Questions for Review of Romeo & Juliet

1. Does the Royal Ballet's performance of Romeo & Juliet in the O2 arena work?

By 'work' I don't mean how well Carlos Acosta performed Romeo. I mean how well does the experience of watching ballet in the arena work?

2. Does ballet in an arena work?

3. What is gained by having a ballet in O2?

Larger audience, cheaper tickets, experimentation with film while dancers are on-stage. Addition of films that will be played on screens during performance.

4. What is lost by having a ballet in O2?

An opera house atmosphere. What is an opera house atmosphere? Thinking about your outfit for at least a few hours before the performance. It's the red-velvet seats and the pit orchestra. Drinking champagne in the glassy, greenhousy Paul Hamlyn Bar. The soft carpet that gives way under your feet as you walk up the stairs to the balcony section. The curtains. The gold and casts of Grecian-looking scenery. The tiny little lamps that outline each section. The steepness of the theater. The tightly packed, sardine-ness of the seats.

Also, seeing the ballet might be lost. You might not actually be able to see the ballet, while even in from standing at the back of the ampitheater level at ROH, you can still see the performance.