The popular dance drama by László Seregi, the most successful Hungarian choreographer of the past fifty years, is performed nine times between 25 October and 14 November 2025, by the Hungarian National Ballet, the ballet company of the Hungarian State Opera. The performances, presented with four alternating casts, are already sold out two weeks before the series begins.
For four centuries, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has been one of the cornerstones of both European and universal culture. The tragedy of love and hate that knows no bounds has inspired countless memorable works across all art forms. László Seregi approached the choreography with an instinctive, film-like sense of dramaturgy and vision, drawing inspiration from legendary director Franco Zeffirelli’s timeless 1968 film adaptation. The result was a stage choreography of explosive success, one on which generations have grown up over the past forty years, becoming devoted lovers of dance.
Set amid Gábor Forray’s grandiose scenery and brought to life through Nelly Vágó’s costumes, the bustling Renaissance Verona teems with passion. In this production, marked by virtuoso dance technique and strong emphasis on acting, the leading soloists of the OPERA's ballet company give their very best. In the role of Romeo, principal dancers Gergő Ármin Balázsi and Dmitry Timofeev are joined by principal Louis Scrivener and grand sujet Boris Zhurilov. Juliet is danced by principal Tatyjana Melnyik and soloist Lili Felméry, as well as principal Maria Yakovleva, the season’s étoile, and soloist Soobin Lee. In the role of Mercutio, Raffaello Barbieri appears alongside company dancer Vince Topolánszky, grand sujet Motomi Kiyota, and first soloist András Rónai. On 28 October Gyula Harangozó Award–winning first character soloist Dávid Miklós Kerényi will bid farewell to the stage in the role of Mercutio, the memorable Clown of many previous Romeo and Juliet productions, after a 25-year career. Tybalt will be portrayed by soloist Mikalai Radziush, grand sujet Dumitru Taran, and company dancers Luca Massara and Nathaniel Lillington. Sergey Prokofiev’s simultaneously classical and groundbreaking score, featuring the famous Dance of the Knights, will be performed by the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, conducted by Gergely Kesselyák and Péter Dobszay.
The ballet company of the Opera premiered Seregi’s Romeo and Juliet on 25 May 1985, shortly after the centenary restoration of the Opera House, tarring Jenő Lőcsei, Katalin Volf, Gábor Keveházi, and the recently deceased György Szakály. The production was immediately embraced by both audience and critics. Invited to perform at the Vienna and East Berlin State Operas, in Graz, Amsterdam’s Het Muziektheater, as well as in Ravenna and Seville, the ballet has been performed a total of 210 times to date.
Photo by Attila Nagy
