The premise of Juliet and Romeo at Adelaide Festival is that Romeo and Juliet, immortalised by Shakespeare, in fact never died.
Juliet and Romeo is a Lost Dogs production which was co-devised by Ben Duke and Solène Weinachter (read our interview with her here). Weinachter also stars in the show as Juliet. Kip Johnson stars alongside her as Romeo in the Adelaide Festival season.
We settled into Scott Theatre, University of Adelaide, which is not only a theatre but the university’s largest lecture hall, with part only accessible from a different floor. Not sure whether it was intentional or an oversight on the night we attended, but the lights remained on for the audience until about 20 minutes in.
Scott Theatre is a curtain-less theatre meaning that we get full view of the set as we await the performance. The set for Juliet and Romeo at Adelaide Festival is quite interesting. Along the back is a mesh/wire partition. On either side are two doors. This partition allows us to see both inside and outside of their apartment. On stage is relatively simple set-up with the aforementioned table, chairs in one corner; a table and two chairs at the centre back of stage and a ladder with a child’s toy at its base on the other side of the stage.
Juliet and Romeo at Adelaide Festival starts with the couple sitting side by side, but on a diagonal, in chairs with a little table, on which tissues, glasses of water and a plant sit. They introduce themselves and Juliet takes the lead explaining they are there because they’ve tried all the different kinds of therapy and nothing has worked so they have decided to do this: to tell their story to an audience.
Over the next 75 minutes, Weinachter and Johnson deliver physical and emotive performances recounting their memories. From the time they first met, to Romeo discovering Juliet had poisoned herself. Juliet and Romeo at Adelaide Festival takes us beyond the story Shakespeare told us, giving us a glimpse into their life they escaped to in Paris. We see their development as a couple through pregnancy, child birth, parenting and more.
The poster couple for romantic love are on stage to “relive our memories to try and understand our present situation”. Each asks the other “would you step into my memory” as they recount and re-enact their version of events. Predictably, Juliet’s version of first meeting Romeo at her parents’ party was filled with fireworks and whimsy, and to a soundtrack of classical music. In contrast, Romeo’s memory is of a feeling in his pants. Romeo’s recounting of being driven by that feeling in his pants is particularly amusing and to the soundtrack of “I want you (She’s so Heavy)” by The Beatles.
“We began with an idea and we continue to wrestle with it, to say what needs to be said and dance the rest.” That is how Ben Duke of Lost Dog explained the creative process. This is evident in Juliet and Romeo, where memories are at times recounted not with words but with movements. The exaggerated movements sometimes border on absurdist comedy, which made the audience laugh, a lot! One example is Juliet lying on the ground incredibly floppy while retelling her story of Romeo finding her poisoned. Over and over again, she makes him “find her”, react to her being dead and pick her body up.
Both Weinachter and Johnson come from dancing backgrounds, which must come in handy in such a physical performance. A particularly athletic scene shows Juliet and Romeo being all over each other once they escape to Paris. Rather than having them act that they are having sexual intercourse, Weinachter and Johnson fling each other all over and against objects in the room – no need for clothes off and a bed for the audience to understand. Both are wonderful in their roles.
Juliet explains from the outset that she has a French accent. In some settings, having a foreign accent might detract from the character but in Juliet and Romeo, it only adds to it. French speakers are even treated to a little bit of French in a scene in which an exasperated Juliet interacts with her daughter Sophie. There re no surtitles for this scene because quite simply they are not needed – the audience need not understand the words said to understand what is taking place.
Another aspect of Juliet and Romeo at Adelaide Festival which is worthy of mention is the soundtrack. The recounting of memories is punctuated by a fantastic, broad soundtrack that ranges from The Beatles “I want you” via Sinatra’s “That’s life” and “Ain’t No Mountain” through to Nina Simone’s “Wild is the wind”.
Juliet and Romeo at Adelaide Festival is a wonderful physical theatre performance that will make you laugh, and maybe even cry, and then laugh some more.
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5 CROISSANTS
Matilda Marseillaise was a guest of Adelaide Festival
Just three shows, and limited tickets, remain.
KEY INFO FOR JULIET AND ROMEO AT ADELAIDE FESTIVAL
WHAT: Juliet and Romeo
WHERE: Scott Theatre, University of Adelaide
WHEN: tonight, Friday 11 March , 7:30pm and, tomorrow, Saturday 12 March 1pm and 6:30pm
HOW: Buy tickets via this link https://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/events/juliet-romeo/
HOW MUCH: Ticket prices are as follows:
Adult
A Reserve $69, B Reserve $59
Festival Friends
A Reserve $59, B Reserve $50
Concession (Pensioner, Health Care Card holder, MEAA member)
A Reserve $55, B Reserve $47
Under 30 years old (ID required)
A Reserve $35, B Reserve $30
Full time student (ID required)
A Reserve $30, B Reserve $25
Transaction fees apply.
Have you ever thought about what would happen to Romeo and Juliet if they hadn’t died as Shakespeare wrote?
For other shows with French links at Adelaide Festival, take a look at this article.
