‘the company does a fearless job of putting it across’
“She is not fourteen”: what is this original line used to describe Juliet meant to evoke in audiences? It feels incredibly modern to feel outrage, protectiveness and fear after hearing these words. But is it? Are our modern preoccupations around age, gender and consent borne out of progress, or are they timeless railings against unfair systems that only seem to cycle back into public consciousness again, and again, and again?
Written and directed by Karl Falconer with additional writing by Lucy Niemczyk, this adaptation sets out to explore this question, among others. Stripped of its traditional romanticism, Romeo. Juliet is a raw and daring take on a classic story that honours the text while unflinchingly appropriating its themes to fit more topical subject matters. This is not a love story, but it’s not only a cautionary tale about masculinity or tribalism either. It’s also about how those perennial dangers affect young people while they are alone, in front of a screen. Romeo isn’t only oppressed by his family patriarchs or influenced by his friends; he is also being fed radical versions of their ideas online. And why would he woe Juliet at her balcony, when he can reach her in the far more intimate context of her bedroom? Juliet has always struggled to bid Romeo goodnight, but separation is even more painful when he is so readily accessible behind a screen.
The best thing about this adaptation is not its ideas, but its performances. James Sprague very much owns his version of Romeo and manages not to let any of the passion be lost in this more virile, less innocent take on the character. In contrast, Tesni Docherty Bowen’s Juliet is meant to soak up all of the childish romanticism of the play. In this retelling, this turns into disillusionment rather than increasing in fervour and conviction until the tragic end, and Bowen is very credible at both stages. Amber King is endearing and sometimes show-stealing as Nurse and as Escalus. Philippe Noel Rose’s Mercutio is a pleasure to watch and listen to, and we understand why the characters themselves seem spellbound by his words. All in all, the performances are excellent and the ensemble itself works like a well-oiled machine, the ideas and dramatic choices being mostly very well executed.
The same applies to some of the liberties the adaptation takes with the text, particularly when these bring lightness to the scenes, and remind us that we are watching teenagers. However, some bold choices are less successful, particularly when the (new) text moves away from exploring timeless questions and resorts to telling us exactly what is at stake. The additional scenes also cause the pacing to lag a little, causing the story to lose momentum as we approach the inevitable. Finally, the end itself doesn’t quite land as it should, perhaps because it doesn’t feel quite in line with all the subversions that precede it. If Romeo is, as this adaptation suggests, considerably older and savvier than Juliet, why is it that his action at the bitter end mirrors hers perfectly, in all its tragic vulnerability?
Although I was ultimately left unconvinced by this particular take, the company does a fearless job of putting it across. Announcements of their other adaptations can be found on their website, purpledoortheatre.co.uk.
Review Date: 30th August 2026
Star Rating: THREE