Romeo and Juliet at Belgrade Theatre Coventry and on tour – review

Hailed as a “Shakespearean lyrical love story”, Corey Campbell’s rendition of Romeo and Juliet is a co-production by Belgrade Theatre alongside Bristol Old Vic and Hackney Empire. With an original musical score from That’s a Rap, it attempts to tell the tragic tale of the star-crossed lovers, their feuding families, their forbidden union, and the ferocious violence that causes their untimely demise. Innovatively weaving Rap and R’n’B amongst the original text, the production reimagines the Montagues and Capulets as potential political party leaders, competing to win the attention and affections of the Prince to attain power. The audience is given the opportunity to vote for their chosen party before the performance and during the interval via a QR code.

In theory, this mix sounds incredible, but in reality, it doesn’t quite come together. Attempting to combine everything all at once means we lose key elements needed to experience a fully rounded production. Whilst there are some brilliant moments and interesting aspects and ideas touched upon, these are fleeting or diluted because there is not enough time to explore them all. Trying to cram the story in its entirety, adding original songs, haunting melodies, additional text and examining new themes in one show is just too much.

Motivations become flimsy, emotional scenes verge on comical and speeches are delivered at breakneck speed, but with the production pushing the three-hour mark, they need to be. At times, the language is lost, the songs don’t always add to the story or move it forward and there are even screened recaps after we witness the live event. Had it focused more on peripheral aspects of the play not previously investigated but so relatable today, it would have felt fresh, as this was where the show truly shone. The apothecary scene with its chant of “my poverty not my will consents” is an incredibly powerful and relevant gem that deserves a greater spotlight. However, it feels shoehorned in.

Kyle Ndukuba is sensational as Romeo, his command of the Bard is mesmerising. Mia Khan’s vocals are beautiful but her portrayal of Juliet lacks depth. Natasha Lewis is thoroughly enjoyable as Nurse, fully relishing the comedic moments. Dillon Scott-Lewis delivers a powerful performance as Mercutio, alongside a rather tortured Andre Antonio as Benvolio. Although there are amazing performances, act two becomes chaotic, with unnecessary exaggeration verging on hysterics. Prioritising content over authenticity means we struggle to get a nuanced performance.

At the end, we are given a call to arms – but because the overall message is unclear, we are unsure of what we are to take a stand against. Politics, forbidden love, inequality, socioeconomic struggles, all of the above? There are members of the cast campaigning for each party with posters and QR codes throughout the auditorium, but we are not given information as to why we should vote for either. On a screen, we see how close the vote is and midway through the performance we are told who wins, but this has no impact on the story. The rivalry between the parties is not fully explained, nor is the partaking in the voting activity. I hope it doesn’t have the take-home message that voting is futile. There are so many great ideas here that resonate with modern times, had a few been chosen and developed we may have had something incredible but instead, sadly, we have quite a jarring and confused play.