Performing Arts

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet State TheatrePresented by State Theatre Company of SA
Reviewed Tues 10th August 2010

http://www.statetheatrecompany.com.au/season/romeo-a-juliet

Venue: Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre
Season: to Sun 29th August various days and times, see the BASS web site for details
Duration: 2hrs 30min NO INTERVAL
Tickets: adult $45/conc $40/under 30s $29
Bookings: BASS 131 241 or http://www.bass.net.au

William Shakespeare’s “star-cross’d lovers” are getting another airing, this time under the direction of Geordie Brookman for State Theatre in his own adaptation of the script, written in association with Nicki Bloom. In case you missed it in the brief information above, take note, this production runs for two and a half hours with no interval. This is a very long time on those uncomfortable seats in the Dunstan Playhouse, resulting in progressively more shifting in seats as the play progressed, and not everybody survived without succumbing to the need to slip out to the conveniences. Shakespeare wrote the play in five acts and it does not seem unreasonable to have allowed for one interval. Perhaps they realised that having an interval might have permitted many of the patrons to escape this travesty.

The decision to attempt this piece with only six actors is illogical, and logic never returns. The six performers constantly swap characters, for no readily apparent reason. The only consistency across the interpretations of any one character is the costuming. Whoever is wearing the scarf at any point in the performance, male or female, is Juliet. Likewise, anybody wearing the black beanie is Romeo. The inconsistency of characterisations only adds to the confusion and frustration. The interpretation of the Nurse, for example, ranges from an outrageous Monty Python ‘Pepperpot’ caricature to almost a nonentity.

One wonders of there were messages in Brookman’s approach that we missed. When Juliet’s father becomes Romeo are we meant to read into that something about incest, or paedophilia? What about when he becomes Juliet? Was Brookman, perhaps, trying to make a point about the Catholic Church and the moral failures of certain members of the priesthood through Friar Lawrence transmuting into other characters? Who knows? By the end, I doubt many cared, the audience by that stage treating it as a joke, laughing in the most inappropriate places and finding hilarity in moments that should have been tragedy. It was tragic.

Michaela Cantwell, Thomas Conroy, Terence Crawford, Mark Saturno, Roman Vaculik and Josephine Were all work hard, with varying degrees of success depending on which role they were playing at any one time, and any interest that this production has is solely in their performances.
Pip Runciman’s construction site set, walls of scaffolding covered in Hessian and an articulated section of wall at the rear, was imposing, although some aspects need attention, particularly that dreadful motel sign, and Geoff Cobham, as usual, provided an interesting and attention getting lighting plot, with strong angles, sharp edges and considerable movement. Andrew Howard’s sound fitted well and Larissa McGowan provided plenty of movement, but even all this was not enough to save this production.

This re-imagined version of the play lacked imagination, appearing to the audience as little more than a cost cutting measure with six actors covering too many roles coupled with a seemingly random, constantly changing assignment of characters. Quoting the catch-phrase of Jon Pertwee’s character in the long-running British comedy radio series, The Navy Lark, “It’s a carve up, that’s what it is, a carve up!”

Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Arts Editor Glam Adelaide.

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