Review of Matthew Bourne's Romeo + Juliet at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

Despite now having seen a few dance shows encompassing many different styles, I had yet to see one developed by Sir Matthew Bourne, a controversial player in his time, but as the relatively recent knighthood suggests, now very much embraced by the establishment. So, does Romeo + Juliet live up to his name, that is the question?

So, first, this might normally be where I give you a brief outline of the story, but, for one, most have a general understanding of the love disaster of William Shakespeare's play already, and two, as it turns out from the Bourne production, a huge amount of what you might be familiar with has gone or been dramatically changed anyway. There is shocking complicity in murders, there are different moments of murder and gone are the warring factions of the Montagues and Capulets. Characters themselves feel very different at times also, to such an extent that even knowing the play doesn't always make it clear who is who at times.

So, if all that sounds very negative, perhaps it is meant to be. However, that is just the issue with this production not being Romeo + Juliet as we know it, and if that is a problem, maybe you might not like this production.

If however, you are looking for a surprising take on the old story; stunning choreography performed by an exceptional group of dances across the board; presented on a set of total shiny splendour from designer Lez Brotherston and young associate Elin Steel; and to the sound of the beautiful work of Brett Morris and his musicians, you are in luck as Romeo + Juliet is all that.

While being presented totally as a finished piece, Romeo + Juliet is also a work in development and as it tours across the country, with two different casts, it is constantly being developed, the show last week, isn't the show it is this week. It's a fascinating and unique development process, which Bourne is probably one of the few that would be bold enough to try.

This doesn't make this show unfinished though, it is very ready for the stage, with leads Paris Fitzpatrick as Romeo and Cordelia Braithwaite as Juliet, and the rest of the performers presenting a stunning piece of work. This whole production brims with energy throughout from the dynamic opening, with reworked and reordered Prokofiev, maybe sounding a little more rugged that you might have heard before.

The setting of a futuristic Verona Insitute works well, and the set complete with shadows and reflections of the dancers, upon the tiles looking like pixel versions of the performers, giving the piece a suitably clinical look.

As well as two brilliant performances from the leads, other highlights include the wonderful traumatic piece performed by Hannah Mason as Frenchie and a wonderful comic turn from Daisy May Kemp as the Rev. Bernadette Laurence. Elsewhere, Dan Wright's immensely strong and towering Tybalt is another highlight.

There are six brilliant local performers also, as is the twist with Bourne's New Adventures strand, these are all deserving of a namecheck, so congratulations Karishma Young, Alanah Corbridge, Elsie Ward, Jamie Blackadder, Edwin Cheng and Matthew Brion. Sterling work!

So, Matthew Bourne's Romeo + Juliet is a treat, no question. The dancing and choreography are superb and the dancers are stunning, and it looks tremendously good as well. The plot is extremely loose in it's telling of the original, and you perhaps never get the full emotion you might want from the telling itself. However, I doubt that anyone truly will go away disappointed from this lovely evening of contemporary dance.

Captivating dance from a company of exceptional dancers, but tells a very different version of the classic story.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Wednesday 29th May 2019 at the Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton.

Richard III is at Royal & Derngate until Saturday 1st June 2019.

For further details about the Royal & Derngate see their website at http://www.royalandderngate.co.uk

Photos: Johan Persson

Review of The Rocky Horror Show at Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes

Seeing the 46-year-old Rocky Horror Show at the theatre for the first time is quite an experience on many levels. First and foremost as a regular theatregoer, the audience, even on a relatively demure evening of a Monday, is something you would never really experience at a theatre beyond this show. Many are dressed up (even on that demure Monday), and so many are so in tune with the show, that these regular fans have become entwined within it. They know every word of the script, they contribute to it, they enhance it, often they make Richard O'Brien's already adult content into something much more adult. It's a revelation of experience, much before a newbie such as myself even considers the show. Laura Harrison's beautifully clear rendition of Science Fiction/Double Feature sets the scene for some generally excellent performances of O'Brien's classic tunes, in a musical which is clearly audible, sadly not something that always happens with many productio...

Review of Cinderella, performed by University Of Northampton BA Actors at Maidwell Hall (Avenue Campus), Northampton

So, this is a bit different, the third year actors (my fifth group of them!) do panto, Cinderella to be precise. Pantomime is my perennial favourite bit of theatre. Oh no, it isn't! However, I have long acknowledged that for an actor, the form is both incredibly important, because if you can entertain kids, you can probably do anything, it also provides a large opening for a regular gig each year as they are so abundant. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the intelligent bods teaching these students have come to the decision to create a little panto action of their own. This first of three (and the other two are very different beasts, as you will learn from the next reviews) is the ever so traditional one. Formed partly from the work of Looking Glass Theatre and director James Smith, I first saw much of this piece in January 2015, and although I didn't remember a great deal of it after this time, the cheese song managed to flash back to me, perhaps, sadly. So, ...

Review of Bat Out of Hell - The Musical at Milton Keynes Theatre

This tour of Bat Out of Hell - The Musical has become sadly a double-tribute as it tours throughout the UK into 2023 and the love of its creator Jim Steinman, and the man who made his work world-famous, Meat Loaf, both lost in the last year, runs through the cast in this impressive version of the show. The storyline of Bat Out of Hell takes the Peter Pan idea and warps it into a dystopian world of a group of youth known as The Lost trapped forever at 18 years of age. The centre of this group is Strat, who, after a chance encounter, becomes under the spell of Raven. Of course, into this mix must come a megalomaniac, as all dystopian worlds really need. This is the father of Raven, Falco, who, with his wife Sloane, battle The Lost, Raven’s relationship with Strat, and indeed their own very bizarre relationship, to the backdrop of Steinman’s music. Bat Out of Hell doesn’t start particularly well, be it the performance or a show issue, for the first twenty minutes there is a lack of clarit...

A Small Mind At The Theatre

Search This Blog