Rebecca Frecknall returns to the Almeida stage with another scorcher.
Following her smash hit A Streetcar Named Desire, she injects new energy into her adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Leaning heavily into the ‘two-hour traffic’ of the stage, the play runs for this exact length with no interval. The prologue, rather than being spoken, becomes a projected text on a wall that all the characters lean on and drop to form the set, each playing their own part in sending the lovers to their deaths.
Certain scenes, such as Romeo slaying Paris in the Capulet tomb, are cut, and the play continues on its forward momentum, hurtling the two lovers to their deaths at a breakneck speed that captures the whirlwind feeling of teenage romance. The pace of the play is kept up not only by the run-time but also by the dance numbers, set aptly to Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. While surprising at first, I was particularly enamoured with the way the dance choreography by Johnathan Holby, merged with the fighting; capturing the combination of beauty and cruelty within this tragic romance.
Movement and bodies also play a major part in the work’s construction. The stage space is largely empty, with Chloe Lamford’s set design reminiscent of a cavern with actors entering and exiting into the shadows, or, as they often do, remaining on stage, half-lit and semi-present. This was particularly effective in the final act of the play, with the two lovers, side by side, together on stage but physically separated in their world, each desperately seeking a way to change their fate. However, the most effective use of this was by far in the final scene, with the whole company sat framing the stage and tightly observing the action, individually complicit in the mutual suicide of the pair. This comes after they spent the previous scene lighting an innumerable number of candles for the Capulet tomb as Friar Lawrence hurries in vain to find the pair in their death the hundred glowing lights, bestowing an eerie beauty.
Perhaps one of the most enjoyable parts of the play is the chemistry between the two leads. With both of them costumed by Debbie Duru in the New Romantic style of flounces, ruffles, and free-flowing silks, they are as fashionable as they are doomed. Toheeb Jimoh as Romeo, is lovestruck yet earnest, shedding all his affection for Rosalind when he spies Juliet. He is charming, tender, and joyful with every moment he spends with her, practically throwing his shoes into the audience with his boyish enthusiasm to climb into her bed. Isis Hainsworth brings a refreshing spunk to Juliet, combining an innocent wonder with a biting edge. Hell hath no fury like a teenage girl, it seems. No more a simpering rose, this Juliet is forceful and decisive, but still absolutely terrified.
Frecknall updates the iconic balcony scene between the two, with Juliet initially lit with an orange glow (beautifully, I may say, by Lee Curran) but brought down to the gardens once she sees Romeo providing an intimate closeness. While the two are a charming pair, at times their dialogue (and therefore, the tenderness of the romance) were rushed. Regardless, Jimoh and Hainsworth work well together, forming a besotted and desperate young couple. You see their youth, you believe in their love, and you understand their folly.
The company as a whole provided a very strong performance. Tybalt (Jyuddah James) is a particularly menacing presence, commanding the stage with a degree of evil that never becomes overly forced. I would have preferred to see a final battle, akin to his knife fight with Mercutio (Jack Riddiford), but Romeo makes swift work of his murder with the trigger of a gun. Returning to Riddiford’s Mercutio, his emotionally charged death provided an opportunity to showcase his range. His Mercutio is every bit the “saucy merchant” that Nurse (handled wonderfully by Jo McInnes) describes him as. While I cannot deny the comedy, and the eyebrows raising homoeroticism, I couldn’t help but cringe at some of the overtly sexual hand gestures. I do get the feeling, though, that this was entirely purposeful, with the rampant lewd innuendos placed to evoke the surprise that would have been felt for viewers over four hundred years ago.
It is not easy to adapt a tale so rooted in our cultural canon and make it feel fresh, exciting, and current. Frecknall’s version of Romeo and Juliet does what many cannot, while still keeping close to the historical text. We can only hope she returns to the Bard once again.
Romeo and Juliet runs from 6th June – Saturday 29th July @ Almeida Theatre