ROMEO AND JULIET. To 8 October.
Southampton
ROMEO AND JULIET
by William Shakespeare
Nuffield Theatre To 8 October 2005
Tue-Sat 7.30pm Mat 5 & 8 Oct 3pm
Runs 3 hrs One interval
TICKETS: 023 8067 1771
Review Hazel Brown 27 September 2005
Superb production, full of youthful vigour, joy and energy.This superb production opened at the Arundel Festival and transferred to the Nuffield Theatre, necessitating the shoe-horning of the innovative set a huge marble slab, raked steeply stage left up to the balcony into the theatre. The production ranged easily over this huge space, creating a feeling of vigour, energy and joy that made the inevitable sad ending even more poignant.
Hannah Barrie gives one of the best performances of Juliet I have ever seen. She is delightful, with a wide, happy smile during the masked ball; charming as she dreams about her new discovery of love, initially horrified to realize she has been overheard, but delighted at Romeo's audacity. Impetuous and impatient, then at the end she becomes truly moving as she scolds the dead Romeo for drinking all the poison, as though she were telling him off for being drunk.
Barrie portrays all the see-sawing emotions of a teenager in love, as well as almost relishing the imagined horror of being immured in the family tomb. She captivates Romeo and also succeeds in captivating me and the whole audience. She is well-matched by Mark Wells' Romeo. He epitomizes a young man bowled over by love and even manages to bring out the humour of his sudden overthrow, especially when he slides down from the balcony. Gabrielle Lloyd is charming as the fond Nurse, showing neat comic timing with a fan, as she seeks Romeo among the Montague lads.
By comparison, the other grown-ups are a dour lot, contrasting nicely with the youthful vigour of the younger characters. Msimisi Dlamini spits fire and brimstone as the belligerent Tybalt, whilst Giles Fagan portrays Mercutio as an older, soldierly campanion to the younger Montagues. The fights are excellently staged and the costumes, all soft velvet and leather, are sumptuous.
Just why the audience is not packed out with school parties is a mystery, as this faithful production is every bit as lively and involving as any modern film version and, with the poetry beautifully spoken, is clarity itself.
Romeo: Mark Wells
Juliet: Hannah Barrie
Mercutio: Giles Fagan
Benvolio: Daniel Rigby
Paris: Adam Newsome
Capulet: Gary Powell
Lady Capulet: Angela Down
Friar Lawrence: Jim Hooper
Tybalt: Msimisi Dlamini
Mantague: Andrew Wheaton
Lady Montague: Hazel Ross
Prince/Peter: Steven Bews
Nurse: Gabrielle Lloyd
Director: Patrick Sandford
Designer: Simon Higlett
Lighting: Tony Simpson
Composer: Malcolm Newton
Fight director: Kate Waters
2005-10-03 01:34:09