North West Theatre

Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare
03 Feb 11 to 05 Mar 11
Octagon Theatre

Verona is a city ripped apart by hatred and mistrust. Two powerful and wealthy families, both on the wrong side of the law, have been locked in conflict for generations.

In the midst of the conflict, Romeo and Juliet will risk everything to cross the family divide for the sake of love. Their youthful passion brings hope, and the possibility of ending the age-old war.

...Ciaran Bagnall’s lighting design is a character in its own right... The sheer simplicity of designer Ruari Murchison’s set and balcony is a great achievement... allows director David Thacker to create one of the slickest, fastest-paced productions around... even the famous speeches of the balcony scene sound like brand new dialogue... Rob Edwards... is both urbane and ruthless - he speaks the verse beautifully and is convincing... Michelle Collins is very funny as a coutured Cockney nurse... a full-bodied and exciting modern-dress classic that doesn’t patronise its audience...
UK Theatre Network
... [David] Thacker just about gets the balance right but is hindered by his own curious decision to have both the prologue and epilogue spoken by the actors playing Romeo and Juliet... due to Thacker’s military like precision and controlled direction does not drag... Ruari Murchison’s design is effective... Jade Anouka as Juliet and David Ricardo-Pearce as Romeo speak the verse clearly and intelligently but when acting together struggle to establish any real chemistry... [Michelle] Collins’s assured and dignified performance is a revelation... The fate of Romeo and Juliet fails to resonate...
The Public Reviews (Rating: 3/5)
...grabs attention but one struggles to find any sympathetic characters... Kieran Hill’s Mercutio is a more rounded figure than the usual eternal bachelor... The dry ice is obstructive as much as atmospheric and Juliet’s balcony resembles a diving platform. David Ricardo-Pearce’s twitchy and tormented Romeo... Jade Anouka is a lively and inquisitive Juliet... Thacker does not develop the relationship between the lovers... Michelle Collins’ foxy Nurse and Colin Connor’s perceptive Friar Lawrence... Terry King, delivers some disturbingly realistic fight scenes...
What's On Stage (Rating: 3/5)
This show certainly goes places fast in the opening scenes, which are full of restless energy... David Ricardo-Pearce and Jade Anouka are a striking pair of lovers... Romeo is all self-conscious teenage introspection... But there is something more unsettling, too... [Jade] Anouka's Juliet is a breath of fresh air... the bare setting is unforgiving... the social milieu remains unsatisfactorily undefined... a well-spoken revival, but doesn't fulfil its early promise.
The Guardian (Rating: 3/5)
...two actors stand out as the ones who best achieve that difficult balance between preserving the beautiful lyricism of the poetry and making the words flow almost like natural speech... Rob Edwards as Capulet is sometimes, perhaps, a little too dismissive with some of his lines, but his complex character is explored fully... Jade Anouka is a beautiful, playful and sometimes funny Juliet... David Ricardo-Pearce is a modern, young, happy-go-lucky Romeo who seems rather nervy and fidgety and misses the dark, brooding side of the character... some effective fights staged by Terry King... a competent if unremarkable Romeo and Juliet with some nice touches but nothing to really inspire or excite.
British Theatre Guide
...heart-stoppingly poetic yet jarringly mundane... Ruari Murchison's restrained design and David Thacker's subtle direction... Jade Anouka's Juliet is a marvel, brilliantly illuminating transitions between childish feelings and adult passion with spiritual intensity. David Ricardo-Pearce, perfect in the balcony scene, is otherwise hampered by a movement style better suited to US soap opera's punchy one-liners than to blank verse. Irrelevant modernising... undermines meaning.
The Observer