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Critics and friends had long murmured about the attractions of Guillem’s Juliet. I hadn’t seen her in this role before, though the production comes around such frequency that you feel like pleading for a respite from Verona. I always had my reservations about her: surely she was too tall, too sophisticated, too overtly sexy to be innocent enough for Juliet. Originally, when I first started seeing Guillem perform regularly six or so years ago, I was just mesmerised by her body, and what she could do with it. Those legs, the speed with which they scythed through the air, the strength. I didn’t then find her particularly moving: I remember a Manon about five years ago which was impressive, certainly, but left me oddly uninvolved.

But Sylvie has moved on from there: she has become more than just an outstanding technique, she has become a much stronger and more convincing actress. She has said that she was drawn to the strong dramatic tradition of the Royal, and she has developed within it. As I’ve seen her in a number of roles over the last few years - as Kitri, Cinderella, Aurora, Odette - I have succumbed. The Odette last summer was a particular revelation, given that she’s said it’s a role she doesn’t care for particularly. I still haven’t quite surrendered completely though: extensions like that simply aren’t required in Ashton, even if you’re capable of it.

But as for Juliet, I will be very fortunate if I ever see a more exquisite portrayal. It wasn’t just that her dancing met its customary stellar standards, or that she had a touching and vulnerable girlishness and a heartbreaking intensity in the final act: it was that both aspects were so perfectly integrated, all the steps made to serve the expression of the character. I have seldom seen the progression of the character, from the first youthful skittishness and shyness through the rapturous abandonment of the balcony pas de deux through to the final terrors, so clearly developed - and I speak from the viewpoint, at this performance, of one in the cheaper seats upstairs. It was a performance full of delicate nuances, but still so carefully considered and intelligently presented that it carried all the way to the back of the hall. It seemed like an age as she slumped, despairing, when faced with marriage to Paris: she had the nerve to do almost nothing, just to wait and let us feel the anguish with her.

Much credit must be due to the partnership she has built up over several years with Jonathan Cope: whenever these two appear together, there is always that little bit extra sparkle, that extra abandon as they urge each other on to greater heights. Cope seemed to dance better in Guillem’s presence and to command the stage more: without her, he didn’t seem so energised, and the opening of the second act in the marketplace seemed to drag a little. But when they were together, it was glorious.

I wish I could be just as positive about the other performances, especially as the company looked so well in Fille recently. I’ve seen them give really good accounts of R&J in the past when everything seemed to work harmoniously. The designs have been carefully cut down to meet the reduced size of the Festival Hall stage, and some of the new features looked quite handsome, particularly the setting for the tomb. However there was still some congestion and unintended confusion in the marketplace scenes which looked a little constricted. The other difficulty with the Festival Hall is the scene changing which cannot be done with the smoothness that this production requires - instead of a fluid and cinematic transition from one scene to the next, we cannot help but be aware of dancers trooping on and off stage in not-quite darkness.

This time the supporting roles were rather patchily done, and the overall performance was not nearly at the same level as the principals. I was hoping to have a final view of some of the dancers who will shortly be leaving the Royal for Kumakawa’s company. I did get Trevitt (Mercutio) and Avis (Paris), though sadly not Nunn (who has often done Benvolio - it was Shi-Ning Liu on this occasion). However, Romeo’s friends didn’t seem to be as clearly differentiated as they might have been, and didn’t seem to gel together: all the jollity looked a bit forced. For the record, the pas de trois for the three men before going in to the ball was the worst co ordinated I’ve ever seen - it really set the teeth on edge. Trevitt did make up for this with a fine death scene, though: as the music became progressively quieter the audience remained so still and so concentrated I swear you could hear his ragged breathing.

Chrisopher Saunders as Tybalt simply wasn’t frightening enough, and William Tuckett doesn’t quite have the authority to carry off the Prince of Verona. The Royal can field a few older dancers with the necessary gravitas to pull of these kind of roles but there just aren’t enough of them. Gary Avis gave a sympathetic reading of Paris as genuinely charmed by his intended bride: he managed to convey real complexity of feeling while dancing with Guillem, at first respectful, then goaded by her rejection into coarseness, later embarrassed by his actions.

Overall, stunning performances from Guillem and Cope, and a mixed bag elsewhere. Wonderful as this was, I think the production needs a rest for a while, and only to be seen again in more sympathetic surroundings. Outrageously, and uniquely in my experience, there were no flowers presented at the end of this performance at all. Guillem should have had an entire florist’s shop worth.