A Humorous Tragedy: Romeo and Juliet with a Difference

Image courtesy of Oddsocks Productions.

Romeo and Juliet, an Oddsocks Production on at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry until Wednesday 10 June with performances on Tuesday at 1.30pm and 7pm, and Wednesday at 1.30pm.

Review by Alison Manning.

Although this play needs no introduction, this version of Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare with a difference. It is both shortened and simplified to make it more accessible to a potentially younger audience (recommended for 7+, though still suffused with Shakespearean innuendos). It also has added comedic twists whilst, in some ways, heightening the themes of the original.

Oddsocks Productions is run by husband and wife team, Artistic Director, Andy Barrow and Creative Producer, Elli Mackenzie who both form two of the cast of just five actors. This limited number of actors adds to the comedy as they swiftly switch between roles, at one point one even has a conversation with themselves, rapidly and comically pulling a wig on and off, slipping one sleeve out of their cloak and turning round to represent each character.

The small number of actors also increases audience participation, already a feature of this show, with questions being asked of the audience, and individuals being referred to as characters, one being directly addressed as Paris and others being enlisted as monks and apothecaries. We do end up still lacking a Benvolio in this simplified two-hour long version.

Oddsocks in rehearsals. Photo by Charlie Mackenzie-Barrow.

Audience interaction is encouraged to a certain extent throughout, with the cast chatting to the audience before the show and reaching a height in Monday’s performance when an audience member sneezed and received a "Bless you!" from an actor as they were exiting the stage. Also, when Romeo uttered his iconic line: "Is she a Capulet?" a nearby audience member responded loudly and matter-of-factly: "Yep!"

The divide between the Capulets and Montagues is emphasised from the start in an almost pantomimesque style with one side of the audience being invoked to shout "Capulet" whenever the name is mentioned, and the other half to cheer "Montague". Initially a flag for each household is displayed on each side of the set, blue for Montague and red for Capulet, later replaced by all Capulet flags as the action moved to the Capulet house for the feast.

I can't help feeling slightly ill at ease with the red background and strong black and white markings of the Capulet flagdisplayed on the building which seems to evoke sinister echoes of Nazi swastikas. As the play progresses though I start to realise how this may be deliberate, as the flags are increasingly signs of division, both in this unique version of Romeo and Juliet’s Verona as well as in contemporary Britain. The flags become weaponised, as well as emphasising the division, they are used to wield the violence as well as being the cause of it. Ultimately and symbolically the only way to end the violence is through the flag’s destruction or removal.

In rehearsals. Photo by Charlie Mackenzie-Barrow.

Even in this production’s most serious moments, such as Juliet’s apparent death, the comedy still prevails, mainly through physical, almost slapstick, humour. The actors don’t miss an opportunity for a funny moment, even eking it out of set changes, adlibbing whilst moving things around, or even when parts of the set unexpectedly fall down. The clever set construction consists of a structure that mainly doubles as the Capulet house and Friar Laurence’s cell but also transforms briefly into Mantua. A clever protruding structure has walls that can be raised around it to form Juliet’s balcony or lowered to form, for instance, a platform for the feast, Juliet’s bed or the tomb of the Capulets.

Whilst remaining essentially faithful to the original, this is also Romeo and Juliet as you’ve never seen it before featuring things even Shakespeare would struggle to recognise, such as a lobster hat, a mouse called Timothy, an octopus outfit and perhaps the most shocking moment of the play with a teddy bear! Its comedic elements and audience interaction, breaking the fourth wall, lighten the mood from the dark intensity of the original tragedy, whilst still evoking pathos and the crucial elements of the story.

Oddsocks Productions’ Romeo and Juliet is on at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, till Wednesday 10 June with performances on Tue: 1.30pm and 7pm and Wed: 1.30pm. Find out more and get tickets: www.belgrade.co.uk/events/oddsocks-rnj/