The opening of the Mariinsky Ballet’s season at Covent Garden in London

London’s The Telegraph referred to the performance of Romeo and Juliet with Diana Vishneva and Vladimir Shklyarov in the title roles as “a radiant start”.

Paying tribute to this “production of great historical weight” by Leonid Lavrovsky, British critics – used to their own British version of Romeo and Juliet with choreography by Kenneth MacMillan – spoke with reserve of the Mariinsky Theatre’s production, though performance levels drew unanimous praise from the press. “The quality of the dancing, acting and musicianship, as well as the sheer passion, displayed by the visitors from the Mariinsky Theatre is easily compelling enough to fall in love with,” wrote the portal The Arts Desk.

The “indelible chemistry” between the performers of the lead roles – Diana Vishneva and Vladimir Shklyarov – enchanted the reviewer from The Times, while according to the critic from The Guardian the pairing was “nearly flawless”. The author of the publication commented that “Diana Vishneva’s Juliet is exquisitely responsive”, while the ballerina reminded the reviewer from The Arts Desk of Margot Fonteyn. And not so much in terms of physical appearance as their acting abilities: Vishneva, just like the greatest star of 20^th century British ballet Margot Fonteyn, “is completely Juliet”.“It’s easy to see why Vishneva is an international star,” wrote The Independent. “With her dark eyes, flowing line and a vivid sense of drama, she makes an innocently eager Juliet. Lavrovsky gives Juliet a signature low arabesque position: with Vishneva, the step shines out, clear and lyrical.”

High praise also came from The Guardian’s critic concerning Vladimir Shklyarov’s work, referring to the dancer as “a near flawless Romeo, with clear buoyant lines in his dancing and selfless romantic intensity in his acting.” The newspaper London Evening Standard, praising the dancer for the quality of his leaps, noted that “The excellent Vladimir Shklyarov plays Romeo with youthful sincerity.” The first newspaper reviews also focussed on the performers of other roles in the ballet: the press noted the “hawk-eyed Vladimir Ponomarev as Lord Capulet” (the portal The Arts Desk) as well as Alexander Sergeyev’s “very fine Mercutio, full of boyish zest but with moments of compelling gravitas” (The Telegraph).