Hull New Theatre – until 29th July 2023
Reviewed by Dawn Bennett
5*****
The New Adventures Production of Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet last night brought the audience of the Hull New Theatre to their feet with a very deserved standing ovation.
With music by Sergei Prokofiev (Recorded by the New Adventure Orchestra) this is Romeo and Juliet as you’ve probably never seen it before. Set in the Verona Institute, a white-tiled, clinical, foreboding secure institution where the young people are locked up, abused and drugged so they conform. The set was stark white metal with walkways, banging doors, harsh lighting a metal walkway and entrances with “boys” and “girls” built into the wall and the dancers (apart from a couple of scenes) were all dressed in white adding to the sense of foreboding (Set and costumes were design by Lez Brotherston and were brilliant in their simplicity).
Romeo (Paris Fitzpatrick) was brought to the institute by his parents Senator Montague (Andy Monaghan) and Mrs Montague (Daisy May Kemp) who didn’t seem to know what they could do with him. Romeo is stripped of his clothes, and his dignity, by other inmates and he is soon dressed in the regulation white.
We meet Juliet (Monique Jonas) as she is being pursued by the very sinister guard Tybalt (Sam Archer), what follows is heartbreaking and beautifully danced. The two acts before the interval build up to a conclusion that was both shocking, terrifying and thought provoking.
The third act is one week later and we see the inmates, behaving like they have been drugged and trying to prosses the horror of what had happened and this was brilliantly done by the cast. At times during this production, you can have heard a pin drop and you could just hear the sound of the dancers’ feet and them breathing such was the atmosphere in the theatre.
All the cast are fabulous dancers and they manage to portray the feeling and emotions of the story without words, it was just through their movements and facial expressions. The chorography (Sir Matthew Bourne) as always in New Adventure productions, was quirky, funny, stunning and heartbreaking to watch in equal measures.
I have to give a shout out to Bryony Pennington (who played Dorcas) a dancer who trained in Hull at LWHS School of Dance. They were a pleasure to watch and it was great to see yet another talented dancer from Hull!
I have always loved watching Sir Matthew Bournes productions and Romeo and Juliet is one of the few I haven’t seen live. It was a treat from beginning to end and I’m very pleased that I’ve booked to watch again on Thursday!