Review: Romeo and Juliet – Pleasance Theatre

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, or as I refer to it, ‘two young idiots conspire to get themselves and some other people killed with help from some adult idiots’, has never been my favourite of the Bard’s works. Its central messages of baseless intolerance breeding misery and the unifying power of tragedy are sufficiently noble, but Romeo is a tremendous waste of space, deserving of no sympathy whatsoever.

I like to think that Salvador Kent, the director of this production from the Edinburgh University Shakespeare Company (EUSC), shares my opinion, hence sculpting Sam Gearing’s Romeo into a morose, almost monotone creature with all the youthful cheer of a Joy Division record. Unfortunately, this does rather sour the lovelier words Shakespeare places into Romeo’s mouth, but at least no one has to pretend to find sympathy for him.

The Plot: A Tragedy of Errors

If, somehow, dear reader, you are unaware of the plot, it’s very simple. Idiot Venetian boy meets gullible Venetian girl, idiot boy love bombs gullible girl into a relationship — in one night — despite their families hating each other’s guts with deadly intent.

Idiot boy knows an idiot priest who agrees to marry them in secret, before the gullible girl’s violent thug of a cousin, Tybalt, picks a fight with one of idiot boy’s friends and kills him because idiot boy gets in the way. Idiot boy goes on a murderous rampage, narrowly opts against killing himself when banished. Still, thanks to the idiot priest, Juliet (Anya McChristie) conceives a stupid plan to reunite them, which immediately goes wrong, resulting in lots of death.

I like to think that Salvador Kent, the director of this production from the Edinburgh University Shakespeare Company (EUSC), shares my opinion, hence sculpting Sam Gearing’s Romeo into a morose, almost monotone creature with all the youthful cheer of a Joy Division record.

Romantic tragedy? It’s a tragedy of errors spun by assorted cretins. Even so, Shakespeare’s talent for dialogue remains in full force, continually elevating proceedings above the failings of the plot. It is certainly enough to make the experience tolerable. Perhaps not, however, for over three hours, as is the case in this production. It must be said: proceedings really do need more pace, and less brooding silence.

Production Design: Stylish, Sombre, and Occasionally Exposed

Still, at least through the first two acts (pre-intermission), it’s a pretty stylish affair, wrapped in late-night jazz tones, and costumed by Mary Angelique Boyd somewhere between A Clockwork Orange and a casual-wear funeral. There’s something, in particular, to be said for the clownish makeup of the rival familial heads Montague (Hal Hobson) and Capulet (Tai Remus-Elliot, leaning into Burgess-worthy crazy for all he’s worth), which dehumanises them to the point of self-parody. Kent’s vision of Capulet’s grand party as a ritualistic masked ball conjures memories of Eyes Wide Shut, and wouldn’t have looked out of place when Rico DeMarco was bringing European avant-garde to the gloriously messy first iteration of the Traverse Theatre.

**Production images of EUSC’s Romeo and Juliet by Andrew Morris**

This style somewhat dies in the play’s final act, leaving Ben Kay’s striking, stripped-down set consisting of a balcony and stairs set behind a central raised square, a little exposed on the Pleasance Theatre stage. An uncluttered set can be a great thing, but a stick or two of furniture slipped into more of the play’s domestic content would help reduce the sense of speechifying which attends several interactions — particularly between Juliet and her feckless nurse (Isabella Velarde). There are, nevertheless, some nice touches with Juliet’s coffin-esque bed doubling as her tomb, and the clever use of more varied musical backings to conjure Juliet’s bedroom, complete with lark song.

The Cast: A Mixed Bag of Venetian Youth

Setting the dressings aside, the performances are a mixed bag. The brightest star on stage is Rufus Goodman’s eminently likeable Benvolio, without any doubt, delivering his lines with character, wit and without excessive reverence for the text. McChristie isn’t far behind, and though he labours the rhythm a little to begin, Hunter King warms into his Friar Laurence by his later appearances.

Noah Sarvesvaran’s Mercutio is a more complicated matter; he delivers the part’s coveted lines with plenty of attitude, but without finding the golden lyrical thread that makes them honey to the ears. He also needs lighter shoes to avoid such heavy-footed capers. His opposite number, Dylan Kaeuper, plays Tybalt with appropriately childish petulance, ensuring the fight scenes — which deserve a fist bump — possess the requisite nastiness.

Still, at least through the first two acts (pre-intermission), it’s a pretty stylish affair, wrapped in late-night jazz tones, and costumed by Mary Angelique Boyd somewhere between A Clockwork Orange and a casual-wear funeral.

There’s also no critiquing this production without talking of Reuben Stickland’s enigmatic take on the fool-ish Capulet servant, Peter. You might think he’s been plucked from another, far more modern play and deposited into ancient Venice as a visiting alien, but he’s never less than fascinating.

However, everyone involved, adepts of Shakespearean text or not, would do well to talk a little faster. Romeo’s endless wittering self-regard becomes intolerable to the point of comedy when laboured quite so hard. The character gets so little meaningful dialogue that joy is only possible when delivering his elegant monologues with a bit of boyish verve and romance. Stripped of these, you just find yourself sad he doesn’t make good on his many premature promises of self-annihilation — at least he’d shut up.

Verdict: A Stylish Test of Endurance

Which is probably quite enough of me harping on about Shakespeare’s least likeable ‘hero’. On the whole, this is a perfectly solid rendition of Romeo and Juliet, which doesn’t make me like the play any better, but certainly pitches it in a novel way. It could, however, do with wrapping up about 20 minutes earlier, something easily achieved by dialling the delivery speed up a notch. Even so, a strong and stylish first act makes it worth the trip, just make sure to buy yourself some supplies to keep yourself sustained until everyone is dead by 11pm.

Featured Image: Anya McChristie & Sam Gearing – Romeo and Juliet – EUSC