Theatre / Reviews
Review: Romeo and Juliet, Eastville Park Swimming Pool
Romeo and Juliet is a tale of love that burns brightly then falls further into darkness.
So it is appropriate that, in this open-air production in an atmospheric abandoned swimming pool, the sky turns black as dusk – and the unfortunate end of the star-crossed lovers – draws nearer.
In Insane Root’s immersive and site-specific production in and around the pool, nothing is left unused.
is needed now More than ever
Scaffolding, graffiti, and debris are everywhere: some part of the production, some merely evidence of the Eastville Park pool’s disuse and decay, and a clear inspiration for the show.
Directed by Hannah Drake, both the costume and set design of the show have one foot in the Victorian era and the grandeur of the swimming pool as it must have been in its heyday – and the other foot in the here and now, taking inspiration from the feel of space as it is today.
Lighting designer Edmund Mackay times the show to perfection, with very little intervention when the sun is in the sky, before creating ever more drama as the show reaches a crescendo.
As night falls, coloured neon strip lights mounted on the wall flash slowly as Romeo approaches the bed of his wife, whom he believes dead.
The ten talented performers, some of whom do multiple turns as different characters, also sing haunting original a capella folk compositions devised by composer and company member Ellie Showering.
This, alongside the intimacy and uniqueness of the space, the lighting design as well as the natural drama of the sunset, gives Insane Root’s production depth and emotion in what is – for a Shakespeare play – an unusually enclosed and bare-bones set.
Romeo and Juliet continues at Eastville Park Swimming Pool until July 29. For more info and to book tickets, visit www.insaneroot.co.uk/romeo-and-juliet
Read more: Preview: Romeo and Juliet
All photos by Jack Offord
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