Romeo and Juliet (TOUR)

Due to a soggy day the joy of seeing this iconic piece performed in lovely grounds of Nynehead Court was scuppered and we were relocated to the less than glamorous Scout Headquarters in Wellington Town centre. Simply set as this piece was the hall did take some of the romance away but the company were in good spirits and took us on the journey to Verona.
Casting was strong and Peter had used suitably aged actors so all was believable. The characterisation of the Prince in the opening was strong and this was quickly matched by Lord and Lady Capulet, what was very evident here was that Lady Capulet as her lines suggests married young and was making the most of her situation with an older husband, her haughty manner and crispness gave credibility to her relationship with her strong willed spouse. Pretty and at the tender age of 15 Juliet was portrayed with a childlike quality until the blood began to pour, this young lady truly came into her own in Act 2 when her emotions began to take over and she showed determination and passion. Although romance was delicately portrayed between the young lovers Romeo was well drawn and delivered his lines with thought and clarity, making your debut as an actor in a role like this is very brave and no one would ever have guessed his inexperience – I’m sure we will see more of him in productions now he has a taste for the lime light. Mercutio a seasoned actor took to the stage with aplomb and was well matched by Benvolio. Often Benvolio is treated as a lesser character but in this case he was very much at the forefront and we felt his pain as his friends’ died before him. The nurse in this piece was played with a more parental approach, the bawdy confident was more subdued in this portrayal but it worked beautifully with young Juliet.
A well-produced piece of theatre certainly brought Shakespeare to the masses this summer – well done Thespians, you can be justly proud
 

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