Theatre review: Romeo & Julie, Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre

Gary Owen’s new play Romeo & Julie is a contemporary love story set in Cardiff, Wales. Romy (Damon Baudin) is a school dropout and single dad who lives with his alcoholic mother. He meets Julie (Shontane Farmer) a high achieving physics student aiming to get into Cambridge. As the two fall in love they face obstacles the world has placed around them to prevent them finding happiness together. 

Baudin and Farmer both deliver superb lead performances, making Romy and Julie both believable and endearing. They are well supported by Claudia Greenstone, Justin Hosking and Belinda McClory who play the parental roles. Greenstone’s and McClory’s characters both get a chance to develop and shine; but unfortunately, Hosking’s character isn’t given the same opportunity by the script. Romy’s baby is central to the plot and the production does a clever job of having a baby be a focus of the show without it being a distraction. 

The direction by Kamarra Bell Wykes and set design by Sophie Woodward create a world for the play, which makes the most of the limited space available in the theatre. The set is one room that represents all the settings in the play. Changes in scene are cleverly done with multipurpose furniture being used to turn a table to a couch to a bed etc.

The adjustable walls help create a sense of claustrophobia when they are brought in to represent Romy’s smaller house compared to Julie’s and the other settings in the play. The scene changes are smartly done with the cast rearranging the furniture with accompanying music.

Owen has written a wonderful love story that looks at the possibilities and challenges of relationships in the modern world. The title and main character names allude to this show being a contemporary take on Shakespeare’s classic play, but the connections and references to Shakespeare are tenuous.

The family conflict that is so central to Romeo and Juliet is not a part of this narrative and the expectations set up by the reference to a tragedy create a false belief in the audience about the trajectory of the storyline. While Romy and Julie can be described as star-crossed lovers, that is not enough to justify the title. The script does drag a bit in a long second act and can be more tightly focused, while the ending feels a tad clumsy. It feels as if the writer wasn’t quite sure how to end the story. 

Read: Book review: Queen Macbeth, Val McDermid

This is a well-acted and directed production that tells an engaging and memorable love story. Baudin and Farmer are superb in the lead roles and worth the price of admission alone. The play would be just as effective with a different title and character names. The reference to Shakespeare is distracting and takes away from what is otherwise a beautiful love story. 

Romeo & Julie by Gary Owen
Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre
Director: Kamarra Bell Wykes
Set and Costume Design: Sophie Woodward
Lighting Design: Spencer Herd
Sound Design: small sound
Intimacy Coordinator: Margot Fenley
Stage Manager: Kelly Wilson
Assistant Stage Manager: Finn McLeish
Cast: Damon Baudin, Shontane Farmer, Claudia Greenstone, Justin Hosking, Belinda McClory
Alfie Baker (Undersudy)

Tickets: $20 – $68

Romeo & Julie will be performed until 18 August 2024.