Who would have thought Romeo and Juliet could have a happy ending? It’s no spoiler alert to note that both lovers in Shakespeare’s saga end up as beautiful corpses. But something funny and touching happened at The Granada Theatre , during the performance of Prokofiev’s famed ballet, courtesy of both the Santa Barbara Symphony (SBS) and State Street Ballet . After the gush of ovations and bows, Romeo — a k a the real life Ryan Lenkey — got on his knee and proposed to Juliet — a k a Saori Yamashita . She cried happy tears and accepted, they kissed, and the deal was done, before 1,500 charmed public onlookers.
You don’t see that on the Granada stage every day.
Another first this weekend was the concurrent, collaborative season-opening events for both the Santa Barbara Symphony and State Street Ballet, jointly producing a memorable and sharp realization of the ballet. This season marks the 20th anniversary of maestro Nir Kabaretti’s reign at the podium, and he proceeded to demonstrate the firm yet flexible command he wields over our fine orchestral ranks.