Romeo & Juliet, set in the 60's and with not an adult in sight. Broadway Baby is intrigued.
Talented teenage cast, which makes the show feel very authentic, especially since we’ve taken out all the adult characters
Tell us about your show
Romeo & Juliet reimagined in the 1960s – mods and rockers clash, all adult characters written out, heavily cut and fast paced: the show focuses on the play as an adolescent struggle for identity, taking place in a culture of violence in a world that seems to feel like it’s falling apart.
Why did you decide to take your show to Space UK this year?
New space at Niddry Street – suited our in the round production should feel claustrophobic and intense – which suits the adolescent fever of the show!
Have you brought a show to the festival before?
Yes, twice before with a 1950s cartoony Much Ado and The Tempest set in a Victorian freak show.
What makes your show unique amongst the thousands of others at the festival?
Talented teenage cast, which makes the show feel very authentic, especially since we’ve taken out all the adult characters – the world of the play feels like an exclusively teenage one – with all the wildness, honesty and folly that that implies.
What has been the biggest challenge in getting your show ready for Edinburgh?
Blocking it in the round: though ultimately, the cast have found it liberating. And booking the train tickets: Virgin East Coast are a nightmare.
How did you create your show?
Collaborative direction from a team of 4 directors and 1 designer: started by cutting everything we could, taking it back to the bare essentials of the story but maintaining the drama – trying to get to the real sense of Shakespeare’s language: the show is all original text, but the cast have really played with how it functions – trying to make it feel ‘real’ still in the context of the 1960s setting. It’s been striking in the pre-Fringe run how convincing it all feels – the emotion/humour/aggression still rings absolutely true.
Show Name: Romeo & Juliet
Production Company: n6 productions
Venue: Niddry Street (Upper)
Dates: 17-22nd August incl (Monday – Saturday)
Times: 1.15-2.15
