Forget violent delights having violent ends. What if Romeo and Juliet’s story had never met a tragic conclusion, and the pair moved to Paris and endured a mid-life crisis instead? That’s the vision of Ben Duke, who has directed the highly entertaining show Juliet & Romeo, which is heading to Bristol Old Vic this month. We hear from the actors playing the star-crossed lovers about the their messy lives beyond Shakespeare’s fêted, fatal vision. Photos of Emily Terndrup and John Kendall in Juliet & Romeo were taken by Paul Blakemore
Many of us – at one point in our lives – have felt the pressure of keeping up appearances. Of trying to prove to the people around us that a romantic relationship is thriving, perhaps, rather than draining the lifeforce out of both parties. Well, spare a thought for poor Juliet and Romeo, who have endured being the relentless burden of being the poster-children for teenage love all these years. The masterful pliability of Shakespeare’s works has been proven once again by Lost Dog’s Artistic Director Ben Duke’s compelling vision of love’s young dream reimagined through a combination of movement, text, drama, dance and music into the touring show Juliet & Romeo, which pit-stops at Bristol Old Vic from 22-26 September.
Ben presents an alternate universe where the lovers didn’t die in the infamous misunderstanding; they grew up, got married, and moved to Paris. We meet them in their 40s and… at least one of them is having a mid-life crisis. The solution to remedy their lives haunted by their past actions, known the world over?
Why, a performance about themselves, of course! Who cares that their therapist has warned it a terrible idea. The audience is invited along for the ride anyway, which stars Emily Terndrup as Juliet and John Kendall as Romeo, who you’re about to meet.
What themes are negotiated in the play and what are the main differences between Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Ben Duke’s characters?
Emily: In our version, they’re adults who’ve lived fuller, messier lives. They’ve experienced disappointments, compromises, and many realities that their younger, more sheltered selves never had to face. They’ve shared decades and have a child together, so there’s a very different kind of intimacy between them – it’s deeper, more complicated and less idealised than the passionate and more aspirational love of Shakespeare’s teenagers. Our version negotiates the complexities of all these themes with a lot of humour and compassion.
John: I think what we realise through Ben’s adaptation of an older Juliet and Romeo is just how whirlwind Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet’s romance was. They’re seen as the ultimate symbol of love, yet they were only really together for three days and barely knew each other. In our version, they are much older, they have a daughter and they’re dealing with all the rigours that come with raising a child and forging a long-lasting relationship.
Do you like your characters, and will we like them too?
Emily: I have a huge affection for this Juliet. She’s funny, energetic and passionate, but she’s also a bit of a fantasist and struggles with the gap between the life she imagined and the life she’s ended up with. She’s quite complicated. There are aspects of her that would be challenging to live with as a friend or romantic partner, certainly. But I absolutely love being her for the time onstage each evening. She lives and reacts in
such an uninhibited way, and it’s a joy to have permission to inhabit that.
John: I do like Romeo, yes. I think Juliet is the driving force behind wanting to try this latest method of understanding the relationship problems we – as Juliet and Romeo – face. While not really being fully convinced Romeo is willing to try and fix the problems they both have, I sympathise with him and feel like he’s pretty earnest and does want to make things work.
Do you think audiences want them to overcome their differences and re-establish their love for each other?
Emily: I think people definitely root for them. Whether that means staying together as a couple, or finding a different future apart is another question entirely – one that each person might feel differently about.
Everyone brings their own experiences of love, marriage and relationships into the theatre, so audience responses can be very personal. People often feel strongly about the ending, and I love hearing the different interpretations afterwards. There’s no single answer, which I think is part of what makes the piece so satisfying.
John: Yes! I think they totally root for the couple. There have been lots of occasions at the end of the show where audiences really want to know whether we do stay together or not, so for me that would be a sign that they’re invested in our plight and willing for a resolution of sorts.
What is it about the show that you particularly enjoy as a performer?
Emily: I love that I get to do so much, to feel so much. I get to dance and to act, to work with text and a wonderful partner – I can be overjoyed, devastated, furious and delighted all within the space of an hour. It’s an extraordinary emotional and physical range to explore. The real privilege is taking a theatre full of strangers on that journey and feeling them experience it alongside you. Being part of a show that connects with audiences so directly and deeply is incredibly rewarding.
John: What I like about Juliet & Romeo – and more widely working with Ben Duke – is the ability of the show to allow for options. Often dance and theatre are seen as separate entities with dancers wanting to dance and actors wanting to act! But Ben’s work allows for dance and theatre to align and allows us, as performers, to pull apart well-known narratives and delve into the work through marrying text and movement.
Have you spent much time in Bristol before?
Emily: I visited Bristol a few years ago with my husband for a weekend away, and loved the city. It has a great energy and vibe. I’m really looking forward to getting back there and performing, especially as we have a weeklong run there!
John: I’ve heard great things about Bristol over the years, but have never managed to get there! I also have a very dear friend living there too, but we always meet in Newcastle, nearer to where I live. So, I’m really looking forward to visiting. It’ll also be the first time he sees me perform, so that’ll be very special.
Juliet & Romeo is at Bristol Old Vic 22-26 September, 7.30pm (plus 2.30pm on 24 & 26). Tickets available from bristololdvic.org.uk
