Skip to main content

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

Popular posts from this blog

Review of Murder She Didn't Write at Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

Murder She Didn't Write , stopping off for a four-day run at Royal & Derngate on a lengthy UK tour, treads the now well-worn path of an improvisational evening of theatre entertainment. Unsurprisingly, from the title, this show from Degrees of Error's takes a murder mystery as its inspiration, with the story influenced by ideas from the audience each evening. Due to this, Murder She Didn't Write and a review are very much an individual affair. What I saw in my evening at the theatre will differ significantly from what the audience will see the following evening; however, the fine performers will remain. The touring cast, in no particular order, is Lizzy Skrzypiec, Rachael Procter-Lane, Peter Baker, Caitlin Campbell, Stephen Clements, Douglas Walker, Harry Allmark, Rosalind Beeson, Sylvia Bishop, Emily Brady, Alice Lamb, Sara Garrard, Peta Maurice and Matthew Whittle. For my performance, Skrzypiec, Procter-Lane, Baker, Walker, Bishop, and Clements were on stage alongsid...

Review of Immune by R&D Youth Theatre at Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

The cover note for the script of Oladipo Agboluaje's Immune describes it as "a challenging science fiction play with a large cast", and the word challenging in this case is not a lie. This is a fast paced, multi-cast changing script which leaves little room for error for its young cast in the performance. If the script isn't enough to handle for the young performers, director Christopher Elmer-Gorry and designer Carl Davies have made the situation even more complex for the actors with the set and stage work. Having to manhandle great panels on wheels and a huge cube, which also splits in two occasionally, during scene changes requires skill, coordination and cooperation of a high level. As if all this is not enough, the actual story is epic enough for the relatively small stage of the Royal. Attempting to form an apocalyptic world (albeit only happening in Plymouth) offers challenges in itself, but Agboluaje's script does that in a sort of apocalypse in the teac...

Review of Theft at the Castle Theatre Studio, Wellingborough

The comedy-thriller Theft by Eric Chappell tells the story of an anniversary celebrating couple returning to the devastation of their home being ransacked in a burglary. However, this ransacking pales in comparison to the ransacking of their lives that then occurs as home truths are revealed. Anyone old enough to remember the works of Theft writer Chappell ( Rising Damp and Only When I Laugh ), could be forgiven for thinking that this 1996 play might feel a little dated for a 2021 audience. However, bar a few references much of their time now (the weaker sex and female priests for instance), Theft still feels comfortable in the 2021 world, where many of us just want both a good evening of theatre and a good bit of fun. With Theft from the highly regarded Wellingborough Technical Players, they get just that. The action starts as we find the man of the house John Miles played by Graham Breeze returning, very angry, to his home. He is a rightfully boisterous character, channelling all th...