Bard in the Botanics revisits old ground with this revival of its 2012 production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’.
The play opens to a rather moody scene, where a poor youth, unknown to be Capulet or Montague, gets mercilessly beat up by attackers in hoodies; to the sound of menacing synth beats. Coupled with the sparse set of a children’s swing set, a railing and a trash can, it’s clear that director Gordon Barr has set his adaption in the oft-used ‘urban dystopia’.
Well, until it isn’t. The danger conjured up in the opening moments never really returns, instead Barr decides to ramp up the comedy in the bard’s words. If you were ever weary that a Shakespeare play would go straight over your head, not to worry, because the actors act out even the most bawdy of lines. This gives the play a real zest of fun, but makes for an awkward gear change when the comedy runs out and the tragedy kicks in.
The small cast are all particularly strong, with Terence Rae as Romeo bringing an oafish, boyish charm to the romantic hero. Ewan Petrie shows a nice range, switching from the fussy, put upon nurse of Juliet to the terrible rage of Tybalt with natural ease. Any good Mercutio steals any scene he is in, and Robert Elkin does wonders with the infamous character.
Adam Donaldson manages to age about twenty years with a mere change of blazer, casually switching between boisterous Montague boy to brow-beaten Capulet patriarch. Stephanie McGregor is clearly a talented actress, but seems miscast in her role as Juliet, delivering her lines with the earnestness of a Blue Peter presenter rather than a young girl in love.
While sometimes bumpy in tone, this is a surprisingly fun adaptation of the classic tragedy, much indebted to a talented cast.
Featured photo credit: Bard in the Botanics Facebook page.
