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Shakespeare’s tale of doomed teen romance might be timeless, but so is the impulse to reinvent it. And so it goes with this production, which ditches period trappings and a couple of characters, adds flickering neon lights and drops the play into an effectively ominous soundscape.
Ultimately, Sally Cookson’s staging is a frustratingly mixed bag: giving with one hand while taking away with the other. Awkwardly self-conscious ‘dramatic’ choreography, unhelpful compacting of the story (particularly the ending) and symbolism laid on with a trowel become over-emphatic theatrical signposts.
This is frustrating because, too often, all of this effortfulness, the sense of straining to do something new, detracts from what makes Cookson’s production frequently a joy to watch and genuinely ‘accessible’: the performances. No one acts as if they’re in ‘Romeo and Juliet’, basically. Cookson does a good job of ditching the weight of the ages.
The supporting characters shine, notably Laura Elphinstone’s gender-swapped Mercutio. She brings a prickly, raw-nerved energy to the role that sparks long-familiar scenes into life. Meanwhile, Sharon D Clarke has a lot of fun with her worldly-wise Nurse, triggering the big laughs as she bosses everyone around.
Even the title lovers – often intensely annoying – are pretty sympathetic here, their obsessive self-absorption anchored firmly to their age and inexperience. They’re clearly hormonal teenagers, not romantic legends. Joseph Drake is a fine Romeo and Audrey Brisson is affecting as a Juliet bewildered by her feelings. Their balcony scene is perfect, capturing the joyful silliness of young love.