Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Ballet review: this glorious old ballet refuses to act its age

This ballet is old enough to nab a Freedom Pass, but refuses to act its age. Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet premiered in 1965, but 60 years on the wrenching tragedy, stippled with detail, remains a living glory of the repertoire.

Spinning Shakespeare’s textured storytelling into ballet is a high-wire act – no one has done it better than MacMillan as he creates a vivid world for the star-crossed lovers. From its first piercing melody and honeyed scurry, Prokofiev’s score propels the drama, while Nicholas Georgiadis’ designs, in ruby, plum and terracotta, move from bustling city square to chilly mausoleum, overseen by sombre stone angels.