Reviewed Thursday 8th May 2014
They do say that, when you are on a good thing, stick to it, and the University of Adelaide
Theatre Guild is doing just that, inviting Megan Dansie to direct
William Shakespeare's tragic love story,
Romeo and Juliet for them. Dansie has won an Adelaide Critics Circle Award for Individual (Amateur), for directing for each of the last two shows that she directed for this company,
The Pillow Man, and
Richard III, also winning the company an Adelaide Critics Circle Award for Group (Amateur) for
Richard III. With that record of success it would have been an easy and obvious decision to bring her back again. It also proved to be an excellent decision as she has handed them yet another superb production that is selling out at every performance.
The tale of the warring families, the Montagues and Capulets, and the secret love between their children, Romeo and Juliet, should need no synopsis. Many studied it at school, it is performed from time to time by Adelaide theatre companies, and there are several films versions available. On this occasion, Dansie has chosen to set the play in period which, when just about every production of a Shakespearean play nowadays seems to be modernised, makes a refreshing change.
The Little Theatre at the University of Adelaide is an intimate venue, bringing the performance close to the audience. So many scenes gained greater impact because of the close proximity of the performers. Its semicircular performance space presents some challenges, and the upper level at the rear was ideal for the balcony scene. Dansie makes good use of all of the working areas, assisted by Paul Rodda's minimal but evocative set design, Scott Cleggett's very effective lighting design and Mark Reynolds subtle sound plot.
Sharon Malujlo's colour coding of the costumes helps the audience keep track of the two families, with the Montagues dressed in red and associated colours such as orange and claret, and the Capulets based on blue, although one could be a little picky over the authenticity of very obvious zips, buttons, belt loops, and elastic sided boots. The dancing is choreographed by Vanessa Redmond and the verisimilitude of the fight scenes owe much to the training given by Jay Gordon, Andrew Kenner, and fencing instructors, Scott Curness and Mark Holgate.
"The play's the thing", it is said, and
Romeo and Juliet is a play that is timeless in its thematic material and wonderfully rich in its poetry and wonderful use of words. It relies very heavily on the casting of the two leads, the almost fourteen year old Juliet and the slightly older Romeo. As we have seen before, Dansie knows how to find a great cast, and this is no exception.
Abby Hampton is a truly delightful Juliet, making her character full of childlike enthusiasm and fun, full of innocent charm, yet exhibiting an inner strength that, as the play progresses, gives credibility to her rapid growth in the face of adversity. She knows how to bring out the rebelliousness that we see in today's teenagers, establishing the generational conflict that probably aids in Juliet's defiant determination to be with Romeo. her performance is a stand out.
Akkshey Caplash makes his Romeo a brash young man, spending his time idly with his friends, chasing the ladies, and treating street brawls and rapier duels as fun and games. At the start of the play Romeo is infatuated with Rosaline, who does not actually appear, so he is rather fickle when he abandons his pursuit of her after seeing Juliet. Caplash makes a nice transition to his character after meeting Juliet and being afflicted by love at first sight, still pretending to be just one of the lads when with his friends, but bringing out Romeo's softer, more romantic and mature traits when away from them.
His friends, Benvolio and Mercutio, are played by Alex Antoniou and Paul Rodda, respectively. Antoniou gives a thoughtful interpretation of Benvolio, the wiser and more sensible of the trio, trying to exert a calming influence on the others and avoid violence, while Rodda's Mercutio is a larger than life character, more show than substance. Tybalt, their Capulet foe, is played by Ronald Densley, who embodies all of the character's anger, and hatred of the Montagues, as well as being very handy with sword and dagger.
Steve Marvanek plays Juliet's overbearing father, Lord Capulet, adding another intelligent and incisive performance to his record, slowly revealing his character's ambition and unpleasantness. Angela Short also impresses as Lady Capulet, displaying the difficulty the character has in mediating, supporting her daughter and trying to moderate her husband's bombastic approach.
Cate Rogers, quickly making us overlook that fact that she is rather young for the role, brings lots of humour to her performance as Juliet's Nurse, sharing in her intrigues and her sadness, and being occasionally inappropriate. Gary George brings a sensitive complex rendition of Friar Laurence to the work which is full of notable performances.
The rest of the cast also give committed performances, and contribute strongly to the whole. All involved should be justly proud of what they have created. As it is selling out every night you should have already booked and, if not, then take advice from the Bard himself and be "Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow." [A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act III Scene 2]
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