Romeo & Juliet

The National Theatre's Romeo & Juliet is a film version of the play shot in a closed theater in lockdown that manages to bring freshness to the classic Shakespeare's love story.

Set in modern-day Italy, the movie draws you in from the start with the settings' minimalism efficiently adding a sense of charm surrounding the cast. There's a scene where the loved ones are surrounded by candlelight in bokeh that exudes romance and beauty. The cast is great. Josh O'Connor and Jessie Buckley bring forward the complete palette of emotions their characters experience. Their chemistry is strong, making it difficult not to be immersed in the story, even if it's already known.

The same story has been told numerous times, but not in this way, and that is why it's worth watching.

Romeo And Juliet (2021) -

I was greatly surprised by this version of the classic Shakespeare play. So many times I have recorded theatrical and cultural performances from the SkyArts channel only to find that the representations or interpretations are done badly or the lead ballet dancer isn't wearing tight enough trousers that show off his amazing thighs, but this National Theatre Live production was a real find. An absolute gem.

It is very cleverly edited and produced with a superb cast and it truly proves that theatre is blind. You would never know that some of the actors with varying accents or origins would not traditionally play their parts, unless you were looking for it or course.

Josh O'Connor gives a fantastic and seductive performance as Romeo. Although not what some would call traditionally handsome, he has a great earnestness about him and his characters always wear their hearts on their sleeves with such ease. Romeo is no exception and he really leads the whole story and production for me. When others were performing I wanted to know what his character was up to and not just because he is so sexy.

And for the most part Jesse Buckley as Juliet is good too, but I didn't feel enraptured by her as I was with Josh and her character drifts off at times.

They work alongside a cast who all excel in their own roles too. Tamsin Greig gives a particularly aggressive and nasty Lady Capulet. There is a darkness to her performance that almost makes me believe that it isn't much of an act. Perhaps she should be careful not to become too typecast as these witchy sorts. I cannot see Imelda Staunton without thinking of Harry Potter's evil Professor Umbridge and it is very difficult to separate Lena Headey from her 'Game Of Thrones' (2011-19) character Cersei Lannister. Maybe they are all just good at what they do, but I wouldn't want to meet any of them down a dark alley, until I got to know them for sure.

The abandoned theatre setting is superb and utilised in such a brilliant way, as the production values grow throughout. I also appreciate the lighting and the colours of the costumes used to appropriately represent the moods and changing environments/occasions. The soundtrack is sympathetic and well chosen too.

There are a few moments that I don't recall from the original story, although it has been a while since actually reading it and most of my recollection comes from Leonardo DiCaprio in Baz Luhrman's version or the cartoon 'Gnomeo & Juliet', but I believe that great theatre is and should be open to interpretation. 'The Mouse Trap' wouldn't still be so celebrated if people weren't asked to conceal "Whodunnit" before leaving their seats after all and some of the best Gilbert & Sullivan productions that I have seen have been an all male cast. I like it when boundaries are pushed.

I will definitely recommend this to my friends, especially those with a taste for culture.

786.32/1000.

A great and stylish modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet accompanied by "great performances" by Josh O'Connor and Jessie Buckley as the eponymous lovers, particularly Buckley. Stunning visuals and music will make this shot-in-pandemic modern adaptation of R&J even more delightful.

Good try, good scenes and atmosphere, but too much was cut, some of the most beautiful words ever written, this was way too short.

The stars are fantastic. The photography and direction is like a 14 year old kids bad YouTube video. Every scene shot close up, is not dramatic. The continuous close up movement becomes nauseating. A complete waste of the stage. This director and cinematographer may never have attended a stage production. You need to move back and see the actors complete use of the surroundings and stage.