ROMEO AND JULIET till 22 October
ROMEO AND JULIET: William Shakespeare
Birmingham Rep: Tkts 0121 236 4455
Runs: 3h, one interval, till 22 October
Review: Rod Dungate, 4 October 2005
A promising start, but disappointing over-all
Bryden's production is clear and, through his use of a young cast, will engage young people studying the play. But it is, for the most part, a business-like production rather than an exciting or illuminating one. There are good moments in it, but rarely does it really catch fire, grab and hold your attention.
The opening (the acting company appearing in uniform red jackets and 'preparing' for the performance) is frankly a bit cheesy, but the opening scene, the fight between the Capulets and Montagues is thrilling. No elegant fight, this is a real street squabble and it bodes well for the production to follow, which is why, perhaps, the evening feels such a disappointment.
The casting of the central R and J roles is fraught with difficulty – cast young and you risk actors who can't handle the roles, cast older and you risk losing the naiveté and impetuosity of the characters. Jamie Doyle (Romeo) and Carla Henry (Juliet) fall into the former category.
Doyle, fresh from RADA, on this showing, appears not up to the emotional charge of the role. His emotional range gives the impression of a Romeo detached from the plot. The actor appears to be skating along the surface of the role. The only excuse for Romeo's behaviour is his passion, it sweeps him up out of control. Take this consuming passion away and Romeo becomes petulant or a character playing a part . 'Then mightst thou speak, then mightst thou tear they hair,/ And fall upon the ground, as I do now' says this Romeo, elegantly dropping on to one knee. Romeo's diminished. Doyle's charming, but charm is only one of the necessary ingredients.
Henry throws herself into her role with passion. Emotionally she has the range but, as yet, lacks the ability to centre herself sufficiently to sustain the role. She finds the verse difficult to (a problem when so much of it is so well known). She peppers her speeches with falling inflexions and they have, therefore, a staccato effect. The constant 'stops' mean the speeches can never achieve a full forward momentum.
Anatol Yusef's Mercutio is very interesting. He's extremely irritating but vulnerable too – he wears a hat to hide his receding hair line. And he concludes a fine journey with his impassioned final speeches, consumed with bitterness and regret – 'A plague on both your houses.' Alex Waldmann brings life and energy to Benvolio, a somewhat thankless role; his Benvolio is the sort of person we'd all like as a friend.
Janet Dale is a gentle Nurse, with a fine sense of humour and Gerald Harper unearths a surprising ironic humour in Friar Laurence, creating a totally human and humane Confessor. I was much taken, too, with Peter Straker's Capulet, unpredictable and slightly dotty.
Lady: Lucy Cudden
Nurse: Janet Dale
Romeo: Jamie Doyle
Paris: Gabriel Fleary
Montague: Keiran Flynn
Friar John: Gus Gallagher
Friar Laurence: Gerald Harper
Juliet: Carla Henry
Peter: Tim Lewis
Lady Capulet: Wendy Morgan
Lady Montague: Mary Ryder
Capulet: Peter Straker
Benvolio: Alex Waldmann
Tybalt: Daniel Williams
Mercutio: Anatol Yusef
Director: Bill Bryden
Designer: Hayden Griffin
Lighting Designer: John Harris
Music: John Tams
Fight Director: William Hobbs
Director's Assistant: Paul Miller
Voice Coach: Sally Hague
2005-10-10 09:41:14