Auckland Theatre Company’s William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet reimagines the timeless story with elements of a thriller and features a cast of talented players whose love for the theatre is evident to see from the stage.

 

Director Benjamin Kilby-Henson interprets Shakespeare’s text as a 1960’s Italian setting where the tensions between the Capulet and Montague families spill out to the streets as gang violence. In this climate, Romeo and Juliet’s tragic love story is explored, though it is the moments of surrealism that punctuate key moments in the story that give Kilby-Henson’s production its novelty in the retelling of this timeless classic. Amanda Tito as Death helps bring power to these moments with her almost Vincent Price-like presence, one the actor surely relishes performing. 

 

Production design across the production is excellent, with both creative and thoughtful set design and wonderful costuming both bringing life to the 60’s Italian setting throughout the production.

 

William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet is the ATC debut of both Theo Dāvid and Phoebe McKellar, players of the star-crossed lovers, and both perform wonderfully. The production shys away from spending much time building the relationship and chemistry between their characters, instead it takes a wider view of their situation, with that time spent instead exploring other characters and enhancing the atmosphere of the production. This can make Kilby-Henson’s production feel more like a novel exploration of the Capulet-Montague rift, where the doomed romance is one key element.

 

William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet is a stylish and confident reimagining of the timeless classic, with excellent performances and fantastic production design, giving director Benjamin Kilby-Henson’s production a novel and powerful feel.