William Shakespeare's tragedy about the feuding Montagues and Capulets, whose children find each other and overcome the deep-seated hatred, has inspired countless artists. John Cranko also took up this timeless material in 1962 and created one of his most popular ballets. Sergei Prokofiev's descriptive music - in combination with Jürgen Rose's opulent sets and costumes – forms the perfect back drop which allows the scenes to unfold just as if they had sprung directly from an Italian Renaissance painting.

The gifted, charismatic artist John Cranko moves to the Swabian province from London, where he is attacked for his homosexuality, and after many crises becomes the great sensation as the new pop star of the arts: the Stuttgart Ballet Miracle.