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Mokitagrit Productions presents Romeo & Juliet
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Adam Welsh
Produced by Ellie Collyer-Bristow
Mosaica @ The Chocolate Factory
14 -17 July 2010
A review by Richard J Thornton for EXTRA! EXTRA! The Chocolate Factory is, as it says on the tin, an old chocolate factory that has been converted into a space for creative ventures. It began with art studios, went into cuisine (see Mosaica) and most recently has conquered theatre, and, as you’d hope from the seductive name, the factory is still producing tasty delights. Not least, this inspiring and avant-garde production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. When you enter the space, your mind jumps to the possibilities of where the action could happen. You are presented with an industrial courtyard complete with high windows for distant exchanges, rooftops for lovers to pine on, and drainpipes for characters to clamber. The arena is delicious, and the director, Adam Welsh, exploits it to his advantage. Montague appears in a window behind me (in one half of the split audience), with Capulet on a rooftop behind the adjacent seats, as gangs smack bats into steel railings and drench tethered enemies with petrol. After this physical opening, a sulky Romeo arises from an audience seat nearby, only to be followed a scene later by a distracted and artistic Juliet engrossed in her camera: the battles of love and hate have begun. As a production of Shakespeare, this is one of the most attention-retaining performances I’ve encountered. Fears that the unfriendly outdoor acoustics would hinder comprehension were assuaged once the actors’ voices had sufficiently warmed, and as the evening (and occasional rain!) drew in around us, the intensity of the protagonists’ relationship flourished. The creeping dusk matched the sombre finale, the lack of stage lighting left nature to provide its own atmosphere, and the night sky came as a welcome roof to the Capulet crypt. And yet, it is not just the location which makes this production enchanting, as its’ characterisation is portrait perfect. Kyle McPhail’s Romeo and Esther Smith’s Juliet are as innocent, neglected and ripe for the love they find as anyone could be. Duncan Wilson’s flamboyant charisma as Mercutio taunts the audience and Tybalt alike, not least with his self-imposed faux castration as he mocks Romeo’s soppiness. Tybalt’s pride is swaggered provocatively by Jonathan Ash, with the only downside of the rivals’ presence being that the show loses a dash of its bite after they depart. The costumes are contemporary, eclectic, natural and believable. Delights include the tarty but loveable t-shirt and make-up of Rosalind Blessed’s Nurse, the urban street ware of the Capulet gang and the artistically roguish tight raspberry jeans, fitted flowery shirt and ruffled black jacket of Mercutio. All compliment the characters handsomely and cleverly find empathy with young people from many different backgrounds. The music does the same, stretching from an up-beat indie pop number from Vampire Weekend at the masked ball, to classic arrangements remixed for a hip-hop dance on the streets of Verona. It all warms the evening air and helps keep the audience transfixed. The inclusion of free-running group Team Invasion as acrobatic set changers may seem superfluous, but the energy their bodies bring, especially in the later scenes, is a perfect accompaniment to the urban staging which enshrines the production. The gap between the high language and this physical movement is bridged by the ensemble parts of Johnny Ong and Johnny Sachon, whose popping and breaking are reminiscent of a teenage evening at the UK B-Boy Championships break dance competition. As a whole, the show was at its strongest when it made use of the perspective and length of the arena - as the poetic Romeo crouched in the stands behind me, singing his loves to an elevated Juliet on the neighbouring rooftop, the audience were literally caught between the virtual embrace of the love-bewitched couple. If you’d like a Shakespearean piece that wraps itself around you, and presents its language like well prepared fine food - perfect to nibble and easy to digest, then this trip to the chocolate factory should be as fulfilling and magical as any a childhood dream.
Mosaica @ The Chocolate Factory 7pm on Wed 14th - Sat 17th July 2010 Romeo & Juliet £9.50 Box Office: 0208 889 2400 bookings@mosaicarestaurants.com
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