Creation Theatre: Romeo & Juliet

Thrusting one of Shakespeare’s classics into the virtual realm, Creation Theatre are stretching and challenging the boundaries of online productions with their latest offering: Romeo & Juliet. 

The audience are invited to act as the hand of fate in this Shakespearian tale, and are guided through to a virtual Verona with a choose-your-own-story layout. It is even possible to prevent the deaths of the star crossed lovers (although I was unsuccessful in my attempts). 

The first decision for spectators is to choose a family: Montague or Capulet. Having entered one of these houses the audience are then greeted by their protagonists, and invited to attend the Capulet’s raucous party. 

The 13-strong cast did a spectacular job at creating a well-rounded performance, despite the limitations of technology. Highlights included RSC associate artist Katy Stephens who shone as Juliet’s excitable Nurse; Mercutio, played by Creation Theatre rep Dharmesh Patel, gave a touching performance – the pinnacle of which being his piercing ‘a plague on both your houses’ monologue. Romeo (Kofi Dennis) and Juliet (Annabelle Terry) formed an immense chemistry on screen – an impressive feat despite not performing from the same room.

Landing firmly on the Montague side of the tale, I spent the opening part of my experience with Harmony Rose Bremner, who played a likeable female Benvolio. Bremner expertly navigated potentially awkward live interactions with audience members with ease. Lola Boutler blended in with the experienced cast, despite having no professional acting experience and joining Creation Theatre through the government’s kickstarter scheme. Boutler did not miss a beat, playing both Sister Joan and Petra, which were essential roles to bring forward the plot. 

The interactions with live actors blended so well with pre-recorded scenes it was hard to distinguish one from the other. Switching between zoom calls and a virtual web of interactive clips, understandably audience members have to be technically savvy to follow along. That being said, the use of different web pages and mediums were seamless – a daunting task worthy of applause. 

A brilliantly ambitious show destined to please a plethora of audiences, Creation Theatre have united families across the world with this ground-breaking production. 

The play is now showing until 23 May. Book your tickets here. 

www.creationtheatre.co.uk/whats-on/romeo-juliet