^{Cover Image: This production visually imports Romeo and Juliet into a contemporary setting. Image by Stephen Heath.}

To deliver a 400-year-old work that most of the audience know — if not intimately, then at least by osmosis — and have them collectively still feel the tragedy: well, that’s a really hard task. Such is the challenge taken on by director Tom Healey and WAAPA third-year acting students in their production of Romeo and Juliet. 

In the tradition of Baz Luhrmann’s cinematic adaptation, WAAPA’s production stays fairly faithful to the original text, but visually imports the work into a contemporary setting. Luhrmann’s film is by no means the only example, but it is canon, and I raise it here because WAAPA’s version references it, most notably with neon crosses and exaggerated religious iconography. Fortunately, this production just manages to free itself from the trap of merely presenting another version of a beloved classic, putting its own spin on the work and bringing it into the present with the inclusion of smartphones, portable speakers and contemporary streetwear. 

Perhaps this is a benefit of a student production, and Healey does well to give space to the cast’s youthful energy. This play has always been about the enormity and overwhelm of teenage love. Griffin McLaughlin is a standout as Romeo: brimming with teen angst and desperation. He plays the part with gravitas and a magnetism fitting for the leading role. Holly Samaniego brings confidence to Juliet, choosing to draw on the character’s gutsiness rather than dwell too much on her whimsy. 

Sarah Hindle’s bumbling nurse provided comic relief as well as emotional depth as soon as the script gave the chance. The groom in Juliet’s arranged marriage, Paris, was played by Daniel Hsu. His delivery was unhurried and quietly threatening, robotic and foreboding. 

With frequent fight scenes, Romeo and Juliet is a play that allows the students to demonstrate their use of movement. Under movement director Tyrone Earl Lraé Robinson, the performers delivered this challenging choreography with fluidity, precision and at times humour. There’s dance as well – emerging unexpectedly like a flash mob – perfectly executed and bringing a lightness to the angsty drama. 

The unfamiliar language, too, is demanding. Of all the cast it’s Michael Kavanagh (Friar Lawrence/Lord Montague) who manages to get inside the dialogue the best and have it roll off the tongue, finding the essence and beauty of the message – though each performer proves they’re up to the task. 

At times Jessie Nalder’s soundscape is an ethereal heartbeat, building with intensity. At other times speakers ring out with songs from the last 30 years. Nikita Mulcahy’s lighting design contrasts romantic fairy lights with harsh spotlights, balancing the play’s changing moods. The spotlights are held by crew members on stage, a reminder of the spectacle of theatre. 

Indeed, in true Shakespearean fashion, this production leans into using the theatre itself as a setting. There’s no curtain – the audience watches the crew clean fake blood off the stage at interval; prop shelves are in full sight – they’re the backdrop to the action. After all, Romeo and Juliet is not realistic, it’s symbolic. Humanity has not outgrown the enduring themes of the urgent passion of youth, the tragedy of missed chances, and of social conflict. WAAPA’s third year acting students show us that there’s life still in Shakespeare for new audiences when done right. And they’ve done it right. 

Romeo and Juliet runs till Wednesday 17 June.