Because of the Sherman Theatre for offering us with overview tickets to Romeo and Julie for the aim of this overview
Unemployed, exhausted teenage single dad Romeo meets A-level scholar Julie, an aspiring astrophysicist on the right track for Cambridge College, on the Star Centre in Splott. Regardless of dwelling across the nook from one another, they’ve by no means met earlier than, her going to the Welsh college, and all that. They’re on utterly totally different life paths, however there’s a particular attraction. They promise to not fall in love, however in fact they do. After which they discover themselves in a tough scenario with no straightforward solutions. Love, household, tutorial and profession potential, class, poverty… all play a component because the younger couple face enormous sacrifices, it doesn’t matter what selection they make.
That is Romeo and Julie, a story of intense teenage love, loosely impressed by Shakespeare’s basic tragic love story, and a joint manufacturing from Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre and The Nationwide Theatre, London.
It involves Cardiff direct from six weeks at The Nationwide, the place critics praised it as a “faultlessly carried out story of rage and hope” (The Stage), saying it “grips from the beginning” (whatsonstage), and is “witty, gritty but beneficiant” (The Occasions).
Final evening noticed its official press evening in Cardiff, taking part in to a just about full auditorium who gave it an emphatic standing ovation.
It’s an unimaginable manufacturing, thought-provoking, emotional, humorous, gritty, well-written, with incisive well timed social commentary, and powerful performances all spherical.
Below the artistic partnership of author Gary Owen and director Rachel O’Riordan (who’ve acquired quite a few awards and accolades from their earlier works collectively, Iphigenia in Splott, Killology, and The Chery Orchard), Romeo and Julie swoops effortlessly from chuckle out loud humour one minute to hard-hitting hold-your-breath tenseness the following. There’s utter silence within the auditorium as we grow to be absorbed on this story of affection when every part’s in opposition to you, and I do know I wasn’t the one one to cry on the finish.
There’s such a realism to all of it, maybe partially because of Owen’s personal life following an identical trajectory to Julie; from a working class background, ending up at Cambridge, and having lived in Splott for 10 years.
Unashamed in its Cardiff-ness, with thick Splott/Tremorfa accents all spherical, there’s references to the aforementioned Star Centre, Splott Seaside, Bro Edern Welsh medium secondary college, The Tramshed, Cardiff College, even comfortable play at Penylan Group Centre which, says Romy (as he’s typically referred to as) is the perfect on the town in line with the below 5 gang. It’s an immensely highly effective manufacturing even with out the acquainted areas (as seen within the London opinions) nevertheless it actually provides an additional dimension for native audiences.
Pontypridd-born Callum Scott Howells (above) – finest generally known as Colin in Channel 4’s It’s A Sin – is Romeo. Simply 23 years outdated, Scott Howells is an distinctive expertise; uncooked, weak, loving, doing the perfect he can within the hardest of circumstances. He strikes from cheeky flirtatious smile to crude banter to pure desperation right away, forgoing all of the issues common youngsters do as he cares for his child and his alcoholic mom. He’s a personality that can stick with me for a very long time; he deserves a lot extra.
Catrin Aaron (beneath proper) places in an equally highly effective efficiency as Barb, Romeo’s alcoholic mom. She’s misguided, utterly unsupportive of Romeo, doesn’t all the time have the perfect intentions, makes some stunning selections, however loves her household in her personal manner. She’s a fancy character with an sudden dry sense of humour. I’d love to listen to extra from her; she’d be nice in her personal monologue-style efficiency charting her personal tough life.
Port Talbot born Rosie Sheehy (above left) performs Julie, the Splott lady with ambitions to find a number of the world’s most complicated physics theories. Each blunt and heat, she doesn’t fairly match into the world she lives in now, however is slowly realising she won’t match into the world the place she’s hopefully heading both. Her ache feels actual as she is pressured to make decisions which is able to end in heartbreak no matter she does.
Paul Brennen as her dad Col and Anita Reynolds as stepmother Kath (Julie’s personal mom died when she was a toddler) despair at instances with their teenage daughter, leading to a robust showdown between dad and daughter. The conversations between Kath and Julie are touching and emotional, as Kath hopes for a lot extra for Julie than she herself had and Julie realises the sacrifices her mother and father have made for her.
The minimalistic black staging, with the forged all the time current even when not performing, is successfully bleak, whereas the choreographed scene modifications add slightly momentum on this highly effective up to date love story.
Not like many of the productions I overview right here on Cardiff Mummy Says, this one is unquestionably NOT for a household viewers. The Sherman’s web site itself warns it “accommodates robust language and references to abortion, teenage being pregnant, alcoholism and intercourse”. Parental steerage is crucial; I’d recommend 16 at the least.
Romeo and Julie is at Sherman Theatre, Cardiff till 29 April. There are nonetheless tickets obtainable however they’re promoting quick. See the Sherman Theatre web site for extra info.
Tickets are priced from £16-£27, with £2 off for concessions and half value for below 25s.
Accessible performances embrace: Thursday 20 and Thursday 27 April, 7.30pm, captioned; Monday 24 April, 6.30pm relaxed efficiency; Wednesday 26 April, 7.30pm, Audio Described, Thursday 27 April 7.30pm BSL interpreted.
