Romeo + Juliet

After the spirited debate in the above section regarding the inappropriate advertising for this show, I thought I would add my impressions of what I saw to hopefully spark some response. I was hoping to see another review in here by now but if I must be the first one off the mark, then so be it.

I went into 'R+J' with high hopes - I had heard good things about David Meadows' past work and knew several of the cast members, and was interested to see what they could do with this script, one that surely everyone knows.

Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed early. The potential stirred up by the prologue (I'm sorry, I lost my program so have nobody's names on hand) was replaced by a flaccid 'thumb biting' scene, where none of the actors seemed in any rush to get their lines out, leaving enormous gaps between them, and bringing the show to a grinding shuddering halt, which Tony Petani as Benvolio was then almost singlehandedly responsible for reviving. Happily, he did very well, and the show righted itself before we met the title characters, but that brief lapse lost the audience and the actors did not do themselves any favours by having to work extra hard bringing the audience back.

The leads, I have heard, were cast in part due to their youth and inexperience - a brave and commendable casting choice. Keziah Gillam as Juliet gave a spirited performance, emphasising the youth of her character, and we really get the feeling that she is nothing more than a carefree teenager before her father decided to hold a party. I especially liked her mannerism changes after the love scene, where she seemed to become more 'womanly' - to grow up a little, if you will. The young man who played Romeo started out promisingly but unfortunately I felt as though he was not in full control of his character - he seemed like his main aim was to get through his lines without missing one. Granted, he did that, but we lost any of the passion and joy that Romeo should have if he is to convince us of his love. His melancholy to open the play, mooning for Rosaline, was well done, but that mood never shifted after he met Juliet.

By far the highlight of the evening was Dario Dalla Costa's Mercutio - his experience and understanding of the text really showed through and it was a real shame when he died - a very moving scene. However, I was not convinced with the casting of Amanda Chesterton as Tybalt. She is a very fine actress, and I have a lot of time for her, I just feel that it was a lapse in judgement to cast her in this role. Personally (and of course, as this is my opinion, I don't expect to be rebuked too much on this) I feel that Tybalt's spleen is a very 'male' attribute, and changing the text for 'her' to become 'QUEEN of Cats' really lessened the power. That aside, her delivery was clear and she is a very nice actress to watch, and I feel that she did the best with what she did with.

The set was simple, but effective, as was the colour coding so that there was absolutely no confusion over who was a Montague and who was a Capulet. The show started out with plenty of loud classical music, which sadly did not punctuate the rest of the production.

All in all, this was an uneven but entertaining night. I don't agree with Grant's justification for the posters - I think that it detracted from the show if anything, as it had the audience coming into the show expecting a 'Baz Luhrmann' production (don't get me started on using the '+' in the title) and receiving a less than energetic show. Don't get me wrong - and I get the feeling that some might - I enjoyed the show. Have a look if you get a chance. I'm sure a lot had to do with opening night nerves, and a lot had to do with high expectations; but I can confidently say that 'Romeo + Juliet' is one of the two or three best shows in the GRADS-UDS Summer series over the past 6 or so years. Well done to cast and crew and have a ball in the last 2 weeks.