Julia Burbach's Minimalist Romeo & Juliette Opens La Monnaie's Season in Brussels
Charles Gounod's five-act opera, Romeo & Juliette, originally debuted at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris on 27 April 1867. It is now being presented in a fresh production by Julia Burbach at the Théâtre Royal de La Monnaie in Brussels, with performances scheduled until 17 October 2026. This rendition, performed in French and accompanied by surtitles in French, English, and Dutch, has a runtime of 3 hours and 10 minutes, including an intermission. Valentina Peleggi, making her debut at La Monnaie, conducts the orchestra. The cast features Jeanine De Bique as Juliette, Ismael Jordi as Roméo, Rehanna Thelwell as Nourrice, and Maxim Kuzmin-Karavaev as Frère Laurent. Musicologist Elise Van Schingen and Pieter Mannaerts provide pre-performance talks 45 minutes prior to the show, in French and Dutch, respectively. Simon Van Rompay and Pieter Claes are the photographers for La Monnaie – De Munt.
Key facts
- Gounod's Romeo & Juliette premiered at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris on 27 April 1867, with a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré after Shakespeare.
- Julia Burbach directs and designs the new production at the Théâtre Royal de La Monnaie in Brussels, running until 17 October 2026.
- Valentina Peleggi conducts in her La Monnaie debut; Emmanuel Trenque leads the chorus and Cameron McMillan choreographs.
- Cécile Trémolières created the costumes, which darken from festive white to grey and black over the opera's twenty-four-hour timeline.
- Jeanine De Bique sings Juliette and Ismael Jordi makes his La Monnaie debut as Roméo; Rehanna Thelwell and Maxim Kuzmin-Karavaev complete the principal cast.
- Performances are sung in French with surtitles in French, English and Dutch, lasting 3h10 including one intermission.
- General and artistic director Christina Scheppelmann notes the opera has not been staged at La Monnaie in nearly seven decades and that a double cast was assembled amid near-full houses.
- Pre-performance talks are given 45 minutes before each show by Elise Van Schingen (FR) and Pieter Mannaerts (NL).
Entities
Artists
- Julia Burbach
- Charles Gounod
- William Shakespeare
- Jules Barbier
- Michel Carré
- Valentina Peleggi
- Cécile Trémolières
- Emmanuel Trenque
- Cameron McMillan
- Christina Scheppelmann
- Jeanine De Bique
- Ismael Jordi
- Rehanna Thelwell
- Maxim Kuzmin-Karavaev
- Elise Van Schingen
- Pieter Mannaerts
- Simon Van Rompay
- Pieter Claes
- Julia Garlito Y Romo
Institutions
- Théâtre Royal de La Monnaie
- De Munt
- Théâtre Lyrique
- Exposition universelle de Paris
- Inferno Magazine
Locations
- Brussels
- Belgium
- Paris
- France
- Verona
- Italy