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“From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.”
The setting for Kenneth Branagh’s Romeo and Juliet is a very chic Verona, a very fashionable Verona, a Verona where its citizens sit outside cafés sipping espressos from tiny cups in the hot afternoon sun, where the women chatter in the street whilst sporting gorgeous swing dresses, while the men lounge in bistro chairs puffing away on cigarettes and setting the world to rights. It’s mucho Italian, and it’s mucho bene. Now, if you’ve never been before, let me tell you that The Garrick is not a warm theatre, whether it’s prone to drafts or simply has an overly enthusiastic air conditioning system I don’t know, but it's 7:30pm in the middle of July and I'm freezing. What’s the point of me telling you this, you’re wondering? Well it’s to emphasise the point that as soon as the play starts I no longer care about the chill in the air – I'm transported to the Mediterranean climate of Italy and the scene set before me is hot, hot, hot!
Lily James plays one of the title roles, she’s got that look about her that’s beautiful and innocent in a ‘too-pure-for-this-world’, Disney princess sort of a way. But James’s Juliet is not a clueless damsel waiting for her man, oh no, she’s a fiercely curious teenager on a road to sexual and emotional discovery. She’s a girl in a world which wants her silence and obedience, but she’s on the path to finding herself, and with her growing maturity comes a slightly timid rebellion. James gives a delightful performance which highlights Juliet’s teenage awkwardness with hand wringing, cloth clenching, and bashful tittering, whilst still portraying her with strength and a firm sense of justice.
On this night Freddie Fox plays the dashing Romeo, he’s standing in for Richard Madden, or rather Richard Madden’s understudy… The role seems to have come with a bit of a curse, Game of Thrones star Madden injured his leg early on in the show’s run, and then his understudy also suffered a leg injury not long after. Freddie Fox was rushed in, having just played Romeo in a production at The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. With less than a week to prepare Fox is pushed onto The Garrick’s stage with the task of keeping an audience expecting TV star Madden happy, not an easy task! But Fox knocks it out of the park. With an Adonis like body chiselled from the smoothest, palest marble, a head of blond locks, and a cheeky smile never far from the corners of his mouth, Fox is a Romeo right out of Oscar Wilde’s wet dreams. He's strikingly angelic, but with the smoothness and charm of the devil. But he’s not just a pretty face, he’s also I highly engaging and capable actor, bringing multiple dimensions to Romeo’s character and throwing himself into the role with an admirable intensity. For example, Romeo’s grief in Friar Laurence’s cell after learning that he has been banished from Verona is genuinely haunting. Fox holds nothing back and gives a performance filled with the kind of all consuming, self-involved despair needed for this scene, unashamedly coupled with tears, snot, and inconsolable retching. Whilst he’s writhing around on the floor with his blood stained shirt half open and his body trembling with distress I have to remind myself firstly to keep breathing, and secondly not to rush up on stage to help him!
Now let’s talk about Derek Jacobi as Mercutio – I’m a big fan but this casting does not work. His relationship to the other characters is unclear and his friendship with Romeo and Benvolio feels completely out of place. This makes his fight with Tybalt and his consequent death lose most, if not all, of its impact. This scene is the turning point of the entire play, but it doesn’t seem to make sense in this instance why Romeo would avenge an elderly, lascivious, slightly senile tag-along Mercutio so passionately. Mercutio’s character ends up more like the rambling, cantankerous, creepy but ultimately harmless old man who just won’t stop talking to you at the bus stop, the sort of man who ends up sitting next to you on your way to work and walking you all the way to your office door every morning. His Queen Mab speech is performed well, his slightly kooky, out-of-his-mind vibe gives it a different edge, but other than that Jacobi’s Mercutio has little depth and unfortunately feels like little more than a big name thespian bumbling about for a few cheap laughs. Jacobi’s acting style also feels jarring in this production. He’s an old school Shakesperean thespian with an enormous list of big Shakespearean roles under his belt, and a heavy, old fashioned stage presence. He orates in a grand, booming, authoritative and borderline academic style which is perfect for a more traditional, classic interpretation of Shakespeare, but which simply doesn’t fit here. There is a time and place for this sort of performance, and unfortunately Kenneth Branagh’s Romeo and Juliet is not it. In fact it sticks out like a sore thumb amid the emotive, multi-dimensional, contemporary performances of his cast mates. His absence after the interval is barely noticed.
From a character who is traditionally young being played by someone older, to a character who is traditionally older being played by someone young. Friar Laurence, for me, is the unsung hero of Branagh’s Romeo and Juliet. An aged Mercutio might not work but a young Friar Laurence certainly does. Here a fresh perspective is brought to an often overlooked character who, although pivotal to the show, has never been of much more interest to anyone than as a plot device before. With this performance from Samuel Valentine, it all changes. Looking a little like Ed Sheeran in a long black priest robe, this Friar Laurence is full of life, love, and subtle complexities. A man of the cloth engaged with humanity and the realities of the day to day struggles of the heart. In every decision, in every comfort, in every word of advice he fights to do the right thing, struggling to keep the balance between doing right by his faith and doing right by his people. A compassionate friend with a gentle temperament underpinned with an energetic zest for life and all its wonders. The scene in which Romeo and Juliet’s bodies are discovered is heart breaking, but not for the usual reasons. The priest’s realisation that his well-meaning advice has caused so much death and misery absolutely destroys him, and his anguish and devastation kind of blows Romeo and Juliet’s actual death scenes out of the water. They were good but, wow, Friar Laurence just shatters irreparably before our eyes. A huge well done to Valentine for getting an audience to notice and really care about such a usually flat character. I look forward to seeing him on stage much more in the future!
Lord Capulet – Another incredible performance that cannot be overlooked. Initially Lord Capulet is everyone’s friend, that awesome guy who commands the attention of everyone in a room simply by being the life and soul of the party and encouraging everyone else to follow suit. There’s an edge to him, so subtle it’s barely there, barely noticeable until you’re looking back at it in hindsight. A sort of manic energy that’s probably completely harmless… until it’s not. Cocaine chic, maybe? It isn’t until the scene in which his daughter refuses to marry Paris that Lord Capulet reveals his true colours. The following onslaught is fifteen minutes of pure heart-in-the mouth terror as he subjects his wife, his daughter, and the nurse to an onslaught of brutish, intense, unrelenting, vicious abuse.
All in all this production is stylish, energetic, and packed with emotion and fantastic performances. The direction is good and the set, though quite simple, transports the audience to exactly where they need to be. Hats off to Freddie Fox for stepping in at the last minute and doing such a stellar job. It’s heart-warming to see co-star Lily James push him forward during the curtain call to get a personal standing ovation, and even more so to watch him receive it with overwhelmed gratitude and modesty, covering his face with his hands and grinning bashfully.
Romeo and Juliet ~ [The Garrick Theatre] ~ ★★★★☆
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.”
The setting for Kenneth Branagh’s Romeo and Juliet is a very chic Verona, a very fashionable Verona, a Verona where its citizens sit outside cafés sipping espressos from tiny cups in the hot afternoon sun, where the women chatter in the street whilst sporting gorgeous swing dresses, while the men lounge in bistro chairs puffing away on cigarettes and setting the world to rights. It’s mucho Italian, and it’s mucho bene. Now, if you’ve never been before, let me tell you that The Garrick is not a warm theatre, whether it’s prone to drafts or simply has an overly enthusiastic air conditioning system I don’t know, but it's 7:30pm in the middle of July and I'm freezing. What’s the point of me telling you this, you’re wondering? Well it’s to emphasise the point that as soon as the play starts I no longer care about the chill in the air – I'm transported to the Mediterranean climate of Italy and the scene set before me is hot, hot, hot!
Lily James plays one of the title roles, she’s got that look about her that’s beautiful and innocent in a ‘too-pure-for-this-world’, Disney princess sort of a way. But James’s Juliet is not a clueless damsel waiting for her man, oh no, she’s a fiercely curious teenager on a road to sexual and emotional discovery. She’s a girl in a world which wants her silence and obedience, but she’s on the path to finding herself, and with her growing maturity comes a slightly timid rebellion. James gives a delightful performance which highlights Juliet’s teenage awkwardness with hand wringing, cloth clenching, and bashful tittering, whilst still portraying her with strength and a firm sense of justice.
On this night Freddie Fox plays the dashing Romeo, he’s standing in for Richard Madden, or rather Richard Madden’s understudy… The role seems to have come with a bit of a curse, Game of Thrones star Madden injured his leg early on in the show’s run, and then his understudy also suffered a leg injury not long after. Freddie Fox was rushed in, having just played Romeo in a production at The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. With less than a week to prepare Fox is pushed onto The Garrick’s stage with the task of keeping an audience expecting TV star Madden happy, not an easy task! But Fox knocks it out of the park. With an Adonis like body chiselled from the smoothest, palest marble, a head of blond locks, and a cheeky smile never far from the corners of his mouth, Fox is a Romeo right out of Oscar Wilde’s wet dreams. He's strikingly angelic, but with the smoothness and charm of the devil. But he’s not just a pretty face, he’s also I highly engaging and capable actor, bringing multiple dimensions to Romeo’s character and throwing himself into the role with an admirable intensity. For example, Romeo’s grief in Friar Laurence’s cell after learning that he has been banished from Verona is genuinely haunting. Fox holds nothing back and gives a performance filled with the kind of all consuming, self-involved despair needed for this scene, unashamedly coupled with tears, snot, and inconsolable retching. Whilst he’s writhing around on the floor with his blood stained shirt half open and his body trembling with distress I have to remind myself firstly to keep breathing, and secondly not to rush up on stage to help him!
Now let’s talk about Derek Jacobi as Mercutio – I’m a big fan but this casting does not work. His relationship to the other characters is unclear and his friendship with Romeo and Benvolio feels completely out of place. This makes his fight with Tybalt and his consequent death lose most, if not all, of its impact. This scene is the turning point of the entire play, but it doesn’t seem to make sense in this instance why Romeo would avenge an elderly, lascivious, slightly senile tag-along Mercutio so passionately. Mercutio’s character ends up more like the rambling, cantankerous, creepy but ultimately harmless old man who just won’t stop talking to you at the bus stop, the sort of man who ends up sitting next to you on your way to work and walking you all the way to your office door every morning. His Queen Mab speech is performed well, his slightly kooky, out-of-his-mind vibe gives it a different edge, but other than that Jacobi’s Mercutio has little depth and unfortunately feels like little more than a big name thespian bumbling about for a few cheap laughs. Jacobi’s acting style also feels jarring in this production. He’s an old school Shakesperean thespian with an enormous list of big Shakespearean roles under his belt, and a heavy, old fashioned stage presence. He orates in a grand, booming, authoritative and borderline academic style which is perfect for a more traditional, classic interpretation of Shakespeare, but which simply doesn’t fit here. There is a time and place for this sort of performance, and unfortunately Kenneth Branagh’s Romeo and Juliet is not it. In fact it sticks out like a sore thumb amid the emotive, multi-dimensional, contemporary performances of his cast mates. His absence after the interval is barely noticed.
From a character who is traditionally young being played by someone older, to a character who is traditionally older being played by someone young. Friar Laurence, for me, is the unsung hero of Branagh’s Romeo and Juliet. An aged Mercutio might not work but a young Friar Laurence certainly does. Here a fresh perspective is brought to an often overlooked character who, although pivotal to the show, has never been of much more interest to anyone than as a plot device before. With this performance from Samuel Valentine, it all changes. Looking a little like Ed Sheeran in a long black priest robe, this Friar Laurence is full of life, love, and subtle complexities. A man of the cloth engaged with humanity and the realities of the day to day struggles of the heart. In every decision, in every comfort, in every word of advice he fights to do the right thing, struggling to keep the balance between doing right by his faith and doing right by his people. A compassionate friend with a gentle temperament underpinned with an energetic zest for life and all its wonders. The scene in which Romeo and Juliet’s bodies are discovered is heart breaking, but not for the usual reasons. The priest’s realisation that his well-meaning advice has caused so much death and misery absolutely destroys him, and his anguish and devastation kind of blows Romeo and Juliet’s actual death scenes out of the water. They were good but, wow, Friar Laurence just shatters irreparably before our eyes. A huge well done to Valentine for getting an audience to notice and really care about such a usually flat character. I look forward to seeing him on stage much more in the future!
Lord Capulet – Another incredible performance that cannot be overlooked. Initially Lord Capulet is everyone’s friend, that awesome guy who commands the attention of everyone in a room simply by being the life and soul of the party and encouraging everyone else to follow suit. There’s an edge to him, so subtle it’s barely there, barely noticeable until you’re looking back at it in hindsight. A sort of manic energy that’s probably completely harmless… until it’s not. Cocaine chic, maybe? It isn’t until the scene in which his daughter refuses to marry Paris that Lord Capulet reveals his true colours. The following onslaught is fifteen minutes of pure heart-in-the mouth terror as he subjects his wife, his daughter, and the nurse to an onslaught of brutish, intense, unrelenting, vicious abuse.
All in all this production is stylish, energetic, and packed with emotion and fantastic performances. The direction is good and the set, though quite simple, transports the audience to exactly where they need to be. Hats off to Freddie Fox for stepping in at the last minute and doing such a stellar job. It’s heart-warming to see co-star Lily James push him forward during the curtain call to get a personal standing ovation, and even more so to watch him receive it with overwhelmed gratitude and modesty, covering his face with his hands and grinning bashfully.
Romeo and Juliet ~ [The Garrick Theatre] ~ ★★★★☆
