Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet Review

★ ★ ★ ★

Reviewer - Kathryn

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review

Returning four years after it originally premiered, Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet is touring stages across the UK bringing Bourne’s radical interpretation of a classic story to new audiences.

Set in the Verona Institute, young people are living under a strict and controlling regime. No individuality is allowed, and the young people are given medication to control their emotions and urges. The set, designed by Lez Brotherston, is white, clinical, and caged in. Audiences can make up their own minds about whether the Verona Institute is a prison, a hospital, or somewhere in between.

Juliet (Monique Jonas), is already an inmate, and we are introduced to her as a victim of sexual assault by one of the guards, Tybalt (Danny Reubens). Romeo (Rory Macleod) arrives on the scene shortly after, dumped at the Institute by his parents for not fitting in with their political ambitions. The pair eventually meet at a ball where, left unsupervised, the desperate desires of the young people imprisoned in the Institute can be set free.

Bourne takes inspiration from the classic Shakespeare tale, using familiar characters and tropes, but weaves modern themes into his retelling.

Instead of a feud between families, the battle is between the institution and the young people who are being suppressed by the regimented lifestyle. Through his choreography we see the robotic lifestyle forced upon the young people imprisoned as a stark contrast to the tender, passionate and more lyrical movements of Romeo and Juliet. Often their bodies are so entwined you can’t tell where one lover ends and the other begins.

Prokofiev’s original score has been re-jigged a little (with permission) for this production by Terry Davies which gives new intensity to the score and works perfectly with Bourne’s spectacular choreography.

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One thing I did struggle with, and it’s potentially a venue issue, but I did feel the set was a little too large for the stage. I was sitting at the side and often felt like I was missing important moments on stage left. After the interval, I spent some time looking at the down stage right corner (which I could see perfectly) and noticed that the dancers were frequently performing behind the arch, and the stairs leading to the balcony part of the set were also hidden just offstage. Although it didn’t affect my overall enjoyment of the show, I feel this is something to be considered when bringing a production on tour. Especially for a ballet when so much of the performance is visual.

At its core, Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet is a story about young people who don’t quite fit in. We don’t know why they are at the Verona Institute, but they are and despite it all they still manage to find love and friendship.

Macleod and Jonas shine as Romeo and Juliet respectively. Their passion is evident and the raw emotion as the story unfolds is evident to all in the audience. The love between Romeo and Juliet is a beacon of hope for the other teenagers in the institute, and regardless of the tragic way their story ends, audiences still leave feeling a bit of this hope. Love is powerful.

Touring until 25 Feb 2024.