it's a matter of taste. The most important thing is that he sang as purely as everyone else. Stas Belyaev also liked very much, but unfortunately, he also did not hook much! Again, not because I performed badly. Nope. Everything's fine in that regard. The thing is, I treat the character perfectly. Tom Ross is Tybalt. What kind of energy can you get from him! It seems to be negative, but I cannot call it that. Everything is explained by the songs he sings. Pavel Maksimov as Tibalt, was on top. The energy was directly transmitted through the screen, and I think it was very close to the image described by Shakespeare.
Of course, do not forget Sebastien Chateau. Count Capulet made him the most beautiful. To tell the truth, I didn’t really like him in the work itself, and in the movies too, but in the musical. In the musical, I fell in love with him. Although he did not appear on the stage very often, each appearance caused a storm of emotions. Especially when he sang one of the most beautiful songs about love for his daughter! Alexander Marakulin, who also played the role, was on par with him, if not better. Of course, it is not necessary to compare them, but from the first seconds after the song “Avoir une fille” or its Russian version “Father and daughter” played, you understand that these people are on stage for a reason.
And of course, the Prince of Verona is Frederick Charter. You just have to look into his eyes, hear the first song – an invitation to Verona, and you will not be able to come off! Even though he had two songs, if I’m not mistaken, I’ll remember them for a long time. The same can be said about the actor who played the prince in the Russian version – Vladimir Dybsky. In truth, I had only seen him in Notre Dame before, but since then he has grown very vocally and sounded even better!
It is also worth highlighting another main character – death! This character did not have a single word for the entire musical, but nevertheless, he hooked seriously. Anne Mano and our Nikolai Tsiskaridze just moved their eyes. This is indescribable!
By the way, it is also worth highlighting another song – “Kings of the Night Verona” or “Les Rois du monde”. I guess we all know her. Personally, this song captivated me with its energy, dynamics and everything else! Excellent performance. One of my favorite songs!
So, what do I have to say lastly? If you want to have a good evening with a cup of hot tea, you can safely turn on Romeo and Juliet. I'm sure you won't be disappointed! I personally think that sometimes theater actors are even better than movie actors. So do not worry, everything you need, they can easily convey and tell you.
10 out of 10
What I like about French rock operas is the minimum of scenery, choreography, modern costumes, which, on the one hand, emphasize the color of the time of action, on the other hand, do not make the performance look like a masquerade, as well as the dynamics of the plot and unique music, of course. I fell ill with the musical genre on my 16th birthday, when I received a gift from my parents for going to the RJ at the Operatta Theatre. And I fell in love! In the atmosphere reigning on stage, in actors, in songs (and especially in songs).
In the last month I had a lot of free time, I remembered my youth, and it occurred to me to see the French original and other foreign versions of this musical. The impression is equally unforgettable. And now, I predict that slippers from the fans will fly at me, since the Russian version, which is not loved by everyone, took the No. 1 place in my hit parade. I immediately say that I am not an ardent patriot of my country, so I state impartially: our guys from both squads surpassed the original.
In this review I would like to highlight 3 of my favorite productions of the musical: Austrian, Russian and original. Most of all, I liked the idea of the personified Death, which pulls the strings, breaks fates and gives the heroes comfort. The makeup, costumes, mystery of this character are fascinating from the first appearance on the stage.
Romeo: of course, Damien Sarg is perfect in all respects, romantic dreamy, real Romeo. A very beautiful voice, aristocratic manner of behavior and his long hair gave him a special charm. I also liked Lucas Perman in this role, despite the fact that in some places he specifically gave a rooster. But his Romeo turned out to be very emotional; all the recklessness of his character, his hatred of quarrels, despair and fear of cruel turns of fate are brilliantly conveyed. Our Ed and Andrey clearly made a dent in the manner of performance and behavior on stage, but still the guys are very charismatic and their acting at the top. It should also be noted in the new version of the musical, and if Benvolio looked like a freak, then the role of Romeo was written specifically for him. Apparently, the natural modesty and romanticity of the actor helped.
Juliet: Cecilia Cara - none. Very talented girl, I do not argue, young as her heroine, but she does not fit into this image. Not Juliet. I liked "Jenya Ryabtsev", fits in the external type, the voice is chic, emotions. It turned out exactly that lively girl, with a strong character, which should be the main character. I even cried when she begged her father not to marry her off, and in the final aria. Very touching performance.
Now about the Montague gang: Benvolio: Gregory Baquet is one of the main advantages of the French version, his voice simply makes the listener melt. Alexander Postolenko showed us cheerful Benvolio, and Sergey Lee - more serious and empathetic. The aria “How can I say” no one performed it more touching. Well, the Austrians would not have hooked me like this if there was no merry Mathias Edenborn. Natural artistry, charming voice, inimitable facial expressions, he "made" this performance. And the scene with Madame Montague you just need to see. The only thing that confuses is the appearance of Garik Kharlamov.
My favorite character in the play is Mercutio. The choice for this role of Philippe da Villa was unsuccessful. I saw him not as a joker and a bully, but as a thug from the '90s. Forgive me, fans! Rasmus Borkowski and our Stas Belyaev liked the same. In their performance was the arrogance and audacity of Mercutio, his devotion to friendship and the tragedy of his fate. And John Eisen is simply inimitable. It’s like he’s on stage; it’s the kind of incessant chatter that ‘listens only to himself’ that I imagined when I first opened the book.
Tybalt: I'm already flying slippers from fans, so I won't hide - nothing special about Tom Ross. No, I liked him, very interesting actor, but his eyes are too kind. Tybalt with good eyes is not that. Here alpha male Tybalt performed by Mark Seibert impressed, cruel and with sadistic inclinations, tears and mosques. But our Pavel Maksimov is the best Tybalt of all (unless Ed Westwick in the new film can compete with him). The powerful energy of the actor, intonations in songs, gestures and facial expressions express all the anger of the character, who is about to tear into small pieces everyone in blue suits. At the same time, the hero does not lose his humanity, feels guilty for the murder and worries about the family.
Prince: Frederick Charter and Vladimir Dybsky are magnificent, as always, however. It should also be noted A. Marakulina, L. Rullu, N. Tsiskaridze, Anne Mano and many others who created this unique spectacle. Each actor completely in his own way embodied his character in life, emphasized his characteristic features, which ensured an accurate hit in the book image. The only drawback in the plot, which caused bewilderment - not a kindred love brother to sister.
The musical Romeo and Juliet can be called a masterpiece. Gerard Presgurvik created not a tragedy, but a fairy tale with which one does not want to part, even after a decade. Thanks for Ridge.
My acquaintance with this musical began with a short video where the actors performing the main roles sang "Le Rois du Monde". I knew for a long time that ours changed the song from the French original, but I could not bother to watch it. But one evening, when there was absolutely nothing to do, I was drawn to find out how it all began. So I fell in love with this musical.
The three and a half minutes I watched and listened to captivated me, making me look at the whole picture. The acting fascinated from the first seconds as soon as they appeared on stage. I looked at the actors, but I didn’t even see them, but their characters. For the first time in my life, I understood how an actor could turn into someone else on stage and make everyone believe it. And I believed it.
Never, no matter how much I have not heard, watched (ballet) and not even read 'Romeo and Juliet' (I repent, before watching the musical only a summary, but then corrected everything), I did not understand why in the end they die? Well, I didn't believe in what they were doing, I didn't trust their actions, and I almost thought it was just stupid. But not after this musical. It was only after watching the French actors play that I understood why they did this. Damien Sarg and Cecilia Cara were able to make me believe in their love. All their looks, touches, songs sung by their voices, all influenced my perception. And for the first time in all the time I've known about 'Romeo and Juliet' I burst into tears at the end of the story. I was annoyed that because of the enmity of their parents they could not be together, that because of the letter Romeo did not know that his lover was alive, and I was immensely saddened and upset by their death. For the first time in my life, I was so worried about the characters. . .
And now specifically about the characters and actors who played them. First of all - Romeo performed by Damian Sarg. I almost fell in love with him (or Romeo, it’s hard to figure it out) when I saw his emotions, his feelings, his attitude towards Juliet on stage. I experienced every moment of the life I saw on stage - his love, the joy of being together when they were about to get married, the bitterness of being separated from my beloved and the pain of losing his Juliet. With every second at that moment, I wondered, what was that for? I was very influenced by his play.
As, in fact, and the game Cecilia Cara, who played Juliet. Gentle, romantic and, without a doubt, loving Juliet in her performance was delightful. When I found out that the musical was staged and shot again, I rushed to watch it, but I was immediately pushed away by the new actress. I never knew how she played, because I didn’t believe her from the footage, as was the case with Cecilia Cara. She's still going to be Juliet to me.
And separately, I would like to say a few words about Death, or rather about the actress Anne Mano. She's incredible! Not a word in the whole musical, but what a game! Gestures, facial expressions, movements conveyed everything much better than any words! She fascinated, charmed, sometimes frightened and in general was simply irresistible. And her character turned out to be really unreal - sometimes she appeared just out of nowhere, making you wonder how it happened (although here, to give credit, other actors tried, attracting attention to themselves and not giving even the smallest opportunity to distract from them).
To convey my admiration for this musical, I simply lack words. Masterpiece, brilliant, talented! But even this does not fully reflect what I feel when watching this musical (and I have watched it many times). So all I can do now is just give a grade, and that's just:
10 out of 10
In this review, I want to compare the versions of "Romeo & Juliette" of 2002 (De la haine a l'amour) and 2010 (Les enfants de Verone)
I first came across this musical three years ago by accident. And immediately, my attention was drawn to Benvolio, who throughout history has been trying to reason with everyone and everything. In my first view, Gregory Baquet’s play (I am still silent about his voice) eclipsed even Romeo for me, since I was very confused by the length of the hair of the Verona handsome man, and what a surprise I was when, again accidentally stumbling upon an updated version of the saddest story in the world, I found a replacement just in the role of Benvolio. I don’t doubt that Cyril Nicolae played and sang well, but it so happened in my head that Benvolio is only Baquet’s role.
As for Damien, he also disappointed me. Yes, he plays perfectly, convincingly in the new interpretation, but the fact is that in the original version you don’t even notice his playing, because he lives the role of Romeo, and it doesn’t matter where he didn’t blink so much and where he took his hand in the wrong direction. And the voice, despite the added experience, became, I think, faded. Sarg could have done better, but apparently he didn’t want to.
Juliette. In my understanding, Cecilia Cara is a gentle, trembling Juliet with a kind of childish, dreamy look, it is she who, like no one else, is suitable for this role. The modern beauty of Joey Esther doesn’t fit into the image of Shakespeare’s lover in my head. Despite the stronger and more convincing voice of the second, Cecilia, however, in this image looks much more organic.
"Updated" Mercutio struck me. When I watched the first version, I believed Filiippe’s game and couldn’t imagine anyone doing it better. But we did. Actually, I did. John Eisen accomplished his task 200%, the musical became alive, and his energy was charged even through the monitor screen. Impressive.
I liked Tybalt in both versions, only both times he played two completely different people who I like. Tybalt’s “first” was bolder, more egocentric and more emotional. The second time his Tybalt, though all the same bully, but more reasonable and vindictive, as it is not strange.
I was saddened by such a “down the career ladder” Frederick Charter, once wonderfully played the Governor of Verona, and now a modest and good-natured fatty Father Laurent (not saved even the fact that Presgurvik gave this character more meaning than in the original version). And Stefan Metro, the new Prince, and voice does not reach, and bald looks unconvincing:
Death has also "degraded." In the second version, it was made more alive, and its combat coloring left me confused. Anne Mano, albeit less mobile, made a more “deadly” impression on me, so here the palm of the championship again deservedly gets the original version.
Costumes, compared to 2002, are no good. Everything is vulgarly brilliant, and Romeo’s dress at the ball made me indignant – what kind of Greek princess?
About the game of the Capulets can not be silent. My verdict: I don't believe it. And Juliet’s newfound dad (a kind of kolok-barrel with privileges) generally pales in front of Sebastian Chateau, a charismatic Marseille who, in addition to acting, is excellent, and sang magnificently. The nanny also did not like: too young, and with makeup overdone.
But the advantages of the second version also take place. I liked the more "strong" interpretation of "Le pouvoir." Dancing, although radically different, in my opinion, is not inferior to the first experience of Presgurvik.
Summing up, I will say that the first cast will not compare with anyone and nothing.
The first version is 10 out of 10.
The second attempt, in spite of everything,
7 out of 10
I watched 3 versions: French, Hungarian and Austrian, so I will write about all at once.
French. Nothing could be better than the original. Sing the best of all, the costumes are the most beautiful. I know French more or less (unlike German or Hungarian), so I can appreciate the texts. Benvolio is wonderful. But somehow I was confused... Damien Sarg. For 2 hours, there was a feeling that he was almost not involved in the action and went on stage just to show off (especially in the death scene ... so hurtful). He sings well and his voice is very pleasant. In general, this version seemed to me too smooth, perfect, sweet and... soulless. No! I noticed a blunder: in the scene at the ball Lady Capulet for some reason is not a blonde, but a brunette. A poet is not in the subject at all, IMHO.
Hungarian. At first I watched without subtitles, but when I found them, I was taken aback. The vocabulary of the Hungarians is “terrific”, and the chorus “Les rois du monde” is vulgar. The meaning of “La haine” has been changed to the exact opposite. The microphones on the forehead are funny. And Romeo and Juliet seem to have waited too long for each other and managed to grow old, both under 30. And for all that, I loved it! The originality of the Hungarians will not be denied, that is for sure. And Mercutio (Zoltan Berecki) is very good.
Austrian. With costumes wised, the operator was drunk, sounder hands (ears) to tear a little, the scenery is funny, in German I do not understand. The translation of "Les rois du monde" does not fit into the music. Mercutio no, Benvolio periodically tries to silence everyone, including the orchestra. But... it seems to be my favorite version (and if you listen to the studio tapes...mmm...). The Austrians are very emotional. Romeo was unexpectedly liked by Lucas Perman. Unbalanced, “soul wide open” – in my opinion, what is needed for this role. It immediately becomes clear why Romeo did not commit suicide in the French version, but here he still poisoned himself: Romeo-Sargue is too balanced and calm for a suicide, but Romeo-Permand is just “in condition.” Juliet (Marjane Shaki) is almost as nervous, which is not bad either. Lady Capulet is a wonderful hysteria. I also liked Tybalt (Mark Seibert). The whole performance is on the verge of madness, but there is no sense of “dirty” and hopelessness, as from the Hungarian version.
Summing up, I will say that in each version I found something for myself (there is Romeo, there is Benvolio, there is Mercutio – a complete set). I didn’t write about music because it’s brilliant. It seems to me that anyone who has ever seen or heard this wonderful musical should love it. So everyone -