Jess Rood, a student at Royal High School in Bath, reviews Box Clever’s production of a Shakespeare classic
Box Clever’s performance of Romeo and Juliet is energetic, inventive and completely captivating! The performance targets children and teenagers, and aims to offer the young audience an introduction to the Shakespearian language.
The Egg Theatre is the perfect setting for this interactive performance, with the actors able to involve audience members as characters allowing for a more interactive experience. The staging is made up of three tables that could be stacked and moved according to the scene, allowing the production to change location and emotions of the characters in the play.
Using an ambiguous time and setting, the production follows the well known narrative of two star crossed lovers who’ve been betrayed by fate in an attempt to reconcile their family houses through marriage.
Throughout, the three person production utilises a voice of consciousness, with the character who plays the role stating, “They were nobody and everybody all at once.” This allowed the audience a sense of having their questions answered, while also adding a modern explanation to some of the hard to understand Shakespearian language. The actors perform with great energy and enthusiasm, which radiates out to the audience and encourages more participation.
It is also impressive to see how the attention to subtle detail make the minimalist set so much bigger and well thought out. This is particularly evident when the lights change to depict emotions such as love, sadness and fear. A great example of this is the final scene where the dual lighting projected a mixture of reds and blues combine previous ideas of love and sadness. It is a technique sure to move every person in the audience.
The cast is especially effective in telling the story in a passionate way that captures young peoples’ imaginations. A noticeable factor for me is the fact it was condensed into an hour long performance, without feeling rushed and yet remaining fast paced and coherent.
Scenes that do’t specifically add anything to the central plot line are left out or referenced, rather than performed which, for me, feels useful for garnering a basic understanding of the plot for viewers who may not be aware of the story.
The performance from Romeo and Juliet are delivered in such a way that we could feel the love for the characters. Throughout the performance is aimed at young people, and I believe anyone of any age would enjoy it as it offers such a different take on classic Shakespeare, while remaining true to its original script and story line.
Romeo and Juliet at The Egg Theatre is a pleasure to watch and to take in the emotive as well as hilarious acting throughout the performance. I would completely recommend grabbing a ticket to see this wonderful adaptation.
Romeo and Juliet is running at The Egg Theatre until 28 April, with productions daily at 10am and 1pm, plus a 7pm performances on Thursday 27 April. For more information, go to https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/event/romeo-and-juliet/
Jessica Rood