Impassioned and impulsive: Merridy Eastman, Brittany Santariga, James Thomasson and Ryan Hodson. Photo: Brett Boardman.
When you wake up thinking about the show you saw the night before, you know it made an impression and this Romeo & Juliet, directed by Bell Shakespeare’s Peter Evans, stays in the mind for all the right reasons. It is absorbing and magnetic, from start to finish, faithful to Shakespeare’s text yet making the words feel fresh off the pen and – as can often be the case with different productions of the Bard’s work – bringing out lines and phrases that you think you haven’t heard before.
That was certainly the case with this Romeo’s adolescent and lovesick paeon of praise to the ungettable Rosalind. When Ryan Hodson declaims about thwarted love, talking of ‘feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire’ and lamenting ‘love is a smoke fuelled by sighs’, many such phrases seemed new, and very amusing. And Romeo’s friends Benvolio (James Thomasson) and Mercutio (Brittany Santariga) are such excellent foils to Romeo’s rantings. It sets the mood for what is to come – a production full of youthful vitality and impulsive passions. And – hardly a spoiler alert – dire consequences.
When Merridy Eastman takes the stage as Nurse, the comedic level ratchets up further. The role of Nurse has never seemed more pivotal than in this production. Eastman rattles through her first monologue, never seemingly pausing for breath, and keeping the audience hanging (and laughing) on her every word. Her comedic timing is perfect, both in her dealings with Juliet’s mother (Adinia Wirasti) and, later, her cross disdain towards Benvolio and Mercutio who dare to deem her ‘ancient’. As Nurse, she commands attention whenever she is on stage, and you never doubt her absolute love for Juliet – and feel for the actions that she so misguidedly takes on her charge’s behalf.
Which brings us to a fabulous Juliet. Madeline Li takes this role and plays it with such force and perfection. ‘Not yet 14 years of age’, we believe Li as she plunges into love with a boy she has just met and defies her parents at every turn. Like all the actors in this ensemble, every word, every cadence of Shakespeare’s prose is cleanly and accessibly delivered, from her first meeting with Romeo to the crypt scene which ends her life.
That first meeting takes place at the Capulet ball, which Romeo gatecrashes with such devastating results. Anna Tregloan’s design of this touring production is minimalist and stark – a couple of platforms (separated, to perhaps suggest the two worlds of the Capulets and Montagues), a scattering of rugs – as is her costume design. But, in the almost balletic ball scene, Tregolan brings colour into otherwise black costumes, and as the masked players move together and apart, under a range of red, blue and orange lights (not quite disco/not quite garden party) the effect is quite entrancing. The lighting credit – those same lights become stars, sometimes bright and sometimes dimmed, as the action proceeds – goes to Benjamin Cisterne. And Max Lyandvert’s sound composition adds greatly to the emotions of the scenes.
Evans’ cast is uniformly strong. Hodson and Li between them give us the follies of youth in spades. But a special mention also to Santariga, who imbues Mercutio with such youthful energy and brash humour – both verbal and physical – that she is a delight to watch. And she excels, too, in the fight scenes with Tybalt (Tom Matthews), well choreographed by Thomas Royce-Hampton
It is a credit to the entire cast and crew that this Romeo & Juliet, which has already been performed in 25 venues across the country on this tour, presents as fresh, new and exciting. And a credit to Bell Shakespeare, whose mission it is to bring Shakespeare’s works to all our states and territories.
Romeo & Juliet plays at the Playhouse, Sydney Opera House until 7 December.
Tickets: $35 (concessions) – $115, plus booking fees
https://www.bellshakespeare.com.au/romeo-and-juliet
