Filed under

Stratford Festival: Romeo and Juliet

A traditional take on Shakespeare's timeless tragedy

By Lauren Gillett • June 15, 2013

Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Tim Carroll

Sara Topham (left) as Juliet and Daniel Briere as Romeo with members of the company in Romeo and Juliet. Photo by David Hou.

The story of Romeo and Juliet has been told countless times, in many different forms, so it's refreshing to see a version of the play that focuses on representing Shakespeare's work in the way it was traditionally presented. Now on stage in a new production directed by Tim Carroll, Stratford Festival's Romeo and Juliet follows "Original Practices," recreating a performance as one might have seen it in Elizabethan England at the Globe Theatre: on a bare stage under the natural light of the "sun" (house lights, in this case).

The result is a production that is true to Shakespeare's text, with a simple set, live musicians, beautiful period costumes and strong leads in Romeo (Daniel Briere) and Juliet (a wonderfully spirited Sara Topham). Their chemistry is believable and so is their outrage at their feuding families: the scene between Juliet and her father, the hardheaded Capulet (Scott Wentworth), is positively explosive.

Carroll mines the comedy in the tragedy as well, directing characters, such as Kate Hennig's dramatic Nurse, Jonathan Goad's mischeivous Mercutio and Mike Nadajewski's Peter, to clown around and interact with the audience. The show also boasts skillful sword fighting (choreographed by fight director John Stead) and beautiful movement by Shona Morris. Well-paced and elegantly staged, this is a fine tribute to one of the greatest love tales of all time, pure and simple.

Romeo and Juliet runs until October 19 at the Festival Theatre. Visit stratfordfestival.ca for more information and to buy tickets.