Review: Romeo and Juliet, Salisbury Playhouse

What better way to mark the 50th anniversary of Salisbury Playhouse than to make the building the star of a show? That’s exactly what happens in this exhilarating, immersive production of Romeo and Juliet, innovatively directed by Gareth Machin. The audience explores the site and the classic play on an ambitious journey of discovery, considering them from new perspectives. Like the tale, the production is bursting with passion and youthful energy, with the inclusion of dozens of young actors working with an adult community cast. An outstanding depiction of those tragic young lovers, destined for disaster, it delivers at every level.

It may be the Playhouse’s birthday, but it’s the Capulets’ party we’re attending; chandeliers sparkle, champagne corks pop. On entering, we’re security checked and social control and division become palpable. We then become guests at a ‘silent disco’ (14-year-old Juliet’s suggestion), donning headphones. But Montagu’s youth disrupts the event, and an urgent security alert drives us outside, visiting multiple scenes around the theatre. Fear not: chairs are provided at each for those needing to sit.

It’s thrilling as we initially enter a car park complete with graffiti, a burning oil drum, a skate ramp, and gangs of teenagers. Modern day merges with historic storytelling, blending to offer timeless understanding and punctuated by a dynamic, punky score from Alex Heane. The energetic young performers bring huge vitality, and, fused with the adult community cast, make visible a society beyond the realm of privilege. Zoe Squire‘s design work here and around the venue is inspired, later creating a glittering ballroom in rows of theatre seats and an Italian fountain reimagined as a crypt. The detail is telling, with the powerful Capulets’ logo branding everything. 

Of course, Shakespeare isn’t worth performing if you can’t speak verse, but here it’s meticulously presented. Will Fletcher as Romeo has a superb voice, made for wooing and supported by a fabulous physical performance that screams excitable, frustrated teenager. Romantic moments with Grace Wylde as Juliet are given sensual intimacy as the world, and their bewitching words are relocated into our headphones and underscored by Mike Beer’s captivating soundscape. Wylde’s Juliet perfectly articulates that difficult space between childhood and adulthood, negotiating her father’s demands while defiantly living her own life, and directorial clarity spotlights a young woman who understands the value of love through parental absence.

The supporting cast is also excellent, with Will Jennings’ fabulously theatrical Mercutio at times threatening to upstage the rest. Surprising nuance gives the story fierce humanity and authenticity, evidenced in Benvolio’s (Benjamin Lafayette) masculine gentleness, which contrasts with the fabulously kick-ass female Tybalt, played by Shaniya Hira. Kudos to fight director Dani Mac for stunning precision work in their scenes. Terrific performances also come from Mark Springer as Juliet’s manipulative father, and Alistair Cope as Friar Laurence, who delivers the finale beautifully, giving an epic quality to the synopsis, whilst devastatingly recognisable music amplifies the emotion.

Running at 2 hours and 50 minutes, you’d think you’d become tired of standing, but this totally compelling production propels you along, fully invested, as the theatre and its environs become a microcosm of a wider world. We’re an audience made active, attentively viewing the familiar from new angles. Societal issues become searingly relevant to our own time as we watch how hate and social division bring catastrophe, while experiencing how social collaboration generates positivity and solidarity. The production reminds us how our world knowledge is shared across generations, and made visible at this specific time and this particular place, as it trumpets the role Salisbury Playhouse plays in its community today, while celebrating half a century of past achievement.

Playwright: William Shakespeare
Director: Gareth Machin
Designer: Zoe Squire
Lighting Designer: Sarah Bath
Sound Designer: Mike Beer
Composer & Musical Director: Alex Heane
Associate Director: Clare Threadgold
Choreographer: Hatti Dawson
Fight & Intimacy Director: Dani Mac
Parkour Specialists: Kieran Coombes & Kiwi Parkour
Presented by Wiltshire Creative

Romeo and Juliet runs at Salisbury Playhouse until Sunday 7 June.