Los Angeles Times
- Recommended
"...Choreographer Matthew Bourne transposes Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” to an asylum for young people. Ostensibly disturbed, the inhabitants of the Verona Institute seem normal enough, if perhaps understandably forlorn for having been discarded by parents who didn’t want to deal with their challenges."
Stage and Cinema
- Highly Recommended
"...Sir Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet, which made its North American premiere at the Ahmanson last night, is a bonafide hit, redefining this classic ballet (based on Shakespeare’s 1597 masterpiece) for the 21st century. Bourne, a visionary in the world of dance, has crafted a production that pulsates with modern relevance and emotional depth."
LA Splash
- Highly Recommended
"...ROMEO AND JULIET is a fantastic journey in dance which captures Shakespeare’s premise while adding some modern concerns. Although some might find it disconcerting that Shakespeare’s main theme of two warring factions/families eventually united in grief doesn’t work in Bourne’s version, ROMEO AND JULIET is still more than worth watching. Don‘t miss this production."
Stage Scene LA
- Highly Recommended
"...Daringly reconceived, thrillingly choreographed, and dazzlingly performed, the North American Premiere of Matthew Bourne’s Romeo And Juliet is the latest absolute must-see from the UK-based dance company that has made the Ahmanson Theatre its American home away from home for the past twenty-six years."
Peoples World
- Highly Recommended
"...I’d say, “Run, run, run,” but given that we’re talking ballet, I prefer “Skip, hop and leap” over to the Ahmanson Theatre, where, now through Feb. 25, you will experience one of the most joyous, life-affirming theatrical events not just of the season but perhaps of your life! No wonder The New Yorker calls Matthew Bourne “The most popular choreographer of theatrical dance in the western world.”"
Ticket Holders LA
- Highly Recommended
"...As always, the members of Bourne’s New Adventures company are uniformly splendid, willing to poke fun at themselves at their leader’s command yet still able to contort and soar into the air with incredible athletic prowess. Everyone on the Ahmanson stage is an individual standout, each infused with their leader’s well-established sense of humor—especially when assaying his ever-present hint of an unmistakably homoerotic subplot with a generous full-bodied wink."
Its Not About Me
- Recommended
"...I do, as well, but I have to be honest, (as always,) and say that it turned-out to be my least favorite work of his. But Matthew Bourne’s least is still better than everyone else’s best! So I’m grateful to have seen it. And given this marvelous opportunity, I suggest that everyone in SoCal do the same, especially in this Valentine month, (for which this is an interesting choice to present.)"
Larchmont Buzz
- Highly Recommended
"...In the last calendar year, I have spent a lot of time working with the text of Romeo and Juliet, both as a performer and a teacher. Though I have a deep love of this play and its poetry, my students have made it abundantly clear that Shakespeare is not only boring, but inaccessible to many young and modern audiences. This isn’t necessarily new—nor is the idea of a contemporary adaptation of a classic play. However, Matthew Bourne’s Romeo + Juliet is not just a retelling, but rather a revelation of the quintessential tragedy. The show is sexy, poignantly visceral and completely compelling for modern audiences, transcending barriers of language, literacy, and age."
The Hollywood Times
- Highly Recommended
"...The creative courage of Matthew Bourne is exemplified in his willingness to reimagine classics for the 21st Century. In the modern world, the warring families of Romeo and Juliet’s Verona seem like relics of the past. Instead, digging deep into the trauma of young love stymied, Matthew Bourne chooses to set a new vision of the play in the Verona Institute, a locked-down mental ward for youth. It is the start of another incredible production by the Center Theatre Group, where innovation and excellence go together."
Broadway World
- Recommended
"...Matthew Bourne has certainly crafted a “New Adventure” under the title Romeo and Juliet. Purists may come up empty-handed if they mine the kaleidoscopic geometry of the mesmerizing opening sequence for any semblance of “Two households, both alike in dignity”. Rather, when the curtain falls to reveal Lez Brotherston’s sterile set design (disarmingly similar to Anthony Ward’s design for New Adventure’s Nutcracker!), aside from the smarmy, boldfaced text announcing the locale as the “Verona Institute”, one might not be able to divine anything related to a Montague or a Capulet."
