Almeida Theatre – until 29 July 2023
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
5*****
Rebecca Frecknall’s magic touch continues to find fresh wonder in classic plays. Her production of Romeo and Juliet is a feast for the eyes, ears and soul. The 2-hour running time with no interval may sound daunting, but the time flies past as the story of the young lovers builds to its tragic conclusion.
The prologue is not spoken, instead projected onto a sandy wall that the cast pushes over to become their stage and the action starting with a fight between the warring factions. Frecknall includes the glorious Prokofiev ballet music throughout, with extraordinarily moving and detailed choreography that enhances the idea of the characters as puppets without resistance or agency trapped in the unending cycle of violence and vengeance in Verona.
Shakespeare’s beautiful text is delivered naturally and fiercely by the younger cast, with the older generation appearing less hot-headed but the hatred seeping through each generation onstage. A world-weary Friar Lawrence (Paul Higgins – magnificent) and Nurse (Jo McInnes – wonderfully exasperating and emotional) become more of a focus in this production with their well-meaning but deadly plans for Romeo and Juliet. The adaptation is masterful, with the cuts made enabling the plot to feel like an unstoppable plummet towards doom. This Romeo and this Juliet are both modern and completely timeless.
The characters sometimes freeze in their dance poses or fall to the floor as a scene takes place around them. Characters also sit watching at the side of the stage or wander across stage during a scene, creating a dreamlike, but still urgent atmosphere. Isis Hainsworth is heart-breaking as Juliet in a spellbinding performance. A true teenager, shouting and railing against her lot. This fierce and furious outlook dissolves into a lost and lonely child as she sits silently between scenes, and her grabbing her chance of love and joy with Romeo has never been more understandable. Toheeb Jimoh’s Romeo is sweet and funny, a decent, loyal lad being pulled inextricably into the gang warfare and ruining his life with one act of fatal violence. Jimoh impresses with a finely nuanced performance.
Jamie Ballard’s manages to be vile and pathetic at the same time – his Capulet is the poster boy for fragile-egoed alpha males, monstrous and vicious to his child when she dares to defy him and his reputation is in danger. Jack Riddiford’s fantastic Mercutio is suitably mercurial, with impish charm and fatalistic mockery in every word and gesture.
One of the best plays you will see this year, Romeo and Juliet is fresh, smart and moving with a breathtakingly moving climax that will haunt you. The must see show of the summer.