Juliet & Roméo _ Ben Duke

Let us imagine the two Shakespearean heroes, now in their forties living a life very close to our own…

Juliette et Roméo? If Ben Duke inverts the names of humanity's most iconic couple, it is because his dance-theatre has no intention of recounting a story you already know. His distinctly British humour brings him into the life of an ordinary couple going through a midlife crisis.

For here, Juliet and Romeo have survived. Their world is ours, their story resembles ours, their passion has been lost along the way. But since their spiritual father is still Shakespeare, they measure themselves daily against his words and all the ballets created in their name.

In the present, however, their reality is couples therapy. It is at once hilarious and heartbreaking, and dance is there to sublimate everything. Thomas Hahn