Stream: National Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet
Making a film version of any of Shakespeare’s play is notoriously difficult. Shakespeare wrote for a bare stage and the words and the actors did all the work convincing you of the truth of the story. Baz Luhrmann achieved a marvellous version of this play with his rambunctious, sexy 1996 version. A clashing of low comedy and high emotions which exemplified Shakespeare approach to entertainment theatre. Neal Street productions achieved it under the helm of Sam Mendes with their mini-series ‘The Hollow Crown’ based on Shakespeare’s history plays. Director Simon Goodwin (currently director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington) and a favourite of mine did not rise in this case to those levels. I love and know the play inside out, was anticipating a striking new take but this turned out to be a production for millennials. Thirty somethings, still living at home. He, moping around with a so-called “cool group of friends who should have been at work by now”. She stuck at home with a controlling mother trying to marry her off to a rich bloke. This descended into soap opera.
The premise of the play is the animosity between the two families, “both alike in dignity”. “From ancient grudge break into new mutiny” was never clear, other than by the cast sitting opposite in the rehearsal room. The passion and the spiralling events come out of the violence displayed in Act One. Shakespeare’s magnificent language was lost in this muddled film version, overpowered by an irritating Danish-noir score.
Where was Romeo realising he was ‘Fortunes Fool’? Where was “It is the East and Juliet is the sun?” What happened to the Apothecary, a small but significant role signifying the intervention of fate and the missed message from Friar Lawrence? “Such mortal drugs I have, but Verona’s law is death to any that utters them”. I must confess I sorely missed the clarity of the text and the storytelling. In the end as they lay on the candlelit tomb, I wished they would just get the whole thing over with.
A stellar cast of actors was assembled and coping with lockdown must have been a challenge. I felt for them when some of them were endeavouring to escape from the National Carpark or banging on the Iron. Tamsin Gregg played Lady Capulet (taking Lord Capulet’s line) with an icy hand and Fisayo Akenade as Mercutio was never given a chance to tackle the notoriously difficult ‘Queen Mab’ speech with the drunkenness and madness it deserves. Shubham Saraf was an outstanding Benvolio and ‘the man of wax’ Paris looked a suitable beau for Juliet. I honestly missed Tybalt’s death in the confused fight sequence, he was so underplayed. Adrian Lester, as Prince, was his usual suave and commanding self in a smart suit and strangely in a woolly pully in the finale. Lucian Masmati (last seen as Salieri) was a credible Friar Lawrence as he deftly mixed his potions.
The star-crossed lovers were of a certain age. Fonteyn and Nureyev got away with it late in life as their passion carried them through. For these two the charisma was never there, other than a few shots rolling around in the bedroom sequences in the best possible taste. I missed the “and palm to palm is holy palmers kiss” which ignites the relationship. Jessie Buckley, with scruffy unwashed hair, gave it her all as a ‘not going to be twenty again’ Juliet and brought the play to life. Josh O’Connor, drooping along with his hands in his pockets, was not able to cast off his Prince Charles’s persona, but perhaps that was the idea. Unfulfilled until he can marry his one true love.
Maybe on second viewing this film may ring true and a different interpretation come through, but I certainly cannot see them weeping in the aisles.
Available to stream on NowTV or on Sky TV platforms.
