Romeo and Juliet: The loyalties of Tybalt and Mercutio
Romeo Peralta (left) and Gerardo Francisco, now both principal dancers of Ballet Manila, have played mortal enemies Tybalt and Mercutio, respectively, in Romeo and Juliet. Photos by Ocs Alvarez
The war between the Montagues and the Capulets is the central conflict in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The feud which has spanned generations has also extended well outside the family unit with friends, partners, and other allies joining the fray. It is in this spirit of intense loyalty that Mercutio, a close friend of Romeo Montague, and Tybalt, the cousin of Juliet Capulet, find themselves in the middle of this bloody battle.
Creating distinctive characters in a play can be tricky. But in a ballet, the challenge is raised to a different level – often relying on costumes, props and other visual cues to get the message across. But the personalities of Tybalt and Mercutio are equally crucial in Romeo and Juliet. Thus, dancing the ballet versions of both characters require depth and maturity along with matching technical skills in dancing.
Michael Divinagracia and Alfren Salgado: As Tybalt, the cousin of Juliet, each has fueled the intensity of the clash between the Montagues and the Capulets. Photos by Ocs Alvarez
Described as fiery, passionate, tough and argumentative, the choreography of Tybalt’s movements is often aggressive and sharp. Dancing Tybalt in the first Kirov production of Romeo and Juliet in 1940 was Stalin prize laureate Robert Gerbek. His performance was particularly lauded for his infusion of lordly arrogance to the character – a trait which truly distinguished him from Mercutio. Choreographer Leonid Lavrovsky once said that the death of Gerbek’s Tybalt was among his favorite scenes in the original Romeo and Juliet production that he choreographed.
A jester by nature, on the other hand, Romeo’s best friend is often described as funny, playful, reckless and unpredictable. Mercutio, however, is a role that Sergei Prokofiev took particular care of when creating the music of Romeo and Juliet which resulted in more nuanced solos for the character.
From dancing playfully with market vendors to an intensely dramatic death scene which triggered Romeo’s eventual banishment, Andrei Lopukhov had the distinction of being Kirov Ballet’s first Mercutio. He hails from a family of distinguished artists which included his brother Fedor who was the artistic director of Kirov Ballet, and sisters Evgenia and noted Diaghilev dancer, Lydia. Andrei’s Mercutio was the perfect foil to Gerbek’s Tybalt, raising the bar for future character solo performances.
Francis Cascano and Arnulfo Andrade: Both have danced as Mercutio, Romeo’s best friend who is often described as funny, playful, reckless and unpredictable. Photos by Ocs Alvarez
Since then, the warring pair has been performed by some of the world’s notable danseurs including Lionel Delanoë (Paris Opera Ballet), Piotr Stanczyk (National Ballet of Canada), and Alexander Campbell (Royal Ballet) as Mercutio, and Charles Jude (Paris Opera Ballet), Jirí Jelinek (National Ballet of Canada) and Gary Avis (Royal Ballet) as Tybalt.
Critic Luke Jennings had much praise for Avis’ 2015 performance saying, ”All of this Avis conveys by nuance, glance and gesture, creating a character so multilayered ('and so goddamned sexy,’ as an acquaintance confides to me in the interval) that the Montagues appear one-dimensional by contrast.”
At Ballet Manila, principal dancer Romeo Peralta leads the long list of Tybalts which also includes Arnulfo Andrade and Francis Cascano.
Team Mercutio is led by principal dancer Gerardo Francisco, along with Alfren Salgado and Michael Divinagracia to name a few.
