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ROMEO AND JULIET
Brownsea Open Air Theatre
Brownsea Island
Poole Harbour
July/August 2003

BOAT’S reputation, built up over 40 years, is such that its productions almost always sell out well before opening night. Part of the appeal is undoubtedly the island setting and pre and post- performance boat journey, but the main reason must surely be the quality of its performances – and this production, directed by Don Cherrett, justifies that reputation in many ways.
However, perfection is not easy to achieve and this play’s difficulty is that the title roles must inevitably be played by young people with little life experience to draw on, and can be overshadowed by other, more mature performers. Consequently, Charlotte-Elizabeth Talbot’s Juliet, although technically excellent, failed to convince me that her passion was deeply felt, and there seemed little chemistry between her and Richard Bridge’s handsome but rather too stridently-voiced Romeo. But both are talented teenagers and I have no doubt that their time will come.
The animosity between the Capulets and Montagues is well brought out in the production, particularly in Peter Beebee’s portrayal of the hate-filled Tybalt, and there are outstanding performances too from Paul Mole (Mercutio), Jon Evans (Capulet), Amy Todd (Lady Capulet), Denise Mallender (Nurse) and David Weeks (Friar Laurence).

Linda Kirkman
Courtesy of the Bournemouth Daily Echo.
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