Romeo and Juliet

This is a vibrant and vivacious staging of a classic tale. Peter Evans has given the production a very particular and cohesive mood, and this is consistently and often beautifully sustained throughout the entire performance. The collective talent in this production is impressive and each role is treated with great attention to detail. Shakespeare’s language is made vigorous through energetic performances and an interesting play with pace and intonation. The stage and set design are extremely sleek and accentuate the darkness that lurks behind this incredibly romantic story. The result is refreshing and engrossing.

Romeo (Jacob Warner) is portrayed as a dreamer with all the exuberance of an optimist. This creates clear motivation for what might otherwise appear foolish behaviour. This also provides great context for his daring and sometimes impetuous actions. Juliet (Rose Riley) is portrayed as sumptuous, and Riley effectively captures the mix of teen angst and blossoming womanhood. Her passion for Romeo is extremely heartfelt and this brings a great depth of emotion to their union.

The performances are generally strong across the ensemble with some highlights provided by Nurse (Lucy Bell) and Mercutio (Blazey Best). The physicality that these performers bring to their roles is particularly striking. Best, who also plays Prince, is able to display the versatility of her talent across the two roles. She also provides some haunting vocals to accompany the foreboding soundtrack. The cast also successfully manage the important shift from romance to tragedy. As the darker tones envelop the story the performances become more intense and contrast well with the earlier lighter mood.

The staging is very inventive and avoids any of the cliches around balcony scenes or the setting for the masked ball. The movement and use of space can sometimes appear awkward, but the concept is strong and interesting. The costumes, like the set, operate almost as a blank slate upon which colourful fabrics or props are added to bring them to life. The costume design is highly stylised which makes them very evocative and timeless.

This is a beguiling production which savours the story and the language with innovation and inventiveness. This allows the show to exhibit a real command of the text and its potential to reach contemporary audiences in a hard hitting and meaningful way. 

Patricia Di Risio 

Photographer: Bett Boardman