A wheely contemporary 90-minutes that may be designed for young people, but cuts just as deep with Noble Houses divided down streetgang lines as BMX’s circle a graffiti-splattered Globe. Rating
Excellent!
The first thing that springs to mind upon hearing the phrase ‘accessible Shakespeare’, particularly in relation to Romeo and Juliet, is probably Baz Luhrmann’s shiny, gun-toting, very American blockbuster. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank returns with this grittier, knife-wielding, very British and boldly updated adaptation.
The columns and galleries of The Globe are covered in graffiti, Romeo is in a black tracksuit and knife crime has never seemed more germane – particularly given the very current news of ‘red v blue’ school ‘wars’. There are BMX riders, scooters, mobile phone thefts and flowers piled up for the dead with portraits hung in memoriam. Visually, it silences anyone who says that Shakespeare is not relevant to young people. However, creating such a strong emphasis around the violence of the play does seem to diminish the love story and the rich music of the language that make this one of the most famous romantic stories ever told (only pieces of key speeches are retained). That being said, knife fights and brawls (elegantly choreographed in striking style by Kevin McCurdy) have never seemed more natural in the Wooden ‘O’, which is powerful, but incredibly chilling in a way, too. It shows this does not just play to the times, but it is of the times.
It does appeal to the school audience very successfully by clearly signposting any sexual references, using a lot of stage blood, and scaring them with a roving BMXer who stalks the Yard while also impressing with tricks and jumps. The bikes also frequently appear on stage to intimidate and signal Capulet’s strength. Their prowl is cunningly scored by Ben Hales and Dave Price (the birdsong is particularly good too) with whirring clicks and ticks that serve as cues that something bad is about to go down – neat foreshadowing as the students are no doubt being drilled on in the classroom. The scramble for audience attention sometimes backfires, though, most notably with a strippergram scene! It directly follows a nice stylistic moment where the poison plan is played out by Juliet upstage while it is being explained by the Friar. An important plot point – which had also inventively condensed the running time – is obliterated by a sort of imaginary hen party that, while creating a delighted uproar, may steal the limelight as the most memorable moment for many, presenting an eyebrow-raising one for exam markers too, perhaps. Of course, this doesn’t even vaguely happen in the text, but it is the timing that feels so off. A jarring choice when the rest of the play is very well shaped and reworked without such a tangential cheap thrill. In fact, one of its triumphs is how the updates strengthen the storytelling, not distract from it.
Strong performances from Hayden Mampasi as Romeo and the starworthily named Keanu Adolphus Johnson as Mercutio square up to the BMX skills representative of the Capulets. Owen Gawthorpe is the only named cyclist, presumably doing the high-end stunts such as dancing over Mercutio’s body. In its visceral effect, the show is tremendous, but some of the detail and subtlety are lost a little; perhaps this is a small price to pay given how much it got the traditional auditorium buzzing.
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Lucy Cuthbertson
Fight Direction by Kevin McCurdy
Intimacy Direction by ,
Movement Directions by Kate Webster
Cycle Consultant: Owen Gawthorpe
Customers by Kate Hemstock
Composition by Dave Price & Ben Hales
Designer Natalie Price
Playing Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet plays at The Globe until Friday April 17
