Pierrot Lunaire, The Royal Ballet
Joshua Junker as Pierrot, Natalia Osipova as Columbine and Patricio Revé as Brighella in Pierrot Lunaire ©2026 RBO. Photographed by Andrej Uspenski
Glen Tetley (1926-2007) was an American choreographer who created works for many major ballet companies, including American Ballet Theatre and The Royal Ballet, as well as being the Artistic Director for Stuttgart Ballet in Germany.
However, his work was also a major influence on the direction of Rambert dance company in London and Netherlands Dance Theater, both major players in the contemporary dance scene. It was through his early training with modern dance greats Hanya Holm and Martha Graham alongside classical ballet training in New York that allowed him to have such influence in both genres. And it is the blend of training that can be seen in his 1962 work Pierrot Lunaire.
This piece for three dancers has been revived by The Royal Ballet in the more intimate Linbury Theatre for Tetley’s centenary. It takes classic characters from early Italian theatre tradition commedia dell’arte, and sets them against the stark backdrop of a three-tier scaffolding structure. It is from this set piece that the work is most experimental, and from there that it begins: the clown Pierrot Lunaire (Joshua Junker) swinging from the rafters like a crescent moon.
Joshua Junker as Pierrot and Patricio Revé as Brighella in Pierrot Lunaire ©2026 Camilla Nervi
The scaffolding is arguably the fourth character in the work. Lunaire (and his foes, Columbine and Brighella) often return to it, climbing its heights to complete daring balances, or, at one point, hang upside down from a splayed splits. It was a surreal construction in a surreal work.
And surreal is certainly one way to describe it. At ground level, Lunaire flirts with a lady who soon disappears (dies?) to later be replaced by a more menacing lady in red. This was Columbine, danced by Natalia Osipova. Osipova, seen more and more these days in experimental and contemporary works, is known for her powerful and dare I say throw-away technique which suited this unsubtle modern style of dance. Arguably a hard partner to match in attack, incoming Principal dancer Patricio Revé proved himself quite the match with a powerful edge as they leapt across the stage, teasing our poor clown. The Royal Ballet rarely hires outsiders, especially straight in at Principal level, the last was to my memory Natalia herself over a decade ago (Vadim Muntagirov was more recent, but coming from English National Ballet and having spent time at the Royal Ballet School was more “in the system” than the Bolshoi’s former star). With a height and slight stature that suggests a lightness of foot and yet a groundedness of attack reminiscent of a more built dancer, I suspect he is going to be very adaptable to the Royal’s varied repertoire. Certainly one to watch (and one I will be booking for).
Natalia Osipova as Columbine and Joshua Junker as Pierrot in Pierrot Lunaire ©2026 RBO. Photographed by Andrej Uspenski
As Lunaire, Joshua Junker excelled in leading the work and giving its emotive edge. He tumbled from ecstasy to fear to near death, with excellent expression and interpretation which, along with the costuming and choreographed splayed hands, made the work feel like it was a 1920s silent movie.
There was much to like and yet I couldn’t make head or tail of it. The work, just 45 minutes long, is set to Arnold Schoenberg’s atonal Sprechstimme (semi-spoken operatic classical work) of the same name (sung by soprano Alexandra Lowe). With surtitles above the stage translating the lyrics, one would hope it would have helped us to follow the often baffling action on stage. Alas, it soon transpired that the choreography and lyrics had nothing in common. They were a complete red herring in trying to unfurl the mystery of any plot. That being said, lyrics or none, the choreography was too confusing to make sense of or gather personal meaning from. The quality of the dancing was, as usual for The Royal Ballet, of high quality, but that can only do so much when you leave the auditorium scratching your head.
★★★
Pierrot Lunaire, Glen Tetley. Performed by The Royal Ballet
Linbury Theatre, London / 17 February 2026
Own money
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