ROMEO AND JULIET, Shakespeare, Bham Old Rep till 19 October

ROMEO AND JULIET: William Shakespeare
Birmingham Old Rep Theatre: tkts 0121 236 5622

Runs: 2h 40m, one interval: till 19 October 2002
Review: Ranjit Khutan 5th October 2002

Splendid performances and an accessible take on this classic Shakespearean play.There's a shaky start to this production: with this little theatre full of an audience shuffling, chatting and coughing the opening is not clearly enough signalled and the play grinds to a start.

This is a momentary set-back however, once the production gets going it is confidently directed. The piece is rich in elaborate costumes with brightly coloured flowing silks, a multifunctional set, an enchanting Kathak dance trio and energetic performances that draw you into the play. In particular, Oscar Pierce’s Romeo is likeable and warm and with Tara Sharma’s enticing Juliet they provide an exciting and exotic take.

Also well worth seeing are Indira Joshi as the Nurse – funny and entertaining yet solid in her support for Juliet, and David Blair’s Mercutio – a strong performance which weaves between the comic and the leader-to-follow with ease.

The Capulets dressed in colourful eastern garbs and the Montagues in more traditional English Elizabethan attire is a bold statement by director John Sheehan and one that he pulls off. This did appear confusing for some in the audience but quickly the confusion disappears and we are able to see the parallels in relationships today and the differences that two families in any era or culture face when coming together.

Shakespeare's language remains unchanged and on occasion this doesn't sit well in an Asian accent, sadly causing laughter where it shouldn’t. Norman Coates's set is clever and effective but there is a lot of unnecessary movement of it, often distracting from what is happening in the foreground.

Capulet: Stefan Kalipha
Lady Capulet: Rani Moorthy
Juliet: Tara Sharma
Nurse: Indira Joshi
Tybalt: Ash Knight
Montague: Steve Fortune
Lady Montague: Janet Darlow
Romeo: Oscar Pearce
Mercutio: David Blair
Benvolio: Stefan Butler
Friar Laurence: Ian Burford
Prince: Neal Foster
Paris: Ashvin-Kumar Joshi

Director: John Sheehan
Assistant Director: John-Paul Cherrington
Designer: Norman Coates
Lighting: David W Kidd
Fight Director: Andrew Ashenden
Choreographer: Chitraleka Bola
Music: Pete Hammond

2002-10-11 11:04:50