Reviews Sheffield Published 25 September 2015

Romeo and Juliet

Crucible Theatre ⋄ 17th September - 17th October 2015

Star-crossed Freddie.

John Murphy
Credit: Johan Persson

Credit: Johan Persson

There’s an air of excitement whenever Freddie Fox steps on stage. With his shock blond hair and magnetic stage presence – and his eye-pleasing biceps – he’s real leading man material.

Not everything is so clear-cut in Jonathan Humphrey’s production of Romeo and Juliet, the Crucible’s annual autumnal Shakespeare. There’s more comedy than you might expect for one thing. Which is fine, especially when delivered by a comic talent such as Rachel Lumburg who excels as Juliet’s nurse, but it does make for a rather uneven experience.

Humphreys has delivered a fast-moving Romeo and Juliet, full of action, romance and charm. There’s a beautiful instance in the first half, where Fox sees Morfydd Clark’s Juliet for the first time at a ball – the guests freeze mid-dance, while Fox paces aronud Clark, in awe of her beauty. It’s reminiscent of the classic scene set in Grand Central Station in The Fisher King, and whether Humphreys intended it to be a homage or not, it’s a gorgeous moment.

The balcony scene is dealt with well too, with Humphreys making good use of the Crucible’s thrust stage and wide space in having Fox interact with the audience – if not quite breaking the fourth wall, then certainly making a dent in it as he tells the front row directly about his feelings for Juliet. Clark is impressive too, especially given that this is her Shakespearean debut, but she needs more power in her soliloquies – “My only love sprung from my only hate!” seems to be delivered here as more of an ironic aside rather than the life-defining statement it should be.

Hannah Clark’s set is dominated by a Brutalist, corrugated iron backdrop – the effect is more late ’70s Eastern bloc, especially when combined with some slightly gloomy lighting and rather drab costumes which consists mostly of jeans and shirts. The accents too are all over the place: we have some Scousers brawling in the opening “do you bite your thumb at us, sir?” scene, Fox’s Romeo has a plummy, upper class English accent, while Clark’s Juliet has a lilting Welsh voice. It adds to a general sense of confusion which hangs over the production.

Yet it’s the performances that really make this worth seeing. Fox and Clark have a crackling chemistry, and Lumberg pretty much steals the show with a finely tuned comic performance. Joshua Miles also turns in a crowd-pleasing turn as the Capulets’ servant Peter (introducing himself in a genuinely hilarious scene involving a leaf-blowing machine) and Simon Manyonda gives able support as the doomed Mercutio. The fast pace is entertaining yet it means there’s no real development of the feud between the Montagues and Capulets.

Humprehys is equally adept at handling the darker aspects of the text as he is at injecting humour into proceedings – the pivotal fight scene between Romeo and Tybalt is impressively violent, and he manages to highlight some uncomfortable misogyny in a scene which a laddish Mercutio taunts Juliet’s nurse about her appearance. The final pay-off doesn’t quite have the emotional impact it might: there’s no sense of despair amongst the elders, indeed Michael Hodgson’s Lord Capulet seems to treat a reconciliation with the Montagues as more like a business deal than a tribute to his dead daughter.

It’ll be Freddie Fox who brings the crowds to Sheffield for this production I expect, and on that count at least they won’t leave disappointed.

Advertisement


John Murphy

John is the former editor of, and current contributor to, musicOMH. He lives in Sheffield, in the shadow of the famous Crucible and Lyceum theatres, and also reviews in nearby Leeds and Manchester. John is also a huge fan of stand-up comedy, and can be often be found in one of Sheffield's comedy clubs, laughing like a madman.

Romeo and Juliet Show Info


Directed by Jonathan Humphreys

Written by William Shakespeare

Cast includes Freddie Fox, Morfydd Clark, Scott Arthur, Charlie Bate, Jonny Holden, Rachel Lumberg, Simon Manyonda

Running Time 2 hours, 45 minutes (including interval)

Advertisement


the
Exeunt
newsletter


Enter your email address below to get an occasional email with Exeunt updates and featured articles.


Advertisement