ROMEO & JULIET (Sofa Shakespeare)*****

 

By Megan

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNLurIlYAsw

Available until: Unknown

This is one of my favourite plays even though it is very sad. There are lots of really good performances and ideas that stood out in this production but I noticed two things which I hadn’t really thought about before.

Prince Escalus is a brilliant character. I have always focused more on Romeo, Juliet and the people closer to them but the Sofa Shakespeare actors have made me into a Prince Escalus fan. I like him because he always tries to be fair.

The other scene that really stood out is a scene between Juliet and Paris. Obviously I ship Romeo and Juliet and I dream about a different ending even though I know it won’t happen and I would probably be quite upset if somebody changed Shakespeare. But the connection between Juliet and Paris in this scene made me feel that maybe they could have been happy together.

There are a few actors I know but I had trouble matching them up to the scenes so I think I got something wrong somewhere. It’s hard to count the scenes and the actors aren’t always onscreen. But Julia Giolzetti does the prologue and it’s so lovely and relaxed and she has the most adorable audience participation.

There are some really clever ideas like an actor who plays Lady Capulet and the Nurse and she has two different headdresses, one on each side of her head and she has a fan too which a different design each side. She shows a different side depending on who she is playing and it’s really good.

It is also great to see people playing roles they wouldn’t usually play. There’s a Romeo who is definitely older than fourteen and he’s really brilliant and there’s a scene with a male Juliet and female Friar Lawrence. They are both really good.

I love languages so I was really excited by two Capulets and Romeo speaking different languages. I think the Capulets are French and German and Romeo is Italian.

Some of the costumes are unusual but I think it is really great. I like the Benvolio who is dressed as an animal and the Friar on a beach reading the book of Romeo & Juliet. I think the Juliet who manages to play dead while a dog licks her arm deserves an award!

As usual there are lots of really good child actors. There is a really good Benvolio and a very enthusiastic Peter. There’s a boy who’s with Mercutio, probably played by his mum, she’s doing a really great death scene and the boy doesn’t care! There’s also a little Juliet and Lady Capulet who are really good.

There are also lots of pets. There is a dog Tybalt with his cap on backwards and a Capulet dog with lots of stage presence. There is another dog Tybalt who can recognise his cues and do all sorts of tricks and a dog Benvolio who speaks on cue. There are cats who play Mercutio and Benvolio who kiss and it is so sweet. A cat Juliet watches TV during the balcony scene which is just like some of my teenage siblings! I also love the Friar is a cat in a jumper. Romeo the dog who is told Juliet is dead has really beautiful eyes.

I don’t usually like violent scenes very much (even though I have seen quite a few in Shakespeare plays) but I love the scene where all the sock puppets have a fight. In another scene, Romeo and his friends are played by finger puppets and they look like scary teenagers who are dressed up for a night on the town.

There are penguins and giraffes. There are adorable monkeys playing Romeo and Juliet but not in the same scene. Juliet appears as a lamb, Cal says she’s a lamb to the slaughter. The Friar and the Nurse both appear as tigers. Maybe the Nurse is a tiger when she’s roused. Romeo, the Nurse and Mercutio appear as beautiful model horses with Peter played by a foal. There are surprisingly few bears but there was a Romeo bear with an apothecary duck. Aashiq says he must be a quack.

The Lego scenes include a Juliet with blue hair and a brilliant facial expression for the scene. Later, a dead Juliet is surrounded by Lego people. That’s really poig as the TSMGO groundlings would say.

It is really sad when Buzz Lightyear goes into the vault and Woody and Jessie are both dead. But I like Montague being played by Superman, I think that might be irony.

There is a scene at the beginning with Sampson and Gregory that uses tarot cards. Every time one of them speaks a new card is held up. It was like they were predicting how the story would go.

I love the alcoholic drinks having a video call! There is also a can which might be alcoholic playing the role of the balcony, Cal says Romeo and Juliet are drunk on love! There is some stationary to watch out for like a stapler with a really fun accessory and a staple remover. They’re not in the same scene which might be a good thing because they might not get on very well. And this play shows exactly what can happen when people don’t get on.