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JOHN CRANKO'S ROMEO and Juliet for the Stuttgart Ballet is one of about 150 interpretations of the work in existence around the world. It's also one of the better ones. (For those keeping score, another good version is by Kenneth MacMillan, not to mention Leonid Lavrovsky's original.) Cranko's rendition is highly dramatic, moves swiftly, and has something that not even Shakespeare spelled out: a cross-generational, illicit love affair. Plus, it digs out of Prokofiev's score what there is to be had. Romeo and Juliet is a huge challenge for any choreographer primarily because of its score; Prokofiev programmed it so tightly that choreographers are left with precious little leeway to come up with their own perspectives. The ballet has been called a "warm-weather Nutcracker" – an opportunity to showcase a company's full abilities; in this case, 62 dancers. Romeo certainly serves that function for the Stuttgart Ballet, which, despite its illustrious past, was a pretty dumpy provincial company until the South African-born Cranko took it over in 1961. By now, the company has vastly extended its choreographic reach, but Romeo is still the piece it is most identified with. 8 p.m., UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph, Berk. $36-$56. (510) 642-9988. (Rita Felciano)