People's Romeo
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People's Romeo is a play by British playwright Mukul Ahmed based on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
Cast
- Delwar Hossain Dilu as Romeo / Narrator
- Caitlin Thorburn as Juliet / Friar Laurence / Tybalt
- Leesa Gazi as Juliet's Nurse / Lady Montague
- Swagata Biswas as percussionist
- Sohini Alam as singer
Themes
Performed in both English and Bengali[1][2][3] it blends William Shakespeare's words with Bengali poetry[1][2] and the Pala Gaan theatrical tradition[3] of song, music, dance and story-telling is used.[4] The original text, alongside modern English, is also used.[4]
Production
The People's Romeo was developed across a two-year period by Wandsworth-based theatre company Tara Arts.[1][2] The production's name – People's Romeo – reflects the sub-continent's traditions of People's Theatre, where performers tour with a minimum of props and a small cast.[4]
The cast of three actors; Delwar Hossain Dilu, Caitlin Thorburn and Leesa Gazi play multiple roles,[4] transitioning from one character,[3] although the story has been pared down.[4] Characters such as Mercutio and Count Paris have been left out all together.[4] Several important parts have been left out, notably, the reason for Romeo not knowing that Juliet has faked her death was omitted.[3] The company of five also includes[3] singer Sohini Alam joining in traditional and modern Bengali folk songs,[4] and percussionist Swagata Biswas provides us with a live musical score.[5] The set was designed by Sophie Jump's and the lighting designed by Howard Hudson.[5][6]
Tour
In September 2010, The People's Romeo opened at Greenwich Theatre as part of a UK tour.[1][2] Prior to a UK tour, it played five performances at TARA Studio ahead of visits to Greenwich, Plymouth, Wolverhampton, Crawley, London's Asia House and Waterman's Hull, Darlington and Birmingham.[7] The show was also staged at Hull Truck Theatre as part of Black History Month.[4]
Reception
Deborah Klayman of The Public Reviews rated People's Romeo it 3/5 called it "is energetic and entertaining with moments that are exciting, moving, and humorous."[3] Matthew Jenkins of News Hopper said, "Both charming and moving, People's Romeo is a brave attempt to try something genuinely new and makes for a culturally enriching and entertaining two hours."[1][2]
The Stage said, "Director Mukul Ahmed may have taken several liberties with Shakespeare's original but the important elements remain and his cast of five performers, including a percussionist and vocalist create an utterly absorbing piece of theatre.[8] OffWestEnd.com said, "The People's Romeo is a dynamic cross-cultural performance made for our time that uses Pala Gaan, a popular Bengali folk theatre style that combines music, dance and storytelling to re-invent this classic of English theatre.[5]
See also
References
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