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Five individuals — the director, the scenic and costume designer, the lighting designer, the choreographer, and the fight director — spoke about their concepts for this production. The director expressed his original reluctance to take on this project because of his lack of literary background. However, he was able to work through the necessary preparations to arrive at how he viewed the work. To begin with, the opera opens with a ballroom scene and couples dancing waltzes in ¾ time. Because of the waltz music, he felt that a Renaissance time frame would be wrong. Consequently, he decided to set the piece in the 1860s, approximately when the work was composed. The basic setting would be a mausoleum. The design of the balcony scene was difficult, but a compromise looks like it will work. All in all, the set was conceived first, making the world for Romeo and Juliette. Then everything else fell into place.
The costumes of the 1860 had dresses with large hooped skirts, making for a very full stage. Everyone begins in black. Then for the ball, the dresses are light and cream colored. The men are dressed in red and black uniforms, one color for Montagues and one for Capulets.
Because the French audience expected a ballet, Gounod put one in the fourth act along with the wedding scene. Often the ballet is omitted; however, this production will have a minimum of four minutes of ballet during the ballroom scene.
The production contains two major fight scenes. The Wise Fools acrobats fight first and then become supers. The second fight contains a great deal of sword play which the fight director explained in detail.
Romeo and Juliette begins and ends with death. During the overture, Romeo and Juliette’s funeral takes place. The basic concept is two groups of people who cannot function in the world.
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