I sat down with director Merlin Stevens to find out more about Romeo and Juliet, coming to the Etcetera Theatre this November.
Can you tell me a little about your show and what audiences can expect?
A production of Romeo and Juliet, bleaker, sharper, structurally tighter and more suffused with breathtaking gothic horror and genuine tender joy than most. It’s modern, realistic, thrilling and cinematic. Fate doesn’t exist, but Romeo’s not willing to believe that, and every story Juliet has ever read has a happier ending than this one.
What drew you to this specific story?
I realised that Romeo and Juliet is a play composed almost entirely of crimes of passion, and nearly every decision a character makes takes them by surprise and leaves them reeling, which then puts them in extremely high-stakes situations where they’re left dealing with the consequences of their actions, which is an incredibly interesting set of circumstances to put on stage. I was also interested in how to play operates based on loyalty and allegiance rather than on detached moral reasoning, and the way people behave when it’s not safe to trade one moral framework for another.
What has been the biggest challenge in bringing this production to life?
I anticipate the biggest challenge to be how we will navigate a cast of eight fitting into such a small backstage/off stage area at The Etcetera but I’m sure we’ll figure it out
How does the design of your show (set, sound, or lighting) impact the presentation of your story?
The lighting will be quite cinematic and representational, specifying place and time of day and the soundtrack, by contrast, will be more expressionistic, abstract and emotional.
If you could sum up the show in one word or phrase, what would it be and why?
As Friar Laurence says in Act 2: ‘like fire and powder’. This cast is absolute dynamite, they are going to blow your socks off.
Romeo and Juliet runs at the Etcetera Theatre, London, from 23 – 26 November. Tickets available at https://events.humanitix.com/romeo-and-juliet-7yrer9s8/tickets
