I loved the opening of Rebecca Frecknall’s Romeo and Juliet: while the cast raise their hands to the wall, the words are projected above.  “Two households, both alike in dignity/
(In fair Verona, where we lay our scene)/ From ancient grudge break to new mutiny/ Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.” Somehow giving Shakespeare’s words the silence of writing is full of impact and momentum.  It feels different from those many times we have heard those words spoken and more significant.  

But then the wall falls flat and we hear the Strings and horns of the Dance of the Knights from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet Ballet as a balletic and modern dance fight breaks out between the Verona factions, the followers of the Montagues and the Capulets.  The introduction of Prokofiev’s ballet has been described as early heavy metal due to its compulsive, head banging rhythm and here it carries all the excitement and danger of a gang fight with knives.