Theatre
Romeo and Juliet (Lyric Studio, Hammersmith) Something a Little Special (La Bonne Crepe Cafe-Theatre)
Tasty morsels
Christopher Edwards
Astudio version of Romeo and Juliet is an excellent idea. How often have we seen full-scale productions of this play sprawling in failed grandeur over a large stage and diminishing the most celebrated moments of poignancy and lyric grace between the lovers. In this production the director, Kenneth Branagh, registers his intention of stripping the play to the bone by setting it against a frame of scaffolding. In his hands Romeo and Juliet becomes an intense chamber piece that runs for a little over two hours.
Branagh also plays Romeo. When we meet him he is the conventional Eli- zabethan melancholy lover — a sonneteer in the dumps about his latest flame, Rosa- line. Branagh, whose expressive range while at the RSC too often included variations on the theme of adolescent mumpishness, finds the right mood here and plays it adroitly. He catches, with wry smiles, that element of conscious parody designed to make Romeo, at this stage, seem slightly ridiculous and so invite Mer- cutio's inspired mockery. Branagh's deliv- ery is brisk and unaffected. He handles the blank verse with intelligence and a muted, conversational ease appropriate to the sort of intimacy that this theatre imposes be- tween actor and audience. But for all the intimacy, this is a rather bluff, English Romeo who, while successful at communi- cating the exquisite delicacy of his love, only rarely convinces us when grappling with the fiercer emotions. For instance, in the 'banished' speech after he has killed Tybalt, Romeo falls on the floor in a wailing tantrum as if he were a child deprived of a special treat. This is an obvious and rather conventional way of playing the scene. As the programme notes point out, these days we seem more atten- tive to the play's treatment of adolescent love and less interested in making it simply the story of great lovers crushed by fate. This is certainly the case with Branagh's production. It is about time Romeo and Juliet were rescued from pubescence and the influence of Franco Zeffirelli.
Samantha Bond's Juliet also looks very English, in the Home Counties, tennis club mould. But of the two lovers it is she who grows more in conviction and poise and indeed appears to mature under the in- fluence of her love. Within the generally unadorned terms of this production her performance has a passionate richness that always holds the attention. And in the closing scene at the Capulet tomb both she and Branagh achieve a quiet gravity that cannot fail to move the audience.
Something a Little Special is Paul Pres- cott's 58th production at La Bonne Crepe Cafe-Theatre in Battersea Park Road. The piece, which lasts just over an hour, is set in an off-Broadway bar where a pair of adulterous lovers regularly meet. On this occasion the man decides to end the liaison but hope is on hand for the abandoned lady in the form of a comic-book writer shelter- ing in the bar from a rainstorm. This piece is the slightest of romantic comedies and it tries a little too hard to be `whacky'. The dialogue is often of a sub-sit-corn standard but some of the many 'wisecracks' are funny and the acting is good. It is the sort of show in the sort of venue that caters perfectly for anyone who enjoys a light theatrical diversion without having to move too far from the restaurant table.
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