Making Shakespeare accessible to primary school-aged children is a problem that has been challenging theatre companies across the world for generations, and it is just as well that there are companies such as Shakespeare 4 Kidz to take up the challenge and to do it so well. I was a little uneasy beforehand, fearing that a musical version of Romeo and Juliet might be too similar to West Side Story, but I needn’t have worried at all on that front – it was a strong production in its own right, with a really evocative musical score.
A crowd of approximately 200 children were held captivated (almost) throughout, and the enthusiastic clapping during each number and rapturous applause at the curtain call showed that they were genuinely enjoying themselves. As was I. If this is the reception they get at each of their shows then they are doing a fantastic job not only getting children into Shakespeare but into theatre as a whole, and hopefully the sneers and glazed looks that are all too common at the mention of Shakespeare could soon be a thing of the past. In a way it’s a shame that the show seems almost exclusively aimed at children, as there seemed to be plenty to entertain the adults too.
As you might expect, the production was modernised significantly, with the Montagues decked out in multi-coloured shirts, white trousers and deck shoes, while the Capulets were more stereotypically Italian in dark suits, leather jackets etc. This modernisation further enhanced the accessibility, meaning that even if a child in the audience wasn’t fully understanding what was going on, they’d be able to tell whose side someone was on as they were dressed so differently. The sets were all fairly minimal, modern and attractive, with scene changes carried out very slickly indeed (absolutely crucial given the audience make up).
The performances were, overall, very strong. Neal Andrews and Jenny Perry (Romeo and Juliet) were utterly convincing both apart and together, and they had a real chemistry that made you completely believe that they were genuinely in love (you wouldn’t believe how many versions of this play I’ve seen were there’s been pretty clear dislike or maybe even fear between the two actors, which always blows the production out of the water). I don’t know how old Ms Perry really is, but she completely nailed the portrayal of an overly romantic and excitable teenage girl, and Mr Andrews had a charisma about him that meant that it wasn’t at all surprising that Juliet would fall for him. Noel Andrew Harron and Antony Stuart-Hicks were, for me, the other two stand-out performances as Mercutio and Friar Lawrence respectively. Mercutio was played with great energy and humour, and he had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand, even (somewhat disturbingly) immediately after being stabbed – but more on that subject shortly. Friar Lawrence was a hard drinking, hip thrusting hippy (complete with brief Amy Winehouse refrain), which is an interpretation I’d never seen before but wouldn’t mind seeing again! Having Paris (Richard Foster-King) as a lanky, asthmatic über-geek was also good fun.
I only had three gripes with this production. Firstly I felt the knife fight should somehow have been more stylised in front of such a young and impressionable audience, particularly given the amount of news coverage that knife violence currently gets. Either that, or maybe don’t make the audience laugh immediately after the first stabbing to make it clear that knives aren’t funny. Secondly the balance between the music and singing wasn’t always great in the louder numbers – you could hear the actors were singing, but couldn't always make out the words. Lastly, I felt it was too long for a children’s show; in some of the quieter moments I could see quite a few of the less involved children in the audience turning round or talking to each other, and a twenty minute interval was too much, especially as most of them stayed in their seats. That said, the children were captivated for the vast majority of the time and the company are very experienced, so maybe I’m alone on that.
I think it’s a great pity that the show was only in Oxford for one day and that there were no evening performances, as it would have been fascinating to see how a more mature audience reacted. It would probably also have been nice for the cast not to be assailed with wolf whistles every time there was a kiss or any other form of physical contact!
Looking at the company’s website they’re going to be touring right through until the beginning of April next year, so it would be well worth trying to catch up with them if you can...
A crowd of approximately 200 children were held captivated (almost) throughout, and the enthusiastic clapping during each number and rapturous applause at the curtain call showed that they were genuinely enjoying themselves. As was I. If this is the reception they get at each of their shows then they are doing a fantastic job not only getting children into Shakespeare but into theatre as a whole, and hopefully the sneers and glazed looks that are all too common at the mention of Shakespeare could soon be a thing of the past. In a way it’s a shame that the show seems almost exclusively aimed at children, as there seemed to be plenty to entertain the adults too.
As you might expect, the production was modernised significantly, with the Montagues decked out in multi-coloured shirts, white trousers and deck shoes, while the Capulets were more stereotypically Italian in dark suits, leather jackets etc. This modernisation further enhanced the accessibility, meaning that even if a child in the audience wasn’t fully understanding what was going on, they’d be able to tell whose side someone was on as they were dressed so differently. The sets were all fairly minimal, modern and attractive, with scene changes carried out very slickly indeed (absolutely crucial given the audience make up).
The performances were, overall, very strong. Neal Andrews and Jenny Perry (Romeo and Juliet) were utterly convincing both apart and together, and they had a real chemistry that made you completely believe that they were genuinely in love (you wouldn’t believe how many versions of this play I’ve seen were there’s been pretty clear dislike or maybe even fear between the two actors, which always blows the production out of the water). I don’t know how old Ms Perry really is, but she completely nailed the portrayal of an overly romantic and excitable teenage girl, and Mr Andrews had a charisma about him that meant that it wasn’t at all surprising that Juliet would fall for him. Noel Andrew Harron and Antony Stuart-Hicks were, for me, the other two stand-out performances as Mercutio and Friar Lawrence respectively. Mercutio was played with great energy and humour, and he had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand, even (somewhat disturbingly) immediately after being stabbed – but more on that subject shortly. Friar Lawrence was a hard drinking, hip thrusting hippy (complete with brief Amy Winehouse refrain), which is an interpretation I’d never seen before but wouldn’t mind seeing again! Having Paris (Richard Foster-King) as a lanky, asthmatic über-geek was also good fun.
I only had three gripes with this production. Firstly I felt the knife fight should somehow have been more stylised in front of such a young and impressionable audience, particularly given the amount of news coverage that knife violence currently gets. Either that, or maybe don’t make the audience laugh immediately after the first stabbing to make it clear that knives aren’t funny. Secondly the balance between the music and singing wasn’t always great in the louder numbers – you could hear the actors were singing, but couldn't always make out the words. Lastly, I felt it was too long for a children’s show; in some of the quieter moments I could see quite a few of the less involved children in the audience turning round or talking to each other, and a twenty minute interval was too much, especially as most of them stayed in their seats. That said, the children were captivated for the vast majority of the time and the company are very experienced, so maybe I’m alone on that.
I think it’s a great pity that the show was only in Oxford for one day and that there were no evening performances, as it would have been fascinating to see how a more mature audience reacted. It would probably also have been nice for the cast not to be assailed with wolf whistles every time there was a kiss or any other form of physical contact!
Looking at the company’s website they’re going to be touring right through until the beginning of April next year, so it would be well worth trying to catch up with them if you can...