Theatre Review: Romeo & Juliet, Duke of York’s Theatre - Freema Agyeman and Tomiwa Edun fly in a production that falls flat.

Francesca Amewudah-Rivers as Juliet, and Tom Holland as Romeo with the cast of Romeo & Juliet. Image Credit: Marc Brenner

⭑⭑⭑

After the success of Sunset Boulevard, there was no doubt when it was announced Jamie Lloyd would be adapting Romeo & Juliet, that it would be the hottest ticket in town. Starring Tom Holland as the leading man, and packed full of extraordinary acting talent, expectations were high, people were expecting greatness. But did it deliver, or was it all hype? 

Jamie Lloyd’s style is divisive, you either love his minimalist style or you find it lacklustre, and that has been true across his career. One thing I do love about his style is the way he stretches the bounds of where the show can happen. Shakespeare himself wrote “All the world’s a stage” and it feels as though Jamie Lloyd took that personally, especially in this production. I won’t offer any spoilers in this review, but the way he presents the party at the Capulet’s house in Act 1, is bold and exciting and a highlight of the show. He plays with space, he plays with the theatre as a whole, and that sort of creative bravery I do applaud. 

However, there’s an interesting dichotomy because whilst his use of the space feels brave and new and creative, his direction on stage feels decidedly not. There’s no set, as is standard for a JLC production, there’s no costume - everyone is in blacks - there’s no props, there’s no hair design, and outside of stage blood there’s no make up work either. It’s actors and a couple of video cameras and that’s it. 

What you are doing when you strip everything away is saying “the performances are the star of this show, let them speak for themselves.” And look, that’s fine. That can work. But for it to work, you really have to give your actors the freedom to act. To dig out every tool in their belt and lay it all bare on stage. I don’t feel that was the case with this production. 

There’s little connection between the performers, because of the choice to have the vast majority of the show spoken out at the audience or into a camera rather than allowing the actors to interact, to create and play together. This story particularly is impactful because of the relationships, but so many of them fall flat because the actors have barely looked at each other. Shakespeare is known for his action scenes, the fights are so intricate that some actors train intensely to be able to deliver them and yet in this version of his most famous tragedy, there are none played out on stage. Instead it’s blackouts, loud music, and fake blood. Instead of feeling bold and brave and creative, it just feels lazy, it feels amateur. On top of all of this, acting for stage and acting for screen are different skills. Stage is big, it’s projection, it’s making sure everything you do is as impactful for people sat in the very back row of the royal circle as it is for the people in the front of the stalls. Screen is quieter, it’s more introspective and whilst some camera work can elevate a production, around 65% of this show done on screen. Instead of elevating, it was too much and it detracted from the impact of a great theatrical performance. Stage presence was lacking as they toned down their performance for the cameras. 

Despite the limitations, there were some outstanding performances. It’s a strong cast, Tom Holland as Romeo is a more intense and brooding figure than we usually see Romeo depicted, and Francesca Adewumah-Rivers as Juliet is funny and dry and filled with attitude, yet still vulnerable and lost. Freema Agyeman as Nurse and Tomiwa Edun as Juliet’s Dad are runaway stars of the show. It’s no secret that the language of Shakespeare can make the story hard to follow, but Freema’s delivery throughout is so expertly measured that whether this was your first experience of the Bard or your 50th, you were right there with her. With humour and heart and heartbreak aplenty, she presents one of the most well-rounded versions of Nurse to be seen in a while. Let us all be real - who ever remembers Juliet’s dad? R&J yes, Mercutio, Tybalt, Benvolio sure. But Mr Capulet? He’s not usually the character people leave ready to write home about. That could not be further from the truth with Tomiwa Edun’s interpretation of the character. He is a commander of the stage, hard to look away from each time he takes to it. He creates a multifaceted father figure, menacing at times, warm and merry at others, thoughtful and considered but stern. His monologue in Act 2 is perhaps the standout moment of the show. 

But I can’t help but feel longing. If they are delivering characters this good within these limitations, I long to know what they would have done if they’d been truly free. My feeling is that we would have been describing both as the definitive versions of the characters. And it is disappointing we don’t get to see them truly soar because the direction clipped their wings. 

Ultimately, this production did not deliver on the hype that surrounded it. It lacked presence, it lacked impact, it lacked energy. There were flashes of brilliance but they were left to fizzle out. By the end, my main thought was “Had I experienced this with my eyes closed, my experience wouldn’t have changed - this could just be a radio play.”

Romeo & Juliet plays at the Duke of York’s Theatre until Saturday August 3rd.