The star-crossed lovers offered a beautiful, jazz-age retelling of the classic tale. In the intimate Alphabetti theatre, the audience was struck in the heart by the captivating and engaging performance of the cast.
For those who didn't study the Shakespeare play back in school, the story is set in Verona (London, in this production) amid a family feud, teens Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet fall desperately and heart-achingly in love at first sight. Despite the families loathing one another, it ignites a secret love story between the Romeo and Juliet in which they tie the knot with the hopeful notion of ending the hatred between their relations.
Disaster occurs when a fight breaks out and Juliet's cousin is murdered by Romeo, who is hence banished, and Juliet is subsequently pressured to marry another. Juliet fakes her own death with a potion; however, the message explaining the plan goes awry, and Romeo, who believes Juliet is dead, takes his own life beside her tomb.
Juliet, when she awakes sees the love of her life gone, takes her own life too. The families guilt-stricken and devastated by the loss of their children, reconcile and end their feud in the finale of the heart-wrenching tragedy.
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Romeo, played by Jonathan Snelling, delivered a gripping performance capturing the young Montague's reckless passion and anguish. The intensity of the charisma and melodramatic portrayal of the character bodes well in the lead-up to his death.
Liv Hass, who took on the role of Juliet, enveloped the elegant and youthful essence of the spirited and courageous girl with a vulnerability that foreshadowed the coming tragedy. The infamous balcony soliloquy was a lovely outpouring of sincere emotions delivered with both eloquence and a touch of naivete.
Giggles echoed in the audience of Liz Morgan's quick-witted remarks as the Nurse and the bromance between Mercutio (Ben Stoddart) and Benvolio (Oscar Errington) delivered a welcomed light-heartedness amidst the tragedy.
The supporting cast were terrific through building tension between the Montagues and Capulets, well encapsulating anger and conflict within the actors' words. The booming voice of the Prince (Omar Ismail) made my heart drop and incredibly dominated the stage every time he appeared to promote peace amongst the characters.
The wickedly charming Paris, played by Laura Kasongo, brilliantly added a layer of complexity to Juliet's predicament, and Friar Lawrence's (Stefan Momic) agony, with managing his internal conflicts and desperation towards finding a solution in reuniting Romeo and Juliet, was sincerely effective.
To the cast reading this...Bravo guys, William would have been proud!
