After stunning performances in The Lieutenant of Inishmore and Dance Nation, the WAAPA third-year acting students are back with a stellar production of Romeo and Juliet. This is a cohort that oozes talent and professionalism, and it has been a joy to witness their work as their time at WAAPA draws to a close.
This iteration of Romeo and Juliet is boldly contemporary, visceral and dynamic, with a throbbing soundtrack, gritty set design, exciting fight scenes and blistering performances.
Slickly directed by Tom Healey, who successfully drags this 400-year-old play into the 21st century with humour, charisma and insight, the production bursts onto the stage with a stunning opening fight scene and continues at a cracking pace until its tragic final moments.
The set by Daisy Churchman is a gritty urban landscape of scaffolding, chain-link fence and barbed wire, evoking mean streets and gang warfare. Combined with the throbbing fury of heavy metal music (sound system design by Jessie Nalder and sound technical direction by Connor Futter), the opening fight scene is visceral in its physicality, rage and intensity.
Tyrone Earl LRaé Robinson’s fight choreography is particularly impressive, delivering moments of genuine danger while remaining tightly controlled.
Tom Kelly is a standout performer as Mercutio. He oozes charisma, humour and all the wildness and volatility of untamed youth. He spars beautifully with Daniel Halmarick, who is also strong as the loyal Benvolio. Griffin McLaughlin plays an earnest and heartfelt Romeo, full of youthful idealism and longing for love.
Sarah Hindle shines as Juliet’s Nurse, complete with hilarious ocker accent, charisma, swagger, bawdy humour and a deep and abiding love for Juliet. Sofia Watts also puts in a bravura performance as Lady Capulet, swinging convincingly from genuine love for her daughter to vehement, vengeful rage when Juliet refuses to marry Paris. Watts is a strong performer who never hits a false note.
Zack Rock is equally impressive as Capulet. His anguish at Juliet’s apparent death is palpable, authentic and moving. However, it was disappointing to see the furious speech in which he castigates Juliet cut from the production. This would have given the actor greater emotional range to play with and expanded on the theme of conservative control that feels particularly relevant in the Trumpian world we live in.
Michael Kavanagh plays a dishy Friar Lawrence who has more than a hint of Italian mafia about him in his slick black clothes, dubious potion-making and hilarious turn bursting onto the stage as a charismatic preacher on the morning of Juliet’s wedding to Paris, when we all know perfectly well that he has assisted her in her ruse to appear deceased. Nicholas Rose brings great strength and physicality to Tybalt, inhabiting the character with menace, volatility and violence.
The big star of the show is Holly Samaniago as Juliet. Her performance is passionate, nuanced and fearless. She does not hold back one iota, taking the audience on a powerful emotional journey from innocence to first love, desire, grief, betrayal and courage.
Samaniago dives headfirst into the full range of Juliet’s emotional experience and embodies this archetypal heroine with total commitment. It is particularly refreshing to witness a sassy, feisty Juliet who feels firmly planted in the 21st century.
The love scenes between Romeo and Juliet are strong, physical and infused with passion, romance and tenderness. Healey adds a hilarious comedic touch to the marriage scene in which the young lovers are so overwhelmed with desire they end up entwined and writhing on the floor while the Friar struggles to separate them.
The only aspect of the production that disappoints is the costume design, which lacks the cohesion and bold vision evident elsewhere. Some costumes work brilliantly, notably Mercutio’s pink glow-mesh crop top and matching fishnet gloves. The traditional uniforms of the Nurse and Friar, and the hilarious “nurse in training,” are also spot on.
However, much of the remaining costuming feels generic. Juliet does not stand out in the dress she wears when she first meets Romeo, while Romeo himself is dressed plainly in shirt and jeans. The partygoers look less like guests at a swanky Capulet bash and more like they’ve rocked up to a suburban party in Rockingham.
At one point Juliet appears in white tracky daks and a brown hoodie. While Capulet’s white linen suit works beautifully, Lady Capulet’s thrift-store coat evokes a student party more than a woman of means and jars against Capulet’s classic style. Given the bold grittiness of the production, it would have been satisfying to see costumes that better reflected the stylistic differences between the Capulets and Montagues.
A special mention must go to the two pieces of dance choreography in the party scene, which are a lot of fun, beautifully performed and help elevate the atmosphere from suburban Rockingham to funky Fremantle. Although, if we’re dreaming, a touch of drag choreography at a warehouse party in Melbourne might have pushed the contemporary vibe even further.
This aside, Romeo and Juliet is a bold production that grips the audience from its incredible opening fight scene and holds us in thrall until its tragic ending. It is hilarious, entertaining, exciting, moving and utterly compelling.
With tight direction, killer sound design, a gritty set and bold performances, WAAPA has vaulted Shakespeare’s classic into the 21st century. With its themes of violence, conservative control and the destruction of innocence, it could not more relevant. Cast and crew deserve enormous credit for delivering a production of such vitality, confidence and emotional force.
Romeo and Juliet is presented by the WAAPA 3rd year Acting students and runs to 17 June at Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA. 174 – 176 William Street Perth WA 6000.
Tickets: https://boxoffice.waapa.ecu.edu.au/Events
Website: https://www.artsculturetrust.wa.gov.au/venues/state-theatre-centre-of-wa/whats-on/romeo-and-juliet/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/waapa.ecu/
Photo credits: Stephen Heath Photography
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One response to “Review: Romeo and Juliet Sees Fresh Fire At WAAPA”
The lack of side or rear scenery or drapes ruined the acoustics with sound echoing around the back-stage area. The ham acting for cheap laughs in the first half destroyed the message that two young men died because of prejudice. The second half: surely WAPA teaches its young actors that emotion can be shown without overwrought, over-the-top delivery. A real disappointment!