Dave PorterFancy seeing a production of Romeo and Juliet that’s not three hours long, which casts a vibrant new light on Shakespeare’s tale of tragic love, and one that’s blessed with moments of laugh-out-loud hilarity? Then head to Shakespeare North’s latest production with Graeae who specialise in producing plays featuring deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists and actors.
The show is signed throughout and has creative captioning to not only allow deaf members of the audience to follow the play but to act as a signpost for the emotional flow of the plot. As someone who is not deaf I found the captioning immensely helpful in follow the sometimes labyrinthine text.
The play opens with an assembly of deaf, neurodivergent and disabled actors turning up for auditions to … yes, you’ve guessed it, Romeo and Juliet. They squabble over casting, castigate their useless agents, and decide to put on the play their own way: with two Romeos and two Juliets simultaneously on stage, one of which is signed. And to add even more to the mix, sometimes these roles are swapped around among this extremely versatile cast. There are also a whole load of gags along the way.
The scenery is sparse in this truncated version of the play and it speaks to the nimble production that the richness of the play remains undiminished. The energetic pace of the show is enhanced through the captioning but also in impromptu ‘breaks’ in the play where the cast become themselves again and discuss progress – or not.
In a brilliant piece of ensemble acting, there are some outstanding performances, notably from Kellan Frankland as Juliet’s nurse with a surefire comic delivery. Romeo doubles Peter Dobre (who signs his part) and Ciaran Forrest both give convincing performances as the outcast lover. Indeed, what’s so compelling about the production is seeing two such fine actors playing the same role opposite each other, with neither detracting from the other’s performance. It’s a brilliant conceit and works perfectly.
Rheanon Lee has a background in comedy writing and her comic touch is used to great effect in the play, not least as Romeo’s mother, Lady Capulet, whom she portrays as a cross between Hyacinth Bouquet and Cruella de Vil. When we are first introduced to actor Shreya M Patel, she arrives on stage as a wheelchair user only to confound our assumptions at one stage by getting out of the chair and playing another part. This seemed a natural moment both in terms of challenging perceptions but underlying the fluidity of performance and how it cannot be limited by mental or physical attributes.
What is so satisfying about the way the story is being told here – one familiar to every school pupil – is that our enjoyment as audience members is not lessened by the cuts to the play or its unique staging.
A final word of credit must go to Craig Painting who signs the entire performance on stage with the rest of the cast. His facial expressions are a thing of wonder and he fits in seamlessly as an integrated BSL interpreter.
Romeo and Juliet is at Shakespeare North Playhouse from 16 September to 5 October 2024.
Paul Thomason
Carmel Thomason