.jpg)
Approaching the tepees in
Grosvenor Park on a balmy summer evening was a perfect segue from the real-life
working week to a magical world. Bunting, festoon lights and warm smiles greeted the audience, who
arrived with blankets and picnic baskets. The theatre itself is an open air, arena style and unlike many park
productions there is stepped seating and back supporting cushions
provided. Duly fed and watered - nursing
a glass, bathed in sunsetting rays - the audience were brought to attention by
the entrance of the company. They were a strong and demanding presence – with
eye contact, sheer purpose but no words, they silenced the crowd, took a
collective breath, and began, toppling us into 1950's Italian café society with
a rendition of ‘When Two Tribes Go To War’ (yes, really - and it worked!) The
music (arranged by ME+Deboe and delivered by the cast members) was particularly
skilful throughout – acoustic, folk-inspired adaptations of an eclectic but
effective mix of popular hits punctuated the action, enhancing emotions and
moving the story along.
‘Romeo And Juliet’ is possibly
the best known theatre performance of all time – retold and reinvented over and
again in its 400+ year lifetime. This
version felt fresh, light, and contemporary, the costumes were glamorous
recreations of 1950's fashion, right down to Juliet’s underwear. The original text was padded and embellished
with beautiful physical moments including dance, street fights and personal
business which allowed air to move between the dialogue and heightened the
anticipation of the audience. Much of this unscripted action subtly encouraged
the focus to fall sharply on the lovers. No-one could pretend that the unravelling fortunes of the rebellious
pair come as a surprise – but this production approached the significant
moments confidently and with a deft touch. They weren’t rushed or over-emphasised, delivery of the famous lines was
as natural as the rest – portraying a playful, sincere pair of teenagers. The
balcony scene was a delight, filled with teasing, smiles and kisses - with
great use being made of the blurred barriers between performers and audience
that in-the-round staging offers. Samuel
Awoyo’s Romeo celebrating his romantic success with a casual fist pump cemented
him as a modern-day, relatable hero.
The dialogue throughout was
delivered in a relaxed and natural style - particularly by Awoyo and by Eddy
Payne (Benvolio). Payne’s was a superb performance
– he brought out the best in his fellow actors and his delight in his craft
sparkled. He was often the centre of
comedy in the first act, enlivening the party scene and teaming up with Haylie
Jones’ Mercutio to taunt Romeo. Another source of comedy was Nicola Blackman’s
portrayal of Nurse – a sassy, outspoken, unabashed Caribbean woman with a
twinkle in her eye. Her adlib moments
with the audience were saucy and full of merriment. In fact, much comedy and interactive audience
teasing was brought out of Act 1, occasionally at the expense of the story but
always with a joyous sense of mischief. Not least of these was the drunken procession at the end of the party
scene where limbs and prosecco went flying, dousing audience members in
passing. This meant that the performance
became very much a play of two halves as we re-joined the story after the
interval to witness the Friar and Nurse desperately attempt to choreograph a
dance to evade destiny.
The second act was a more serious
affair with less inter-play or ad-libbing. It was here that Joelle Brabban, as Juliet,
came perilously close to stealing the night. Thanks to her beautiful interpretation in Act 1 of an innocent feisty
teenager willing to fall in love with abandon, not just Romeo but everyone in
the audience was in love with her. The
moments that followed her first ‘death’ were entrancing – Lady Capulet and
Nurse transformed Juliet’s bed to her bier (a simple but incredibly effective
staging choice) while the company transformed the stage to a beautiful burial
ground scattered with fairy-lit, white crucifixed headstones. By now the real-world sun had almost set and
the simple stage lighting, mingled with the twilight to elicit an ethereal
beauty fit for the tragic finale. Romeo’s fight with Paris before he entered
the tomb gave us a final frisson of violence to offset the pathos. There was a palpable sense of fear for the
place which brought a newfound admiration of Juliet’s courage to have played
dead amongst the bodies of her ancestors. Awoyo and Brabban handled these
closing moments with finesse. Their
fear, grief and loss were never overplayed and in turn their deaths were
performed with poise and emotion.
As the action dissolved into the
curtain call, the cast accompanied their bows with the by now, distinctively
styled ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’ and the audience applauded, cheered,
and stood to render their thanks for a wonderful performance.
This was my first visit to
Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre – on the strength of it, I am already booked
for their adaptation of Little Women. Here is a company with a beautiful venue, a strong cast, and a clear
vision of how to entertain an audience – long may they prosper!
Reviewer - Justine Sutcliffe
on - 15.7.22
No comments:
Post a Comment