Maillot's Roméo et Juliette marks 30 years at Monte-Carlo Opera
By Zak Jackson, MonacoViews Editorial
Jean-Christophe Maillot's 1996 production returns to the Opéra de Monte-Carlo in late October, with two generations of Juliette comparing notes on the role.
Jean-Christophe Maillot's Roméo et Juliette, created for Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo in 1996, returns to the Opéra de Monte-Carlo stage at the end of October to mark three decades since its premiere. The production has become one of the company's defining works, built around a Juliette who is written as wilful and independent rather than simply a tragic ingenue.
Backstage, Bernice Coppieters, who originated the role three decades ago, has been working alongside Juliette Klein, the dancer now carrying it into this anniversary run. Their conversations trace how the character shifts with each interpreter while keeping Maillot's central idea intact, a young woman who chooses her own path rather than simply succumbing to fate.
For Monaco's cultural calendar, the revival is a reminder of how much of the Ballets de Monte-Carlo's identity rests on this single work. Three decades after its first performances at the same opera house, it remains one of the clearest examples of Maillot's choreographic signature and a fixture that continues to draw audiences back to the Salle Garnier.