Daya Czepanski as Juliet and Matthew J. Smith as Romeo.
Daya Czepanski as Juliet and Matthew J. Smith as Romeo.
Shakespeare's tale of teenage love is brought to life with an authentic, very contemporary infusion of teenage vitality from the Young Auckland Shakespeare Company.
The deadly enmity between opposing houses is evoked by the frantic intensity of a netball match and a DJ pumps up the volume on a crowdeddance floor to create an up-to-the-minute setting for the concealed identities at the Capulets' masked ball.
As the star-crossed lovers, Daya Czepanski and Matthew J. Smith capture the lightning-fast mood swings engendered by teenage hook-ups, while attention to Shakespeare's language ensures they also do justice to the lushly romantic declarations of love.
Murdoch Keane delivers a star turn as Mercutio with a great combination of cynicism and flamboyant theatricality that makes perfect sense of the Bard's complex word play.
Finding the right tone for the older characters is always a challenge for young actors but Phodiso Dintwe establishes an imposing presence as the Prince of Verona while Zachary Buckland is a suitably pedantic Friar and Harriett Maire builds a convincing portrayal of the Nurse.
Father/son directing team Paul and Calum Gittins bring out the inter-generational conflict that permeates the play, Romeo dramatically voicing the unassailable authority of youth as he blurts out his passionate dismissal of all parental advice: "Thou canst not speak of that thou dost not feel."
The modern setting which works so well in the first half is a bit of a hindrance in the final act when the fatalistic mechanics of tragedy take over but the production has an intense engagement with the text as the cast finds emotional clarity and contemporary relevance in the words of a timeless masterpiece.
Theatre review What:Romeo and Juliet Where: Tapac, to December 13.
