Romeo & Juliet - The Good Choices Version

What a brave group of 11 – 15 years to take one of Shakespeare’s most renowned plays and give it a twist that only the benefit of hindsight and savviness of today’s youth can bring.  The concept was to explore a traditional story with a modern mindset.   Sapphire Company had decided that the story of Romeo and Juliet could have been much different if more positive decisions were made and better advice and support offered to the young people involved.

Commencing with the traditional introduction from the Bard’s work the cast then decide to give it ‘a bit of re-think’, because much of this well-known story is ‘depressing and unnecessary’.  Their approach to the adaptation was to start from the stories end and work backwards.   The alternative ending was well created and whilst some of the cast voiced that it ‘lacked poetic tragedy’ it felt far more sensible and appropriate for the characters who are infamously, by todays standards, very young to fall so deeply in love.

The group split into two factions which gave them the opportunity to explore contradicting views and ultimately gave them the chance to negotiate the disputes of the Capulets and Montagues rather than battle their way through them. This was indeed a tale of redemption, hope, humanity and true love which avoided multiple fatalities and demonstrated the virtues of practising patience.

Throughout the piece the interchanging cast switched from the original narrative to a more up-to-date approach to storytelling.  Technically the cast all did incredibly well with their projection and diction with the intertwined pieces of choral speaking being beautifully presented. The players had a real strength of voice and the pace was excellent.  The cast, wearing basic black, had strong poise and played their parts well so that it was clear which characters were which.  There was a real sense of ensemble to the production with some performers having more of the difficult text to deliver, but all working well together to give a strong, entertaining and uplifting portrayal of this famous tragedy – which delightfully didn’t have a tragic ending.

Well done to Director Sarah Osborne, Sapphire Company and John Broadhead, who provided technical support.

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