Streaming until 27 February 2021 – book via www.romeojuliet2021.com/tickets
4****
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
Set in the near future, when the few remaining urban dwellers – the rich and gangs – have made their homes in the abandoned theatres, this is a Romeo & Juliet that captures the weird limbo of this stage of lockdown. With the two lead actors only coming together for a short time to film vital intimate scenes, the rest of the production was filmed with individual actors on greenscreen, edited together onto the striking sets of abandoned auditoriums, stage door and dressing rooms. The balcony scene has Juliet in a box looking down on Romeo on the stage. This could all be gimmicky, but director Nick Evans and editor/producer Ryan Metcalfe have created a film that never loses its theatrical roots but also has the aesthetics of a dreamlike online game.
Scenes of masked protesters and familiar scenes from the last year are projected over the empty auditorium to set the dystopian tone of the play – and the actions of the two lovers grabbing at a chance for love and happiness, along with the reason for the Friar’s letter not being delivered, seem much more understandable in 2021. The sad fate of theatres is brought home by the sight of Sir Derek Jacobi sitting alone in the ethereal light of the auditorium as he gives the opening speech and is even more devastating as the actors take their bows to an empty theatre.
Sam Tutty and Emily Redpath are beautifully matched as Romeo and Juliet. Tutty’s Romeo is sensitive and lonely beneath the lover’s lines he’s used before on Rosaline in a masterful performance that perfectly captures the angst and joy of teenage love. Redpath’s Juliet is strong and very modern, with a softness that only emerges when she is with Romeo – another excellent performance. These two are the most believable star-crossed lovers I’ve seen for a long time. COVID restrictions mean that there are scenes where they filmed separately, but the pair are utterly convincing throughout.
Daniel Bowerbank’s gentle Benvolio and Brandon Bassir’s Mercutio also impress, with Bassir nailing the juggling of louche showmanship and melancholy as the two despair of the gang society around them. With the small cast, Mercutio and Tybalt’s (Sylvester Akinrolabu) deaths are swift and almost matter-of-fact stabbings, but no less brutal and devastating, and echoing the reality of modern knife crime.
Despite the technical wizardry used to bring the play to the screen, it never detracts from the stellar cast and their performances in this engaging and emotional production. The perfect theatrical experience for Valentine’s weekend.