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Post by callum on May 18, 2016 19:44:15 GMT
Saw the matinee today and I've got to say it was close to 10/10 for me. The style is very hyper mediterranean chic with a monochrome palette that goes through the set, the costumes, everything. Friar Laurence's ginger hair as well as the inevitable blood is virtually the only bit of colour! Madden was a perfectly competent Romeo and did well but Lily James' Juliet really blossomed, especially in Act II. Would love to come back later in the run and see how she improved.
Jacobi is playing a version of his character from Vicious but does so entirely in sync with this interpretation of the play. I had reservations about an older Mercutio before seeing the play but was a total revelation. In fact it adds an extra layer of vulnerability and poignancy to his dying speech about the diseases inside both of the Montagues and Capulets. I didn't find Meera Syal to be that hammy but the actress playing Peter was WAY OTT and almost ruined the first part of the play. Marisa Berenson was excellent at crying over dead bodies! Her age did seem a little particular. From my seat in one of the boxes I'd have said she was early 50s but was astounded to see she's almost 70. Still her diva-persona was terrific and fitted in with the quasi-camp tone of the play.
As this was a preview a few things could be done that I think would make the play run a lot smoother. Firstly Lily James' wig was extremely distracting - is there any reason why she couldn't just use her normal hair? Or is there some tradition I'm not aware of that Juliet ought to be brunette? Nurse and Peter have bizarre accentuated Midlands accents in an RP play - lose it. The death of Mercutio showed they're not afraid of blood, perhaps I'm being gruesome but would've loved a splash of blood/gore as Romeo killed Tybalt.
An unfortunate moment also occurred in the second act - two members of the crew came on stage during scene change to put in the wall for Juliet's balcony but couldn't get it fixed in to the stage quick enough - Madden and James had already started talking while the two crew members were still on stage. There were a few laughs in the audience but everyone soon forgot about it.
The staging of the party as well as Juliet taking the poison were highlights for me. A staggeringly well done play with a lot more coherence and conviction than The Winter's Tale. Branagh wouldn't have been out of place as Friar Laurence I thought. All in all, really quite spectacular and definitely in the top five bits of theatre I've ever seen. Having never really been a huge fan, I felt myself falling in love with the play during the first half an hour, and, without being too kitsch, isn't that what modern Shakespeare is all about? Amazing.
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Post by popcultureboy on May 18, 2016 20:41:12 GMT
How's the running time coming along? The Branagh Theatre website says 2 hours, Nimax says 2 hours 45 minutes, it was 3 hours when I saw it on Friday night.
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Post by Jon on May 18, 2016 21:43:46 GMT
How's the running time coming along? The Branagh Theatre website says 2 hours, Nimax says 2 hours 45 minutes, it was 3 hours when I saw it on Friday night. I guess Branagh's claim for a two hour R&J didn't come into fruition, i guess they're aiming for 2 hours 45 minutes by the time press night comes along. |
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Post by callum on May 18, 2016 21:44:53 GMT
How's the running time coming along? The Branagh Theatre website says 2 hours, Nimax says 2 hours 45 minutes, it was 3 hours when I saw it on Friday night. Programme says 2hr45 as well. When I was at the matinee today I remember checking my watch at 5:10 and that was before Paris' death. So probably went on an extra 15 minutes after that, close to 3 hours just like you. |
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Post by kathryn on May 18, 2016 22:00:51 GMT
The age topic again! They look more like it than Ken & Miranda in Harlequinade I bet! I did have a very brief Harlequinade flashback during the scene change for the tomb, when the plinth Juliet lies on was rising up from the floor. I could see Ken leaping and the wig slipping... |
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Post by Snciole on May 18, 2016 22:44:08 GMT
For those of us who thought Ken had gone awry casting Jacobi as Mercutio, well, that turned out great. Marisa Berenson as Juliet's mother though? Not so much. She's terrible, she forgot her lines on Friday night at one point and given that the text leads you to think she's in her early 30s at the latest (she references Juliet being 14 and how she'd had kids already by her age), casting someone who is knocking on 70 and looks every day of it, despite copious amounts of plastic surgery may not have been the most "on point" of decisions. Ha! This made me bark out laughing. To be fair to Marissa she used to look like this. I would be shamelessly clinging on to dear life too!  |
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Post by callum on May 18, 2016 22:54:42 GMT
Bit harsh on Marisa! Although then again a lot of people on this board are a sucker for a glamorous older lady.  |
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Post by greenswan on May 19, 2016 6:13:48 GMT
In terms of the running time, it was pretty much 10.15pm when they finished yesterday. There were some issues with the lighting which they announced before the second half but I didn't notice a difference. Both halfs were equally dimly lit. I didn't mind the minimalist staging. Although be careful in the front row. During the fencing a chairs was fell off stage.
As previously, those GBP15 Tickets are not necessarily a bargain. In W8 there are two pillars and the person in front of you blocking the view. Plus, it is too far away (for me) to see facial expressions properly.
Everything has been said about the staging - very much a black & white film from the 50s. Although some of these clothes are not very flattering on the leads...
I'm not too fond of the play itself because so much teenage angst is quite boring and it gets quite lengthy. So it's quite nice when after a very sedate beginning they play around with characterization a bit towards the middle, such as in the balcony scene. And even up to Romeo being expelled. It's perhaps not entirely coherent in terms of characterization overall but it makes it that much more entertaining. In terms of the language only Jacobi & Syal speak it quite naturally. The others are much more "doing Shakespeare".
Overall, I do think a lot of people will like this.
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Post by Steve on May 23, 2016 0:03:50 GMT
Saw the Saturday matinee preview, and liked it very much. Lily James is a wonderful Juliet. For Shakespeare's love poetry to catch fire, and it must if we are to feel the full force of the ending, it needs a crazy adrenalin rush of youthful abandon to spark it. Before life deflates our balloon, we need to fully swoon! That doesn't mean the actors have to be young, just that we believe they are. I believed Judi Dench when she regressed to childhood, despite being 78, in "Peter and Alice," and wish I could go back to 1960 to see her Juliet at the Old Vic. Lily James has the necessary spark. Her Nina, in Chekhov's "The Seagull" at the Young Vic, was so incandescently young, so airy and light and bubbly, she seemed to fizz. As Juliet here, she quivers, her breaths heave, lightning fast thoughts result in lightning fast mood changes, and she brings Shakespeare's verse to life as if it were written moments earlier. Manly and heroic, Richard Madden never feels as young as I would have liked, though he tries. The burden of adult thinking seems to weigh his Romeo down, so he doesn't let loose the way youth must. Touching at the end, he never helps inflate the swoon balloon in the early scenes, leaving Lily James to puff it up alone, and consequently, this "Romeo and Juliet" never quite pops to it's full potential, having to settle with being very good. Derek Jacobi's perfectly judged Mercutio is unique. He carries a cane, and walks with an affected bounce, a rakish old dandy who adds much to the comic relief. One wonders how such a Mercutio could have the youthful temperament to cause his downfall? Jacobi resolves this question eloquently by locating Mercutio's fate not in his temper, but in his agedness, caught out by his lifelong loyalty to tit-for-tat tradition, such that his joie-de-vivre tragically cannot save him. This production tries hard to divide the comedy in the first half from the tragedy in the second half. For some actors, like Meera Syal's Nurse, this means that she is directed to assume exaggerated comic mannerisms at first, whereas she is directed to play more naturally later. For me, she acquitted herself well both ways, as I laughed at her bolshy comic persona and then I believed her tragic persona. The same goes for the Nurse's assistant, Peter, played by Kathryn Wilder, who plays realistically at the end, but whose exaggerated comic persona early on was such a hoot, that she stole the show at times. Ultimately, this is the "Romeo and Juliet" where Lily James discards a decade, and brings Shakespeare to life. 4 stars  |
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Post by raiseitup on May 26, 2016 10:25:53 GMT
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Post by rumbledoll on May 26, 2016 13:56:45 GMT
Great review, Steve! Not fond of R&J at all, but I'm so looking forward to it after seeing pictures! Looks fab!
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Post by theglenbucklaird on May 26, 2016 17:46:37 GMT
Great review, Steve! Not fond of R&J at all, but I'm so looking forward to it after seeing pictures! Looks fab! Yep second that. This site has some very good writers |
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2016 20:21:36 GMT
God talk about timely discussions
Left in the middle of the balcony scene
As my agitation was affecting women next to me
It shocks me that someone who is supposed to be a respected purveyor of Shakespeare is so cack handed in their direction of this play
The aforementioned scene is so stupid to look at visually
With Romeo often standing higher than Juliet who is supposed to be looking down on him
WFT?!
The "star" casting exposes what weak actors names can be
Richard Madden is no better than his fellow Game of Thrones friend (they can meet after shows to see who is the worse stage actor given their respective theatres back onto each other more or less)
I had so close my eyes and ears every time Jacobi minced about
Unwatchable
Meera Syal decided to go back to Goodness Gracious Me for her brummie nurse
Doesn't work
Lily James is a boring Juliet
The whole cast lack any basic skills of diction and the pacing of lines is all over the place
It seemed no one was comfortable speaking the verse and I have never come across this on such a mass scale in one show
The dancing music and use of Italian is pathetically laughable
The staging looks cheap and serves the action poorly
There was such a lack of any unifying concept I was actually quite shocked
The only recompense is that the negative reviews it received were well deserved and I hope Kenneth Branagh realises he ain't all that as a stage director
Let's not pretend
A slew of 2 and 3 stars is not where this show was aiming
For me the RSC staging done by Rupert Goold (in his heyday) remains the gold standard for this play
It's fine to adapt and update and meddle about with classic plays if the basics are in place
This can offer new insights
Alternatively a good classic staging is also good
If done to the highest standards
And I mean
HIGH
However if your fabric is cheap and nasty the dress will quickly unravel and fall apart
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2016 20:29:53 GMT
parsley, I do love your writing style; it has grown on me over time...
I can't comment on the critiques in many of your posts as you tend to see so much more than I do. The content, whilst often blunt and direct, I often find amusing, and sharply observed.
I've noticed that you walk out of quite a few shows, before the end. Would it be rude to ask if you actually pay to see them, or are you lucky enough to get comps? (Genuine question. Honest. )
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2016 20:32:47 GMT
Observer 2 stars
FT 2 stars
The Stage 2 stars
Telegraph 3 stars
Times 3 stars
Evening Standard 3 stars
WOS 3 stars
Indepedent 3 stars
Guardian 4 stars
If this was my show
I wouldn't bother listing this to my CV
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2016 20:42:05 GMT
parsley, I do love your writing style; it has grown on me over time... I can't comment on the critiques in many of your posts as you tend to see so much more than I do. The content, whilst often blunt and direct, I often find amusing, and sharply observed. I've noticed that you walk out of quite a few shows, before the end. Would it be rude to ask if you actually pay to see them, or are you lucky enough to get comps? (Genuine question. Honest. ) For WE much of the time have access to heavy reductions or free tickets Tonight was a complimentary ticket thank god All the publicly funded places I always pay when I can out of principle to support them and never begrudge it I have memberships at a good level to most of them and offset this with cheaper tickets My limit is never to pay more than £49.50 for a musical and £35 for a play unless I am going to the ROH or Glyndebourne or Beyonce is appearing in the show I am then inventive within this framework I should also add that I rarely leave any shows at the Barbican And that my time is worth a LOT more than the 20 odd quid I lose by leaving early |
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Post by David J on May 30, 2016 21:15:09 GMT
For me the RSC staging done by Rupert Goold (in his heyday) remains the gold standard for this play I'd never would have thought you'd highly regard that production. That certainly gave this never-ending revived play, with its overused story, a good kick up the backside with vitriol and fire. |
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2016 21:20:03 GMT
For me the RSC staging done by Rupert Goold (in his heyday) remains the gold standard for this play I'd never would have thought you'd highly regard that production. That certainly gave this never-ending revived play, with its overused story, a good kick up the backside with vitriol and fire. Errm This is what people say Prior to this current staging And the previous one which was a transfer from the RSC When was the last major London production of Romeo and Juliet? Don't recall the NT Barbican Almeida Donmar etc having done one for AGES I love interesting staging and updated versions of plays Very much I just don't like sh*t theatre |
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Post by rumbledoll on May 30, 2016 21:56:06 GMT
I see parsley got a brand new portion of venom..
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Post by David J on May 30, 2016 22:02:44 GMT
There is a world outside the West End, Parsley. Doesn't touring, regional, amateur, school production revivals count? And sure RJ is the obvious introduction to Shakespeare, but interesting staging and updated versions helps make this over-familiar play interesting to watch
And I'm sure the story of two people from two opposing sides finding love pops up a few times.
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2016 22:32:35 GMT
There is a world outside the West End, Parsley. Doesn't touring, regional, amateur, school production revivals count? And sure RJ is the obvious introduction to Shakespeare, but interesting staging and updated versions helps make this over-familiar play interesting to watch And I'm sure the story of two people from two opposing sides finding love pops up a few times. Yes I agree I said I LIKE updating and new fresh perspectives in the post?! THIS staging was not fresh and offered no new perspective And I stand by my point that R&J doesn't not get staged often professionally Many more times I have seen Lear and Hamlet They are overdone Have only seen R&J 3 times ever Compare this to Midsummer and the above tragedies |
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Post by joem on May 30, 2016 22:59:30 GMT
There is a serious problem with staging Romeo and Juliet: the age of the heroine. This presents practical, commercial and (these days) socio-cultural difficulties.
Lily James is ridiculously old to play the part. If you think about it, it would be the equivalent of asking Glenda Jackson to play one of the Spice Girls. She's over double the age of the character she is playing.
So historically you end up with someone who looks vaguely young but is an expereienced adult actress rtaher than the young teenager the part calls for. Of course, there aren't many (if there are any) well-known thirteen year-old stage actresses who would be good box-office because, amonsgst other reasons, they don't have a commercial track record. And if you find one employment law intervenes and tells you a 14 year old girl can only work for 79 days a year.
Next problem, Romeo's age. Platonic young love is ok but when the going gets heavier we start falling foul of censorship and/or the law. Whilst no sex is shown in the play the desire for it is certainly there - Romeo and Juliet are renowned as "star-cross'd lovers", not hand-holding infants. Given that Romeo is almost certainly over the age of eighteen he is potentially a sex offender.
Can you see why it isn;t staged that often now?
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2016 23:19:03 GMT
There is a serious problem with staging Romeo and Juliet: the age of the heroine. This presents practical, commercial and (these days) socio-cultural difficulties. Lily James is ridiculously old to play the part. If you think about it, it would be the equivalent of asking Glenda Jackson to play one of the Spice Girls. She's over double the age of the character she is playing. So historically you end up with someone who looks vaguely young but is an expereienced adult actress rtaher than the young teenager the part calls for. Of course, there aren't many (if there are any) well-known thirteen year-old stage actresses who would be good box-office because, amonsgst other reasons, they don't have a commercial track record. And if you find one employment law intervenes and tells you a 14 year old girl can only work for 79 days a year. Next problem, Romeo's age. Platonic young love is ok but when the going gets heavier we start falling foul of censorship and/or the law. Whilst no sex is shown in the play the desire for it is certainly there - Romeo and Juliet are renowned as "star-cross'd lovers", not hand-holding infants. Given that Romeo is almost certainly over the age of eighteen he is potentially a sex offender. Can you see why it isn;t staged that often now? No I don't They don't have to use stunt casting of people who can't act in order to force the illusion of romance The RSC version had Mariah Gale and Sam Troughton It was entirely believable and plausible Also it is fiction you know Just like incest in Greek Tragedy And people being murdered on stage We know it's not real You may recall The Nether played just across the road A much more uncomfortable play It was a huge success |
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2016 23:20:29 GMT
Glenda Jackson is playing a man
she is playing King Lear
No one would think she would be the spice girls
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Post by joem on May 30, 2016 23:23:53 GMT
What
are you saying?
It's all an illusion?
Oh
damn.
Well then why can't Glenda Jackson be Baby Spice?
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