Romeo & Juliet- The Royal Exchange, Manchester

Writer: William Shakespeare

Director: Nicholai La Barrie

The current production of Romeo & Juliet at The Royal Exchange is not just set in the present day but brashly and defiantly in Manchester.

It is not articulated but there is the impression the Capulets and the Montagues are rival gangster families, even the Nurse has a knife concealed in her purse. No effort is made to mitigate the displays of violence which are presented with gory realism. Romeo (Conor Glean) rather than a sighing romantic bruised by love, is introduced as a thug. An early scene in which he mocks a servant carrying invitations to the Capulet’s ball, usually played for comedy, is here an act of brutish intimidation.

Conor Glean uses the first act to suggest love offers redemption for Romeo, turning him away from a possible life of violence. Rather than a lyrical, smooth lover Glean makes Romeo endearingly hesitant, unsure how to proceed, as if overwhelmed by his new emotions.

Juliet (Shalisha James-Davis) on the other hand exudes confidence and is far from a wallflower. She is introduced DJing at the family party and makes it very clear to Romeo she is not an easy conquest and is aware of his tricks. She doesn’t actually say ‘’shoulda put a ring on it’’ but it is close.

David Judge is a frightening Mercutio, there is a sense of danger suggesting a damaged personality rather than simply a reckless one.

Director Nicholai La Barrie litters the play with Mancunian references. Romeo’s acquiring a dram of poison is carried out in the manner of a drug deal in Piccadilly Gardens. Mournful music from local groups like Elbow play in the background of key scenes.

The approach may not please purists as La Barrie extends the influence of the city over the way in which the dialogue is spoken. The Manchester dialect and glottal stop – ‘th’ sounds like ‘f’ and the letter ‘t’ is absent from the middle and end of words – are apparent throughout. It takes time to adjust to some of the most poetic dialogue in history being spoken in such a rough manner.

There are slight but welcome tweaks to the text. The wearying expository dialogue in the final scene, which tells the audience what they already know, is daringly omitted making the conclusion much more powerful without the unnecessary verbiage. The only instance of gender-blind casting is Kate Hampson’s Lady Capulet whose brittle, stressed out performance shows the strain of running the family business.

La Barrie sets a strong communal atmosphere. Graduates from The Royal Exchange’s Elders and Young Companies and ambassadors from the theatre’s community programme appear as guests during the party and later as witnesses to violence. The theatre audience is encouraged to join in the party resulting in those seated at stage level dancing and whooping along to pounding music.

More significantly the characters do not soliloquise but engage directly with the audience. In the balcony scene Conor Glean does not speak his thoughts to the air but chats with audience members making full eye contact as if genuinely seeking their advice on how he should act or simply desperate to share his growing love.

The overall effect, in act one, is to suggest a comedy-drama rather than a classic tragedy. There are unexpected laughs until the mood turns shockingly dark with the blood-soaked end to the first act. However, the irreverent mood runs into the second act with the consummation of the lovers’ marriage for some reason drawing inappropriate laughter.

The stage set, designed by Good Teeth, is discrete. For most of act one it is simply the cracked floor of an empty street. Gradually, however, the set evolves, just as it looks inevitable the balcony scene is going to take place on the upper level of the theatre a stunning prop drops stage centre.

The Royal Exchange creates a highly accessible version of a classic text which reveals unexpected aspects of characters and make for an engrossing, if parochial, production.

Runs until 18 November 2023