Review: STARCROSSED, Wilton's Music Hall

 

While Romeo and Juliet have charmed and stirred audiences for centuries, another unofficial couple from Shakespeare's tragedy has instilled doubt and curiosity. Mercutio and Tybalt, sworn foes, are tied together by an invisible string of admiration and attraction.

They fit the enemies-to-lovers trope too perfectly to leave their involvement unexplored. Endless homoerotic fanfiction has been written about the duo and scholars still wonder what the exact relationship between them might have been in the eyes of the writer.

With glorious Stoppardian flair, Rachel Garnet takes the two characters and delves into their feelings. Removed from the shadow of the most famous couple on Earth, the boys grapple with their sexuality, conservative mores, and give into the gravitation towards the other.

Directed by Philip Wilson, this star-crossed romance weaves smoothly into the Shakespearean world of Romeo and Juliet. Garnet adapts Elizabethan rhythm into a modern tempo of straight reference and original poetry.

Quotations are penned seamlessly into the text. Mercutio and Tybalt take ownership of the recognisable verse, not needing any shaping from Garnet's pen to mould it to their circumstances. Designer Ruari Murchison's set has the feeling of an Elizabethan playhouse with its wooden panelling. So do his costumes, billowing shirts and doublets transport the Victorian music hall 400 years to the past.

Wilson keeps the action clean and uncluttered. He adds aspects of metatheatre in his visual narrative but, ultimately, strips the performance down to its bones. Without any frills but a number of quick changes and well-placed blind spots, he orchestrates some unpretentious, good ol' fashioned, purely theatrical storytelling.

Connor Delves is Mercutio and Tommy Sim'aan is his once-rival Tybalt, "Prince of Cats". Where the former is a bon vivant, sassy and teasing with his cocked hip and ready one-liners, the latter is the worrying kind, dutiful and honourable before anything else.

Forced to remain in the closet because of a narrow-minded society as well as opposite allegiances, they're heartbreaking. Sim'aan swaps a hard sulk for open-hearted, frightful hope once he accepts his sexuality, while Delves trims down his character's trouble-making tendencies, his taunts ("Oh, kitten...) becoming endearing jabs.

Through touching declarations of love under starkly shadowed lighting (Simisola Majekodunmi) and simmering chemistry, they build a stable and devoted connection. If that wasn't exactly the point, one would compare them to Romeo and Juliet without a second thought. Delves and Sim'aan are joined by the ridiculously brilliant Gethin Alderman.

The actor is everybody else in the play. Credited as The Player, his transformations are astounding. Razor-sharp vocal control and impressive physicality result in a multi-faceted delivery. He handles drama (Salvatore the beggar, Capulet, Benvolio...) and comedy (Paris, Juliet...) with equal ease, shuffling his roles and jumping between genres effortlessly.

The climax of his performance summarises Wilson's striking direction: Alderman is Capulet and Montague at the same time. With different capes draped over each shoulder, he gives audience to Tybalt and Mercutio separately, in a swift back-and-forth between the correct cadence, tone, and posture to address them.

Another highlight is his brief stint as Juliet. He certainly is a sight with his period-accurate outfit, but he's also shockingly profound. Garnet's is a funny, entertaining text that subtly delivers its points while being pure, thrilling fanfiction. The parallel with Shakespeare's favourite lovers is flawless and their forced closetedness is a poignant reminder that in many ways we as a society haven't moved on much from the Elizabethan era.

"Our love was perfect and meant for better days" says Tybalt before he meets his fate. During Pride Month, it hits even harder. This should be the "better days", but it's hard to acknowledge it sometimes. Starcrossed is exquisite on many levels, definitely a play to see.

Starcrossed runs at Wilton's Music Hall until 25 June.

Photo credit: Pamela Raith

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.