American Repertory Ballet to Present Douglas Martin's ROMEO AND JULIET, 2/22

Based on Shakespeare's tragic story, Martin's version of the ballet features a company of 30 dancers, sets by scenic designer Kevin Lee Allen, and costumes designed by Michelle Ferranti. Scenic and costume design has been executed with careful attention to the aesthetic of what is now known as the early Renaissance era in Italy.

Martin's Romeo and Juliet was recently named one of The Star-Ledger dance critic Robert Johnson's "Top Ten in Dance" for 2013. Johnson called the October premiere a "watershed in the company's history." He said that the ballet "moved seamlessly from one episode to the next, hitting all the passionate high-notes in Prokofiev's score."

Marina Kennedy of Broadway World calls the production "an outstanding example of dance being perfectly adapted to dramatic interpretation, with the ARB dancers in full command of their art." NY-based dance critic Jerry Hochman of CriticalDance Magazine characterizes Martin's masterwork as "an ambitious production...emotionally and artistically fulfilling...exuberant and exciting to watch...[and] invit[ing] comparisons to other well-known productions,...including...that of Sir Kenneth MacMillan."

"The duets between Juliet and Romeo," Hochman continues, "...are choreographed, and were executed, with the combination of rapture and conviction, that quality of being genuine, that is necessary to make the audience feel what the dancers feel..."

ARB's Romeo and Juliet premiered in October 2013 to a full house at State Theatre. This performance at the Berrie Center on February 22, 2014 is the first stop on the production's tour. Romeo and Juliet will also be performed at The Theatre at Raritan Valley Community College on March 8, 2014.

Tickets for Romeo and Juliet at The Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts on February 22, 2014 at 8:00pm are available through the Berrie Center's box office.

Click here to purchase tickets online.