Romeo and Juliet at the Theatre Royal Glasgow Review

Romeo and Juliet
Theatre Royal, Glasgow

4-8 August 2015

www.atgtickets.com/theatre-royal-glasgow

Reviewed by Kayreen Di Folco

I was invited along to review the iconic Shakespearean classic, Romeo and Juliet, portrayed by the Shakespeare’s Globe theatre company.  As I am total sucker for a good romance story, and Shakespeare fan, I was really looking forward to this performance.

The show was held in the beautiful and modern Theatre Royal. It is grand, and designed in a modern fashion, which is unique to the theatre as others in Glasgow tend to be traditional and refurbished. It is a beautiful building inside and out. Situated in the heart of Glasgow city centre, parking can be difficult, however, there are nearby multi-story car parks and an abundance of public transport option with the closest bus stop just outside the theatre itself. Train and underground stations are less than a 10 minute walk away.  The entrance of the building is easy to locate with large open doors. The entrance foyer is beautiful, with marble flooring and glass fronting. Lots of staff were on hand to direct us where to go. The box office was easy to locate as it was close to the entrance. After receiving our tickets, we headed off to our seats. Again, these were easy to locate as there was visible signage to each seating area. Our seats were in the Dress Circle and the view was great. We were on the 1st floor of the building and we had a very good view of the stage as the rows of seats had a good height difference from the first making it easy for every row to see the performance. The seating was comfortable with plenty of leg room.

Onto the performance itself. The stage was set-up was minimal, which was expected as the programme informed us that the set was built with Shakespeare’s original set in mind. Centre stage was a large wooden structure with ladders to reach a platform. The performance began with a minimal cast and chorus playing an array of instruments in a fun and upbeat tune. The acting began mid-song and the classic play began. We were met with a brawl between the Capulets and Montagues. The acting was fantastic, you could feel the tension between the two families from curtain up. The traditional script was acted beautifully. Juliet was soft and delicate, Romeo was a headstrong, confident young man. Exactly how the characters are meant to be.

As the cast were few, each member played more than one character. This was fine for me, as a Shakespeare fan, I was able to follow who was who with each name. However, my friend found it difficult as she had never read the classic script. During the interval, I explained that the cast were playing other characters and she was then able to follow the second half easier. The cast were fantastic, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole performance and would recommend anyone, not just Shakespeare fans to go see the show.

Rating: 5/5

Tickets cost from £11.40 to £34.90 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).

Romeo and Juliet is at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow until 8 August 2015. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0844 871 7647.

Theatre Royal, 282 Hope Street, Glasgow, G2 3QA | 0844 871 7647