You’ve heard the story before, two star-crossed lovers forced to choose between love and family, only to meet a tragic end… Well, Romanoff and Juliet is not that story!
Romanoff & Juliet takes the premise from the original Shakespearean play and makes it its own concept. It is set in a mythical micronation somewhere in the northern hemisphere, with quirky characters and conversations that leave you halfway between chuckling and questioning the meaning of our world.
As always, my absolute favourite part of this production was the actors and actresses who pulled it into reality. With an obvious passion for the show and its characters, the cast gave their all to the performance and successfully brought us, as the audience, into their realm.
The only thing this wonderful cast really needed was more confidence and pride for their show, with minor teething issues like forgotten lines, shaky accents, and occasional projection and blocking issues to clue us into how nervous they were for their opening performance.
Alongside the cast, the stage crew did an outstanding job, with an impressive set design that perfectly captured the two sides of the story without becoming cluttered or overwhelming. The actors’ stage presence combined with the care shown for the performance from all sides made me love this show, even if I could not understand what was going on during every scene.
Romanoff and Juliet is a unique, short-run production by MRT’s Reamus Theatre concept, separate from their 2024 Season program. Reamus Theatre brings together community members aged 18 to 30, helping them cultivate various theatre skills. These passionate and talented young performers consistently deliver exceptional entertainment to the public.
Reamus meets weekly to enhance their theatre abilities through workshops, rehearsals, and shared enjoyment. Since 2002, they’ve regularly staged annual Shakespeare productions, as well as short play nights and one-day play events. You can discover more about Reamus Theatre’s initiatives at Maitland Repertory Theatre here: https://www.mrt.org.au/reamus-theatre/.
For Tickets to Romanoff and Juliet:-
https://www.mrt.org.au/2024-plays/romanoff-and-juliet/
Performance Dates/Times:
Evenings at 8:00 pm:
August: Wednesday 21, Friday 23, Saturday 24, Friday 30, Saturday 31
Matinees at 2:00 pm:
August: Sunday 25
September: Sunday 1
Doors open 30 minutes before performances
Running time
Approximately 2 hours, including a 20-minute interval.
This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.
