Romeo and Juliet

Amelia’s devotion to the Pop-Up Globe has been usurped by experiencing the real thing. What a riveting production; the cast were on point as two families who are too absorbed by their rivalry to accept the consequences of their actions. Many humorous touches (such as Romeo’s emo entrance slouching along with hoodie and headphones) made a good counterpoint to the tragedy. And yes, an impressive karaoke rendition of the YMCA song marked the dance where he meets Juliet. The two leads managed to convey an awkward teenage perspective along with (heartrending) hopes for their future lives. OTT elements of the story worked really well for this overt warning of their pending deaths. When there were fight scenes, they were staged as WWF-style pantomime. Romeo’s disguise at the masquerade was a Dia de Muertos skull mask. There were baby coffins and funeral wreaths paving the way to the inevitable ending. They opted for a raw, abrupt ending without a prolonged denouement – all-in-all completely devastating.

Meanwhile, the Globe’s ceiling – so beautiful!