Autumn is here again, and my opera and ballet season started yesterday with Natália Horečná' Romeo and Juliet, a co-production of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet and the Slovakian National Theatre; the world premiere was last Friday.

Prokofiev's music was put in a different order than he had intended, but apparently the rearrangement was necessary for the choreography. I didn't mind. Horečná's novel language of movement reminded a Finnish language blogger of Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks. As a more seasoned member of dance audience it would not have occurred to me, but as his article had brought it to my mind, I could in some cases picture John Cleese on the stage. Neither did the dancers' laughs and moans and short English language speeches disturb me, although they seemed superfluous.

The National Opera and Ballet website writes: "Natália Horečná shows what a lack of understanding and a shortage of love can cause." However, I saw it in a totally different spirit, probably due to my dislike of the two teenage idiots. At first I watched it seriously but wasn't terribly interested. But then it occurred to me that maybe Horečná had wanted to parody the whole romantic tragedy, and the ballet immediately became comprehensible - even the diabolical Friar Lorenzo with his black beard and yellow pyjamas made sense: he did it on purpose! However, I'm sure a more romantically inclined viewer will be able to enjoy it straight.

At the end the dancers leave their clothes on the stage in a rather obvious symbolism. And then they came to take their bows dressed again in their role!

A ballet is seldom as thought-provoking as this. A baffling but entertaining evening.