Fluid, emotive Shakespeare without distractions

Right from the opening chorus sequence, TNT’s Romeo and Juliet sets the stage for a lyrical night of classic Shakespeare. The cast of 6 deliver their lines with perfect timing, bringing to life the many exchanges of witticisms in this poetic play. This is Romeo and Juliet without the glitz and distraction of complicated special effects, allowing the cadence and rhymes a chance to shine. 

This story of two lovers from the two feuding families of Montague and Capulet is a perennial favourite, and Director Paul Stebbings chooses to stays true to the text in a manner which will please Shakespearean purists, and explores the rich themes of the play in a subtly suggestive manner. He writes in his Director’s notes that “We have chosen to personify Death, to explore the conflict … between love and Death. … Death is seductive, a lover as well as an enemy.” Much thought has gone into a performance which lets the audience explore the simplistic presumptions that love is good, and death empty.

TNT’s production is rich but accessible, with the plot carried in the emotions of the cast and thriving on the strength of its dialogue. The energy and chemistry between the characters does not disappoint. The title’s star-crossed lovers first meeting is played with an almost palpable intensity, and Rachel Lynes carries Juliet at times with an air of one stricken with the power of head-over-heels teenage love. Romeo (Dan Wilder) is equally smitten in a whirlwind of obsession, displaying pure yearning for Juliet in the balcony scene where the lovers talk in private for the first time.

As much as it is a romantic tragedy, Romeo and Juliet is also a comedy, and Paul Stebbings inserts dashes of artistic liberty with marked emphasis highlighting Shakespeare’s many double entendres, much to the audience’s delight. Natalia Campbell provides part of this by untiringly playing the part of the crude but loving Nurse interpreted with great comedic effect. 

TNT’s take on this play involves a minimalistic but cleverly adaptive set, with just a few pieces of movable boxes providing the seeds for the audience’s imagination. This is helped along through sparing but effective use of lighting and music to enhance the mood, which is used to great effect during the Mercutio’s (Richard Croughan) gripping soliloquy on Queen Mab, the bringer of dreams. 

In the end, it takes a skilled troupe to bring alive the nuances and richness of Shakespeare, and TNT delivers the witty lines with polished poise in classic style.