GREAT PERFORMANCES: LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER: AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE: ROMEO AND JULIET (TV)
Summary
One in this series on the performing arts. In this program -- one in a series of live broadcasts from the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City -- the American Ballet Theatre performs "Romeo and Juliet." Host Patrick Watson welcomes viewers to the program and introduces the production. Act I begins. Romeo and his friends Mercutio and Benvolio sneak into a ball hosted by a rival family, the Capulets. There, Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time. That night, they confess their love for each other. In the intermission, Watson describes the life of the female lead dancer, Natalia Makarova. His descriptions are intercut with photographs of the dancer and a video of her talking about her childhood and her career. Makarova shares her earliest memories of growing up in Russia, and of how she became a ballerina. She also reflects on the first time she played Juliet and talks about her love of literature. Act II begins, and Romeo daydreams of marrying Juliet. He receives word that she has agreed to do so, and the couple exchange vows in a secret ceremony. Mercutio is killed by Tybalt, and Romeo avenges his friend's death. As a result, Romeo is banished from Verona. In the second intermission, host Patrick Watson interviews the male lead dancer, Kevin McKenzie. McKenzie describes several injuries sustained due to the sword fighting scenes and discusses ballet injuries in general. The dancer talks about working with the female lead, Natalia Makarova, and their history of working together. Next, Watson interviews dancer Georgina Parkinson, who plays Lady Capulet in this production. She describes her role as the Ballet Mistress of the American Ballet Theatre and elaborates on how much liberty individual dancers have with the choreography. Finally, Parkinson describes how individual dancers make the roles they play unique. In Act III, Juliet refuses to marry Paris and drinks a potion that will make her appear dead so she can be reunited with Romeo. Romeo finds her in the family tomb; thinking she is dead, he kills himself. When Juliet awakes, and sees that Romeo is dead, she stabs herself.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by The Edward John Noble Foundation.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: May 7, 1988 Saturday 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 2:56:28
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:72898
- GENRE: Music; Dance
- SUBJECT HEADING: Ballet
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1976-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Marc Bauman … Coordinating Producer
- John Goberman … Producer
- Karen McLaughlin … Associate Producer
- Kirk Browning … Director
- Danny Abelson … Writer
- Sergei Prokofiev … Music by
- Jack Everly … Conductor
- Charles Barker … Conductor
- De Cou, Emil … Conductor
- Kenneth MacMillan … Choreographer
- American Ballet Theatre … Dance Company
- Patrick Watson … Host
- Martin Bookspan … Announcer
- Natalia Makarova … Cast, Juliet, Dancer
- Kevin McKenzie … Cast, Romeo, Dancer
- Johan Renvall … Cast, Mercutio, Dancer
- Victor Barbee … Cast, Tybalt, Dancer
- Wes Chapman … Cast, Benvolio, Dancer
- Ross Stretton … Cast, Paris, Dancer
- Michael Owen … Cast, Lord Capulet, Dancer
- Georgina Parkinson … Cast, Lady Capulet, Dancer
- John Taras … Cast, Escalus, Prince of Verona, Dancer
- Christine Dunham … Cast, Rosaline, Dancer
- Susan Jones … Cast, Nurse, Dancer
- John Taras … Cast, Friar Laurence, Dancer
- Jurgen Schneider … Cast, Lord Montague, Dancer
- Laura Hood … Cast, Lady Montague, Dancer
- Christina Fagundes … Cast, Harlot, Dancer
- Kathleen Moore … Cast, Harlot, Dancer
- Amy Rose … Cast, Harlot, Dancer
- Lucette Katerndahl … Cast, Rosaline's Friend, Dancer
- Anne Adair … Cast, Juliet's friend, Dancer
- Cristina Escoda … Cast, Juliet's friend, Dancer
- Careen Hobart … Cast, Juliet's friend, Dancer
- Julie Kent … Cast, Juliet's friend, Dancer
- Dana Stackpole … Cast, Juliet's friend, Dancer
- Greet Vinckier … Cast, Juliet's friend, Dancer
- Jeremy Collins … Dancer
- Keith Roberts … Dancer
- Van Fleteren, Roger … Dancer
- Robert Wallace … Dancer
- Ross Yearsley … Dancer
- Claudia Alfieri … Dancer
- Melissa Allen … Dancer
- Antonia Berasaluce … Dancer
- Shawn Black … Dancer
- Gabrielle Brown … Dancer
- Sandra Brown … Dancer
- Elizabeth Carr … Dancer
- Karen Christensen … Dancer
- Elizabeth Dunn … Dancer
- Elizabeth Ferrell … Dancer
- Amy Groos … Dancer
- Alice Heeley … Dancer
- Eileen Houghton … Dancer
- Veronica Lynn … Dancer
- Marie-France … Dancer
- Rachel Moore … Dancer
- Rosalie O'Connor … Dancer
- Isabella Padovani … Dancer
- Hilary Ryan … Dancer
- Lillie Stewart … Dancer
- Bettina Sulser … Dancer
- Ashley Tuttle … Dancer
- Aliceann Wilson … Dancer
- Jennet Zerbe … Dancer
- Charles Askegard … Dancer
- Ethan Brown … Dancer
- Ricardo Bustamante … Dancer
- Paul Faria … Dancer
- Roman Greller … Dancer
- Mark Grothman … Dancer
- Lorin Johnson … Dancer
- Carld Jonassaint … Dancer
- Christopher Martin … Dancer
- Christopher Mattox … Dancer
- Geoffrey Moore … Dancer
- Scott Schlexer … Dancer
- Loren Schmalle … Dancer
- William Stolar … Dancer
- John Summers … Dancer
- Thomas Terry … Dancer
- Thomas Titone … Dancer
- Rocker Verastique … Dancer
- Craig Wright … Dancer