The North East Theatre Guide: Preview: Romeo & Juliet on tour

Saturday, 23 April 2016

Preview: Romeo & Juliet on tour

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SHAKESPEARE SEASON ‘KICKS OFF’ WITH MODERN-DAY TWIST ON ROMEO & JULIET

Newcastle Alphabetti Theatre – Tuesday 26^th – Friday 29^th April 2016

Stanley Alun Armstrong Theatre – Saturday 30^th April 2016

South Shields Customs House – Thursday 19^th May 2016

If there’s one thing that has passions running high in the North East, it’s football; in particular, the rivalry between the Black Cats and the Magpies. And this is the backdrop to which Cranked Anvil have set their modern-day twist on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, as they kick off their 2016 Shakespeare season with the greatest love story ever told.

Brogan Gilbert & David Jackson

Set in and around South Shields – which has an equal spread of both red-and-white and black-and-white fans – Shakespeare’s pair of star-crossed lovers meet, fall instantly in love, and defy all the odds to be together until the end of their days – despite the “ancient grudge”, despite the colour of their shirts.

The play has been adapted by Cranked Anvil’s director Paul Dunn. He said “I love the idea of putting a modern twist onto Shakespeare’s plays, and setting Romeo & Juliet locally, with a football theme to it, seemed a perfect idea for the story of two warring communities living in close proximity. It will hopefully resonate with all kinds of audiences, not just regular theatre-goers.”

In Rehearsal.

l-r Luke Hammond, Christina Cuthbertson,

Sean Kenny, Brogan Gilbert

and director Paul Dunn

The play features established local actors like Paul Dunn, Steven Stobbs, and actor/writer/director Wayne Miller, who is also the fight director on the project, as well as some young new talent. Paul Dunn added “Our Romeo, David Jackson, has recently been offered places at three different drama schools and will be begin his professional training later this year, after he’s finished our Shakespeare season. And Brogan Gilbert who plays Juliet is just back from performing at the Globe Theatre in London as part of the theatre’s celebrations. So we’ve really got an excellent pedigree of actors to bring this story to life. It should be a great show.”