Review: ROMEO & JULIET, Stratford East

Two establishments, both alike in dignity: Monty’s Tacos and Caps Bar. The high street isn’t big enough for the rival families who own them. Shakespeare’s tale of young love and civil bloodshed comes alive in a community-oriented rendition at Stratford East. Adapted by Kwame Owusu and co-directed by Emily Ling Williams and Malik Nashad Sharpe (who also choreographed it), it sees a staggering 38-strong cast of professional performers, young artists from the venue’s own training programs, and representatives of the public. The result is an energetic, galvanising production infused with music and dance that digs into the more romantic side of the play, delivering an excessively naive interpretation. It’s a springboard for many members of The Acting Company, but the vision lacks stability.

Ling Williams and Nashad Sharpe go for euphoric, all-consuming infatuation, casting age-appropriate Dhruv Bhudia and Shakira Paulas as the leads. They’re mesmerising, with Paulas being especially promising as a delicate Juliet, and Bhudia giving a passionate, overwhelmed Romeo. They swoon and gush, drawing the audience in, even at the disproportionately quick rhythm set by the direction. Running at 90 minutes straight, the pace becomes a double-edged sword.

Its speed makes it accessible to a a youthful crowd and it exacerbates the rapidity of the romance, putting it in perspective. It also, however, prevents the story from sinking in. Each scene flows into the other with little-to-no separation, conflating locations and plot-lines into one long sequence. A character referred to as DJ (Louise Rowe) acts as chorus and streamlines some of the plot, but their part gets lost for most of the show, only to return at the end to speak the prologue as an epilogue. It’s tricky; it works, but not as well as it could.

Even with the team hardly shifting the focus to the motivations behind the carnage, there would be plenty of meat to chew if the single pieces of the puzzle were given time to develop. For starters, turning Verona into a matriarchy is enough to begin a thought-provoking exploration of power. Lady Capulet (Natasha Lewis) and Lady Montague (Naomi Tobias) rule their cohorts with an iron fist; both exude severe mob vibes, but neither is provided the scope to shine, while Bre Francis delivers an uncompromising Princess of Verona, leaving her mark with very reduced stage-time.

Joy Adeogun gives a brilliant depiction of the nurse, re-named Jess here. She is instantly captivating as the straightforward friend and confidant to Juliet. The list of outstanding young actors continues with Christvie Mvioki as an affable, affectionate Benvolio. A true highlight of the production is the choreography. From K-pop to jazz, from thumping techno to slow ballads, the score (designed by Nicola T Chang) accompanies most of the traffic. During the most crucially sentimental moments (lit with an atmosphere by Alex Fernandes), the unspeakable feelings felt by Romeo and Juliet are visualised through Louis Donovan and Praeploy Pam Tomuan. It's frankly beautiful.

As a whole, the piece displays some original and thoroughly arresting devising, with touches that broaden the reach of the project and spotlight the potential of their perspective. It’s not perfect, but there’s lots to commend. Mostly, it’s a splendid showcase for new homegrown talent.

Romeo & Juliet runs at Stratford East until 9 August.