Guildford Town Centre – until 13th July 2024
Reviewed by Liberty Noke
4****
Guildford Shakespeare Company celebrate their 18th birthday in style with the most unique production of Romeo & Juliet that I have ever had the pleasure of watching. This unusual play sees Guildford high street shut down and various buildings taken over as the set. The audience are guided through the street and stop at the church, hospital and guildhall among other locations. The action then unfolds before them.
The play opens on the steps of the church where we meet the Montagues and the Capulets played by children from local drama groups. It is evident that the children have been well rehearsed the fight scene in particular was very impressive. We then meet Romeo (Christian James) and Benvolio played by Luke Latchman who brought a modern “roadman” approach to the role. While the traditional language was used his modern costume and accent made this character relatable and endearing to a modern audience.
The Capulets’ party took place in the shopping centre with the audience looking down from the gallery. The party guests were played by an ensemble who brought a perfect energy to the scene, performing a simple dance routine in such a way that every member of the audience felt included.
The famous balcony scene was a stand out moment in this play. The audience are instructed to stand in the road and face Romeo as he talks about Juliet. She then appears on the balcony behind the audience gives her famous speech. This allowed the audience to feel included in the scene leading to greater engagement. Often Shakespeare can feel like a boring text written years ago that doesn’t relate to us, with complex language that is difficult to understand and this can put audiences off. However, allowing the audience to feel like part of the story made the story feel even more relevant. April Hughes’ performance of Juliet in this scene was a stand out she perfectly emulated that giddy, lovesick teenager bringing a fresh, modern, relatability to the role.
Moving from scene to scene did take a little time and was a little clunky however what I really enjoyed about this was the opportunity to talk about the action with other theatre goers. While this part could be a little smoother it didn’t hinder the action and the performance didn’t ever restart until everyone had arrived and was able to see.
After the interval the audience are invited to sit down and watch the second half on stage in the grounds of Guildford castle. This setting is perfect as the story becomes darker and more serious, the night draws in and the audience are a little colder and the sun is no longer shining, using natural light to aid story telling is absolute genius.
Romeo & Juliet has been told and retold a million times and I wasn’t sure there could be a new way to tell the story but at this performance I was proved wrong. What makes this performance so special is the way the audience feel included. They are included in the way they stand among the action and in the way the actors portray their roles with such engagement and relatability. The balance of including modern elements while remaining true to the original text is spot on in my opinion. The acting performances were incredible and the setting of Guildford high street was beautiful. A wonderful and engaging performance of Romeo and Juliet that can be enjoyed by all.