How do you make the over four-hundred year-old play, Romeo and Juliet relevant to a modern audience? La Boîte’s current production of the Bard’s most famous work accomplishes this by combining a rare mix of youthful exuberance and seasoned craft. The technical side of the work is also uniformly modern and accomplished
The two leads are young and exciting and the veteran actors on stage are generous with both their presence and acting skills. The play features a very clever stage set up that appears very simple at first only to surprise with a depth of application. The use of stage props is excellent throughout as well. There are interludes of song that buttress the work with a fresh approach.
Dressing the cast in skinny jeans and Chuck Taylors and doing away with the trappings of time and opulence makes the look feel current. Staging the fight scenes as street gang warfare turns the brutality into choreographed dance. All these new strands weave together splendidly. This is a play for the fans of Will and those that have a will to be fans.
Cast
Kerith Atkinson, Jack Bannister, Bridget Boyle, Grady Ferricks-Rosevear, Eugene Gilfedder, Darcy Gooda, Nicole Hoskins, Nikhil Singh, Colin Smith and Wei Lan Zhong
Creatives
Writer: William Shakespeare, Director: Todd MacDonald, Additional Dramaturgy: Lucas Stibbard, Set & Costume Design: Anthony Spinaze, Lighting Design: Katie Sfetkidis, Sound Design: Anna Whitaker and Fight Choreographer: Nigel Poulton
Romeo and Juliet is playing at the La Boite Theatre, Brisbane from 25 May – 15 June 2019. Head to their website for more information and tickets www.laboite.com.au
Photo Credit: Stephen Henry
