Review: Romeo & Juliet, Duke of York's Theatre starring Tom Holland and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers
26/05/2024
Director Jamie Lloyd is behind this new production of Romeo & Juliet with Spider-Man Tom Holland as the star name. He's a director whose work I love, particularly for the way he takes familiar plays and makes you see them differently.
Could he work his magic on this Shakespeare classic and make me like a play I've started to avoid?
I've seen a good handful of productions of Romeo & Juliet, and my main problem has been believability. There has rarely been sufficient chemistry between the star-crossed lovers to make their teenage 3-day meet-fall-in-love-marry-die story feel genuine.
It doesn't help that the 3-day tragi-romance begins with Romeo moping because he's so in love with another girl. (Fickle youth.)
But watching Jamie Lloyd's production, it's like he's asked a mate to hold his pint while he throws an emotional punch.
The staging is stripped back and still. There are a couple of mic stands and a step-down near the front of the stage where the actors sometimes sit.
Jamie Lloyd has embellished this sparse, prop-free backdrop by mixing in live video. A camera projects particular scenes on a huge screen above their heads, creating a cinema-screen-sized close-up.
The handheld camera also allows the actors to roam and break away from the traditional performance space. (At one point, Tom Holland's Romeo goes up onto the roof for a quiet cig.)
None of this is new in theatre-land, these are techniques Jamie Lloyd has used before as have other directors such as Ivo Van Hove.
But the particular way it is put together tells its own narrative. Our first glimpse of Tom Holland's Romeo is following him, hood-up, as he wanders through a functional backstage area.
You could feel the tension build in the auditorium to the moment we finally saw his face. (Nice touch Jamie Lloyd 😉)
It's also a play that is, for large parts, very still. There are some similarities with his production of The Seagull. There is little proclaiming and gesturing, which makes you realise how busy a lot of performances are.
This focuses attention on the dialogue and how it is delivered. The young characters are contemplative and reflective, less angsty than typical productions. It bears the soul of the play, helped by the camera close-ups. (Sitting in the cheap seats, those close-ups were particularly appreciated.)
Juliet (Francesca Amewudah-Rivers) and her father (Tomiwa Edun) have a complex relationship. Capulet has the underlying, silent power of someone you just don't cross, which brings clarity to Juliet's choices.
These elements combine to ratchet up the tension and deliver a genuine sense of danger for two young lives. And I haven't felt that watching Romeo & Juliet before.
Under Jamie Lloyd's direction, the relationship between Romeo and Juliet is refreshingly different. Francesca Amewudah-Rivers isn't a simpering, giggly, hand-wringing Juliet, she's got bite, sass and substance. That is something you can feel Tom Holland's Romeo falling in love with, not just prettiness.
The connection between the two characters felt genuine and, therefore, worth preserving, which added to the sense of jeopardy.
All this carries into a cliche-free, stripped-back, symbolic denouement that delivers a powerful final punch. (I've never seen it done like that before.)
My grumble is the odd use of the microphones on stands for some scenes. It felt like an unnecessary embellishment that added little to the narrative or general atmosphere.
Otherwise, it's hats off to Jamie Lloyd for creating a Romeo & Juliet I both enjoyed and cared about. I'm giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
Romeo & Juliet, Duke of York's Theatre
Directed by Jamie Lloyd
Starring Tom Holland and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers
Running time: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Booking until 3 August; visit the ATG website for details and to buy tickets.
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