The Ham&High on Romeo and Juliet, May 10 2002
Old love story with a straight talking twist
****(out of five)
Shaw Theatre, Euston Road
British Touring Shakespeare
After witnessing two separate performances of this company's production of Henry V, I was drawn irresistibly back to the Shaw Theatre to see their other production in this short season.
Like Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet is a play 'full of quotations', but the refreshing thing about this company is that I was convinced that all those clichés were being said for the very first time and there is no higher praise than this for an actor.
This company believes in spontaneity; naturalness and a modern reading of the plays giving them a reality and relevance to us today. One could wish that many older and more famous performers could take these qualities on board.
There is no trace of self-consciousness and, even though many of the actors are playing out of their range, they are all, without exception, totally believable and each actor in the company is able to reveal his own particular personality.
This is an original production of the play illustrating the hot-headedness of youth even before the play begins with a cleverly staged brawl that breaks out in the stalls.
As the play progresses there is much laughter and vibrant life, which helps to exacerbate the final tragedy.
These actors do not wear period costume; they dress in whatever seems appropriate to their particular character. Lucia Latimer as Juliet makes her first appearance in a basque, net skirt and Doc Martens. She is a spoilt but appealing teenager who grows in stature throughout the action as she achieves adulthood with heartbreaking haste. Mike Rogers plays Romeo not ideal casting, one might think but he handles the rough and tumble student well and his performance is utterly convincing in its clarity.
It is perhaps unfair to mention any one actor when every individual character is so well delineated, but Andrew Hobbs is a Paris you love to hate, and David Barnaby is an unusually impressive and volatile Capulet. Tobias Beer as Nurse is a sight gag, and he plays the role well, although his transvestism adds nothing much to the play.
The tableaux at the end are quite stunning and moving, and many congratulations to Kevin James for his imaginative Caravaggio-type lighting.
This production may not be as dramatic or appealing as Henry V, but it is still well worth making the trip to the Euston Road.
Aline Waites
