Romeo and Juliet: flat staging and mixed performances

Author: Molly Pipe

Romeo and Juliet is always hard to get right. The sheer unbelievability of the central couple’s love for each other – kissing within seconds of meeting, and marrying within a day – has always rankled with me. It takes a huge amount of commitment, careful staging, and an investment in the suspension of disbelief to pull it off, especially in that problematic ball scene.

This interpretation by newly-formed Infinite Nothings Theatre is yet another to fall short. The party is botchily staged, with actors swaying clumsily and clapping in time to some feeble background music. So loud are their claps that you can hardly hear the dialogue, let alone catch the build up of anticipation for Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting. When the pair do finally get together, it’s with no support from the staging. The couple share those intense first lines from opposite sides of the room, barely even looking at each other. It feels more like mild flirting than an instantaneous realisation of love. When they go in for the kiss, it feels incongruous as a result.

The director (who, we must acknowledge, is making her debut) would do well to build up points of tension and atmosphere. The opening brawl in particular lacks dynamism, and is part of a wider pattern of stilted staging. I take it all back, however, when talking about the fight between Tybalt and Mercutio. This really lifts off the stage, with the stripped back nature of it, and excellently-performed stage fighting, making for a palpable sense of danger.

Both Zoe Cope (Tybalt) and Joseph Hanley (Mercutio) are stand-out actors in this production. Cope is catlike and stealthy – until suddenly she’s not. Her fierceness and dangerous instability are a perfect match for Mercutio’s. In fact, one gets the distinct impression that they would be a perfectly matched couple: they have more chemistry than Romeo and Juliet by far.

Hanley plays his cards as Mercutio with skill. Starting as the lovable buffoon who encourages his mate on a night out, he gradually displays more and more of his cruel, sadistic nature. The audience turn from laughing at him to feeling disturbed by him, conscious that the small auditorium leaves him far too close for comfort. An excellent performance.

The rest of the cast’s skills are distinctly varied. Elisabeth Calvert shows promise as Juliet, and her acting in the balcony scene is beautifully real and subdued. In fact, this whole scene, staging and all, is lovely. Lady Capulet (Alice Connolly) is comedically portrayed as air-headed and flouncy, but with a disturbing disregard for her child – a nice contrast. There are some wooden performances, however, and plenty of damp-squib moments. The emotional acting often feels like teens crying over a crush, rather than people weeping at the loss of a loved one. Again, though, this sort of thing is very difficult to get right.

In all, a mixed show from Infinite Nothings. There is much to improve on, but the pockets of potential are there and I’ll be interested to see what this company does in the future.

***

Romeo and Juliet is at The Holt Café until the 29th of August. More information here