a bit of bonhomie

Romeo and Juliet pitched at the bebo generation is a risky proposition. Ever since Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 film for the e generation, theatrical productions which aim to give this teen tragedy a contemporary feel, and reach new, younger audiences, have a hard act to follow. But, given the power of this play, it should survive most attempts to give it a make-over, if the text is respected, and the actors aren’t daunted by the language. Too often in Irish theatre, Shakespeare productions suffer because of a clumsiness or self-consciousness with the verse, that interferes with the fluidity of the story-telling.

Happily, in this production by Jason Byrne, (the first time the Abbey has ever staged this play), the actors are, in the main, in effortless command of the narrative. In particular, the stellar Gemma Reeves brought a moving simplicity and heartache to the role of Juliet, in a way that caught me by the throat. Her mother, Anita Reeves, playing the nurse, was also powerfully affecting, funny and human. As for Romeo, Aaron Monaghan helped make the famous balcony scene with Juliet one of the most gripping I’ve ever seen – risky, funny, and full of the adrenaline-rush of adolescent infatuation. I’m not sure, however, that his leggy laddy physicality was quite right for Romeo. But then, that part is one of the most difficult parts to play in Shakespeare (I know, I’ve played it) because there’s a spinelessness, a haplessness to his personality, as evidenced when he changes his mooning affections from Rosaline to Juliet in a conscienceless flash. In his scenes with the Friar Laurence, his immaturity and sheer gormlessness become apparent, almost to an irritating degree. Frank McCusker, as the friar, gave the most satisfying performance of all for me, in a way, because it was so surprisingly menacing, worldly and dark.

The dance sequence, in which Romeo catches first sight of Juliet, was just a bit too rich and self-consciously contemporary for me stylistically, with Amy Winehouse providing the backing track. But I loved the overall look of the piece – the design ideas that influenced designer Jon Bausor are available to look at on the show’s bebo page – and the stunningly stormy set piece at the end of Act I, with superb lighting by Paul Keogan, was filmic and exciting.

The naturalness of the speaking style in this production extended to allowing actors to use their own accents, which worked largely successfully, but contributed to a disjointed loss of place at times. And I felt a little bit uneasy at a couple of the scenes where there is a collective weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth over yet another death; sometimes, grief restrained is more affecting.

However, it’s Juliet who carries the play, and Gemma Reeves’ truly harrowing distress at the end left me wet-faced and shaken, as if I’d never seen this timeless tragedy before. And that, for me, is the mark a truly contemporary production; Amy Winehouse, and all that jazz, is but icing on the cake.