ROMEO & JULIET is so disappointing | ★★ review of the Jamie Lloyd production starring Tom Holland 

In my opinion Romeo and Juliet needs to feel light hearted and bright in the first act so when Mercutio and Tybalt die it feels like a punch in the gut and a massive escalation.

I am now so fed up with this growing trend of no sets, no props and sometimes not even any real costumes. It is starting to dominate theatre, it fesls, but what angers me the most is thdse producers insisting they are being avant garde. No, they are being cheap. Very obvious at this point given how much theatre was struggling even before the cost of living crisis. I wish they'd just own it, I could at least respect the honesty then.

I am GOBSMACKED at the actor bios. At least give Francesca a couple of paragraphs, that just makes her look less experienced than Tom Holland. I know the majority of the audience is there for him, but to give him a poorly written novel compared to her bullet point list is unnecessary (especially considering the abuse she got when she was initially cast)

I don’t understand why Jamie Lloyd didn’t choose to do Hamlet instead of Romeo and Juliet - I think the cameras and bare costumes etc would work perfectly with the themes of spectacle and surveillance that Hamlet builds itself on

"Juliet seemingly revives from the dead like a pokemon" "she kills herself for the vibes" "when your husband of 48 hours is dead, what else is there to live for?" Yep, this was the R&J review I've been most looking forward to

"Like an ABBA tribute band performing at a funeral" - Incredible imagery.

I dont think i can ever get behind minimalism, i love a PRODUCTION, a big SHOW! Props, costumes, lighting everything! I would still see this for the actors but im over the bare sets

If I go to the theatre I was props, sets, I want to be immerse into the world. That’s why I go to the theatre. To be transported. So the minimalist aesthetic is not for me. But I respect the people who like it. It’s just not for me.

The difference between Tom and Francesca's bios in the program seems very, very gross for a play with 2 leads. Very gross. I enjoyed your review, as always!

I hope this isn't controversial but if I'm expected to pay £250 I want more than just a bare stage and a screen. I mean where is all that money going, especially when it sells out just on a name and not the work that is put into it.

Ironic that something so minimalistic is all flash and no substance

The simple fact that a creative in the theatrical space decided to make all the actors WHISPER for 2 1/2 hours, 8 shows a week when it’s been well documented just how bad whispering is for the voice- just goes to show that Jamie Lloyd put their own ego ahead of the health and safety of actors.

"Tom Holland in Peppa Pig's big day out" I know that was meant to be farcical. But I still want to see it, now.

The sounds like skit someone would put on to make fun of modern theater that was taking itself too seriously; with the lack of props, whispering all the lines and just staring at the audience blankly instead of showing emotion.

As a former Mercutio I find your review confusing. I always thought the play ended after mercutio dies.

Wait . ..no fighting? That's just plain sloppy. CLARITY is vital to ALL performance, particularly Shakespeare

When you said vaping I absolutely lost it, like I had to pause the video

Oh my god, the whispering gimmick. If I was in the audience I probably would get so annoyed so fast.

“Almost All Questions start with wherefore?” I LOVE THAT!

The plain stage is ALWAYS boring - it’s not edgy, or heightening performances. This is the west end, I want a little bit of spectacle. I went to see The Seagull at the Harold Pinter and oh my Lord, they were banking so hard on Emilia Clarke as Nina, and they also did the bare bones staging. For that play it didn’t work because it’s a bit weird anyway and some set would have elevated it. For this, I am an English Lit student and am well versed in Shakespeare, however the majority of the audience is not. You need to give them a little something to work with, and if it’s not going to be dialogue with volume, it can at least be props and set.

Hello! Just wanted to give a little bit of what I've learned of Romeo & Juliet doing the play with a touring Shakespeare Festival for a couple years. Romeo & Juliet doesn't necessarily have to be about a "love surpassing all ages". For instance, when Romeo speaks of Rosaline, and then switches hard-core over to being crazy into Juliet, it isn't necessarily because Juliet is so much higher above Rosaline. It may just be because Romeo is in love with love. He's an angsty, poetic, young romantic...and maybe also kind of just a horny teenager. Over the years, we've sort of adopted this idea that Romeo & Juliet is the greatest love story of all time for some reason and that they are the perfect couple, but the structure of the story doesn't necessary support that... It's written to show two young, angsty people who fall head over heals really quickly and make really dumb, brash decisions in their infatuation, finally resulting in suicide. And maybe their love does grow throughout the story, but that doesn't mean it is unmatched or even that they're a good couple. Romeo & Juliet has a lot of humor in it. In fact, when it was first performed for Elizabethian audiences, the people were so shocked and disappointed at the ending being so sad (because everyone was laughing all the way through) that Shakespeare had to add a whole monologue at the beginning of the show to literally warn the audiences, "This is a play that's going to be really funny for a while, but it'll end sad, just fyi...." There is so much crude humor in the show, and some of the characters are such larger-than-life characters...There's even a lot of humor that has been lost through the ages. For instance, the name "Tybalt" was a famous, silly cat character in Elizabethian times. So, the fact that one of the most hot-tempered characters in the show was named "Tybalt" is frankly a joke in itself. Imagine today someone like Austin Butler playing some bad-boy swordsman named "Mickey Mouse". Point being...Romeo and Juliet is full of caricatures. And Romeo & Juliet's love in itself...sudden, unreasonable, between two teenagers that really have no clue what they're doing...could as well be a caricature in itself. Peace!

No props sound completely outrageous to me.

As a graduate in stage design and theater arts, there are ways to do a "naked" stage. When the public notes its poverty... it ain't it

As someone who is a Shakespeare performer and studies it both academically and theatrically, the main thing in acting Shakespeare is ITS ALL RELEASE. Characters are constantly expressing their emotions to the highest level they can. It’s why the “O” is so common in his plays. The “o” means to the actors to make a sound that expresses all your emotions, not to say an actual “oh”. Shakespeare’s characters go on stage and release everything in them. Because of this, I feel, Shakespeare often doesn’t work super well on camera. On camera acting tends to be way more subtle and about what characters are thinking. That is the opposite of Shakespeare. It’s all unrealistic emotion turned up to 100 (affectionately). Trying to make Shakespeare “realistic” or anything similar to what films tend to do is directly in conflict with the text, what Shakespeare is doing, and how plays work from the time. Shakespeare is a lot closer to a musical acting in my opinion than film acting. ALSO(this may be a hot take or get me cancelled by stans but I don’t care) JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE IS A FAMOUS ACTOR DOESNT MEAN THEY KNOW HOW TO ACT SHAKESPEARE. It’s a different type of acting because it’s a different type of theater. It’s a specialized form of theater. Now it’s pretty easy to get classes and stuff (especially if you are a nepo baby movie star like Tom Holland) but JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE A GOOD ACTOR DOESNT MEAN YOU CAN LEAD A SHAKESPEARE PLAY. Tom Holland is a perfect example for this. He’s fantastic in a lot of his work, but just because he’s a great actor on film doesn’t mean he can lead a massive Shakespeare play and play this iconic role. As far as I know (please correct me if not), Tom Holland has never been in a Shakespeare play. So why should he lead this show? I am a Rachel Zelger STAN and I am nervous for her and Kit Conner’s version for the same reasons. There are plenty of talented actors who are well-versed in Shakespeare who could lead this show and get an opportunity like this. So this sounds like failed stunt casting to me. Sad because I really like Tom Holland and wanted to see this (even though I’m American 😕) but it sounds like they’ve committed some Shakespeare sins that drive me up the wall. RIP MY BOY MERCUTIO THEY DIDNT KNOW THE GEM OF A CHARACTER YOU ARE 😭😭😭

Yeah with Shakespeare you need proper visuals, especially if you are a newbie to his works. You mentioned earlier Mickey about the ballet adaptation of R and J. I have had the priveliege of watching live broadcasts of The Royal Ballet's production and it is fantastic! But no matter what ballet company does R and J, the credit goes to Prokofiev's highly cinematic score. It tells the story perfectly.

The thought of being whispered at for 2+ hrs would genuinely be torture for me. I HAAAAAAAATE whispering

WHISPERING!? I have a vivid image what that looks like and its very funny I'd never be able to take it seriously 😭😭

Please do a video on the reviews. Seems like quite a few reviewers are over the Jamie Lloyd effect and it really makes me wonder how well Sunset will review in NY

32:02 Wait, Freema Agyeman is in this? MARTHA JONES IS IN THIS?! Screw Spider-Man, THAT would be the reason I see this.

This makes me think that, off the success of the highly acclaimed Sunset Boulevard, complete with a star casting, Jamie Lloyd went to recreate that magic in Romeo & Juliet. Rather than taking the time to work out an original production with actors who perform the roles amazingly, they tried to simply apply Sunset Boulevard to R&J as a cookie cutter.

Helplessly hoping for a review roundup!

A romeo and juliet that lacks passion is a romeo and juliet I DO NOT want to see

now I want that kind of summary for all of Shakespeare's famous plays like Hamlet and Macbeth 😂

Whispering is such a weird choice 💀 same with no colour, basic costumes, no props, and overuse of cameras

I feel really passionate about Romeo and Juliet. It’s my favorite Shakespeare play, and one of the ones I studied extensively for my undergrad thesis. To me it sounds like this production misses the point. I think the compelling part of R&J is passion and intense emotions. Romeo is one of my favorite literary characters because he is a crybaby! Romeo frames himself as the emotional one repeatedly. People like to assume he is significantly older than Juliet because it makes them sound different and edgy I guess but there’s no evidence he isn’t also an immature teen. That’s not to say Juliet isn’t also overdramatic and emotional. I think it’s important, personally, that they are both so young and melodramatic. You’re meant to feel like you just went through so much and for what? What was it all for? Because that’s exactly what the piece is trying to say. I haven’t seen this production, of course, but it sounds like it missed the point to me. I have tickets to see the Broadway production with Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler at the end of this year, and I’m very interested to see what they do with it.

Yeah, it sounds like Jamie Lloyd has just fundamentally misunderstood Romeo & Juliet

I think the thing that makes me so mad is that more concrete staging and setting can MAKE Shakespeare more accessible. In Boston pre-pandemic, I saw a production of R&J that was so dynamic and youthful and earnest that I was genuinely devastated when I got to intermission and remembered what was about to happen next. I feel like good theater to me maybe can feel like theater that is ready or willing to meet anyone who wants to come through the doors.

I mean, without the charm of the funny moments, the tension in that specific play falls flat. And Romeo and Juliet has such great funny moments even in the text. How can you butcher the most iconic scenes too?

I saw this afternoon. I totally agree with all your criticisms. My biggest gripe was, as I was sitting in the galley on the left, the death scene is staged on the left side in front of the stage and I couldn't see it. If only the director had watched so they had moved it slightly to the right everybody could had seen it. I didn't actually believe that they were in love.

You’re literally describing everything I despised from Jamie Lloyd’s A Doll’s House. That coldness and distance, and whispered everything. Hated it.

It seems like Jamie Lloyd was far more concerned about putting on a new Jamie Lloyd production, with a nod to people wanting to see Tom Holland live onstage, rather than... like... telling the story. It could have been any play as long as he could put the star in the title role. It cheapens previous productions when you see elements being used so inappropriately - was the use of cameras ACTUALLY a commentary on Hollywood and celebrity for Sunset Boulevard? Or was that accidental genius, a coincidence that wasn't thought through the way it seemed, since it's being used in the same way with none of that context?

An ASMR version of Romeo and Juliet?

"Forbidden Broadway" better do a whisper-off between Jessica Chastain and Tom Holland. Imagine each one shouting "What???" after every line of dialogue

One of the few performances I considered leaving halfway through. If you do not know the plot beats (i.e more than just the very basics), you will be lost for good portions of it. If you have tickets, I suggest reading a synopsis or something before going since, as this video suggests, the performance takes a lot of this for granted.

This I will confess was my concern from the moment they released the cast announcement trailer they did. There was such a focus on the violence and not on the love and this show cannot work without both.

This seems like a sad, missed opportunity. Because of Tom Holland, you can suddenly introduce Shakespeare to a whole demographic who maybe have never seen it done well and were put off by the language. Who don't like or get it. This was the chance to change all that and the production was too busy being avent garde to remember what the primary function of a play is.

Oh dear, I have enough trouble understanding Shakespeare as it is without them whispering or the diction being poor...

My brother saw a production like this of Hamlet at our regional Shakespeare theatre and hated it so much none of us have gone back. I can’t imagine playing London prices for this

I literally left the theatre on Wednesday saying everything your video covers. I usually LOVE everything Jamie Lloyd does, but this was a big no in my opinion. The actors speaking mostly in a dreamlike state just sucked all of the energy out of the play. Also the lack of interaction between characters was puzzling when they were just stood face forward to the audience speaking into microphones. It was more like a first read through of the play. Another really irritating thing (probably to put the audience on edge) was the really loud disorientating music and sound effects they were pumping out of the speakers before the show started and during the interval. I'm sure there were some positives somewhere but hard to find.

Honestly from what I've heard about this production, the direction at a highschool version of this play was better than this high budget one. It was a modern take where Romeo's family was a gang full of abused people living in poverty and Juliet's family were rich gang lords. Juliet's father was physically abusive towards her and her mother, Romeo shot her cousin in a very dramatic slow motion fashion while the stage revolved showing the horror on his face as he dropped the gun and ran to Juliet. Romeo OD and Juliet slit her wrists. Let me tell you every audience member was sobbing

Isn’t the point of going to the theatre to be in the same room as the performer? And acting for stage is very different to acting for camera - a stage actor has to convey emotion to the very back of the house, without being over the top for the front row. Is it time to move away from these gimmicks now!? Can I suggest if someone wants to make a film, they don’t do it on a stage.

Such a point about the assumption that the audience already knows what's going on because it's Shakespeare and well known so they cut corners on the actual story telling. Went to see Player Kings earlier in the month and there was genuine shock among a fair section of the audience when a particular character was killed even though it's a fairly well known death if you know your Shakespeare and/or history. It sounds like this production of Romeo & Juliet is for those who have seen or read the play enough times to automatically know what's going on and fancy seeing it done in this particular style or, as you say, just there to see Tom Holland perform on stage.

I’ve just seen the show. Sat third row. And I agree with most your review. 3 star production to me. Having a droning soundtrack, the cast mumble and microphones somewhat echo, made the whole opening scene so hard to understand. A single cough from anyone in the audience made the entire thing inaudible. However, after the opening scene the cast spoke louder - I do wonder if they were told to speak louder now, as the whispering was noted in many reviews and I didn’t find it awful after the first scene. But like you say, the first scene impacts so much of the show. I know understand the show better because of your breakdown. I didn’t catch who he loved (I was confused and thought he already met Juliet when he talked of love but obviously soon realised he hadn’t), and didn’t feel much fear of the war between families. So being someone who didn’t know the story (aside the ending) I struggled to follow this. FYI I didn’t go for Tom Holland, I went for Jamie Lloyd because of Sunset. But do expect most where there for him, and likely also struggled to follow the story a bit.

Shakespearean plays are truly meant to be seen, not read. If you want to just focus on Shakespeare's text, then do a reading of his sonnets. And whispering doesn't do anything for the emotion when it's the whole show.

“An ABBA tribute band performing at a funeral” made me snort laugh

I saw the play today. As a non native English speaking person, I had THE HARDEST time trying to understand what they were saying. Most because it’s a “sophisticated English”. And since they are no set or props to help me understand what’s going on on the stage, I can honestly say I definitely didn’t understand anything from the plot. It was a very underwhelming experience.

I don't like it when productions are still stripped back with minimal props and set. Not only does it not allow me to immerse myself in the performance, it makes me think of school and amateur shows where there is no choice but to strip things back in order to cut costs. Everyone knows Romeo and Juliet so it probably doesn't matter as much, but Shakespeare can be difficult with how different the language is today. You need visual storytelling involved so that the audience can interpret what they're seeing. And whispering? Please don't.

Haven't seen this production, but when you said that it was written in the program that the purpose was to strip away anything that would distract from the text (by which, I presume the director meant strip away sets, costumes, and action and just focus on the words), I got so angry. I am a former middle school English teacher, and I taught Romeo and Juliet to my students. One of the struggles that we English teachers have is that Shakespeare was intended to be preformed, not read. There aren't really many stage directions, just mostly actors' lines, and for young people studying the play today, who are so far removed from the social norms and vernacular of Shakespeare's time, it's hard to understand the story from just the words. I'd say most of today's audiences need talented actors and production teams to create and tell the story through not only the words they say, but their costumes, sets, and you know, actual acting. Why not just have actors sit in a circle and read the words, readers theater-style, if they're not going to, you know, put on a play?

Two key points: Romeo and Juliet is not a love story, it is about VIOLENCE. To miss that really suggests Jamie Lloyd has totally misinterpreted the text. If I had paid £200 for a ticket and they spent the entire time whispering I would have to heckle (and that is very bad etiquette but like, it may be justified here!)

From what I understand from some Shakespearean people, the smaller bio for Francesca is probably because they’re trying to justify the stunt casting of Tom Holland in comparison to Francesca who’s an actual Shakespearean actor. However it does come off as targeted nevertheless.

I'm at the start of the video and haven't seen your comments yet, but came out tonight and I felt the staging was just a little odd, moments like the multiple kisses where the characters are moving and interacting more like an actual play, and then multiple scenes with all the actors facing straight to the audience with almost no movement for what felt like way too long... Also the multiple blackouts used almost in a way that felt like jumpscares, in Sunset Boulevard it really worked and was perfect. In this both that and the outside scenes felt like cheap knockoffs

thanks for reviewing it so quickly, I was really curious about it! I was shcked by the rating when I read the title but it really seems like it wasn't a good time lol

Thanks for the speedy upload and the timecodes...

I hope none of my fav actors ever star in a Jamie Lloyd production! I don’t want shell out that much money for no set no props no costumes and whispers but I know I will have to if he ever casts Peter Capaldi 😭

As somebody who primarily engages with theatre as text or an audience member, I really appreciated how deep you went into the relationship between the staging and blocking choices of the production and how they sometimes contradict or otherwise even undermine the story. Minimalist contemporary interpretations certainly have their place, but it sounds like this one rings hollow.

Apropos of absolutely nothing, Juliet is actually only 13 in the text. Also, "like a Pokemon" is the best description of that plot moment ever.

I think Jamie Loyd picked the wrong Shakespeare play to direct as I think he’d do better directing Macbeth

I love your plot summary 🤣

I'm SO GRATEFUL for this review. I've been feeling like Jamie Lloyd has found an aesthetic and is now using it as a broad-stroke "trick." I loved it in Betrayal...but then I found diminished returns in the stage version (not the filmed version) of Cyrano...couldn't bring myself to see the Checkhov. And I'm gonna give this a miss.

Will you be going to review Kit Connor and Rachel Zelglers R&J on Broadway when it debuts I believe this year?

I recently saw Romeo and Juliet as a ballet for my birthday and that had more life in it than this does

If you really wanted to do screens and cameras in a Shakespeare play why not just do hamlet. A lot of people have tried to play up the surveillance aspect in hamlet so why not take that to the next level, at least it would be saying soemthing

I really hope you get to see the new Broadway version with Rachel Zegler and Kit Connor because it looks totally opposite to this portrayal and I’m really interested to see how it turns out

The red flags were already on the wall when I saw the pictures and that dull as fuck lighting and minimalist staging. There is so much life and energy in Romeo and Juliet as a play. Why you would just make the entire world so bleak and dark is beyond my comprehension. Yes it is a tragedy but there is also comedy, color and joy in the moments of the play prior to Mercutio dying. With a rich world of colorful and memorable characters. I could already tell from the pictures that the director completely missed the point of the play. But to hear he did from someone who saw it is still disappointing all the same.

MickeyJo - what a brave and truly honest review. I think I would have pulled my hair out.

I go to the theatre to see people on a stage, not pictures on a screen.

Your video confirmed my suspicions after I saw production photos. I had a feeling this would be the case.

Boy I’m glad I didn’t get a ticket now 🙃

"If it had more of a pulse..." is most telling line in you review.

Insightful and honest as always. Love your channel king. ❤

The big problem with this production to me is that it does not seem to believe that people care about the text of the play or the story so they need to spice it up with people with whispers, and other nonsense.

i'm sorry but i'm actually pissed off with the bio in the playbill.

Juliet was 13. She hadn’t yet reached her 14th summer. So she wasn’t yet 14.

"Rosaline looks like the wrong side of a horse compared to this 14 year old I've never spoken to" 😂😂😂

The whispering element makes me think of David Lynch’s 1984 Dune movie.

I absolutely get that this is not for everyone. I fully expected it to be not for me but I went to see it Monday and surprisingly i loved it. It completely immersed me in a way that I can't really explain

Smart, articulate, thought out review. Thanks, well done.

we found it quite disappointing....almost zero scenery, the 'hoodie' look so tired.....mediocre casting;/acting...it all seemed terribly contrived....cannot recommend......the nurse was good tho.

Haven't seen the whole video yet. I just wanted to wish you bliss and good luck for your first live production. I will not be able to make it as I am still stuck in France but hopefully I'll get to see another version ;) Also, a play with kit connor ? If is it close to Christmas I will book my ticket on the spot

I think I just received a sincere spoiler alert for Romeo and Juliet 😂

amazing AMAZING review MickeyJo! I felt more from your review than from what I imagine I might feel at the theatre for this production of R&J …

If the screen only goes up halfway, why not use that for the balcony scene? Like, roll out a platform the height of the screen and make the screen the balcony. Be clever with the cameras or even use pre-recorded footage of them side by side so you still get that parallel that they want. If you don't want the height difference, put one of them on either side of the screen so there's still a physical separation. You can angle the actors in a way to not just make the audience look at their backs. Then raise the screen so they can kiss.

So this just tells me that Jamie Lloyd doesn't understand Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet is a comedy for the first half that turns Tragic. That's why it works. Also, the text explicitly says "two hours traffic of our stage" - no way should the show be over that. It's too slow and plotting. It needs to be swift.

Just went tonight - this review 99% aligned work how I felt... So much so that I'm going to send it to everyone who asks what I thought. But I diverged on the Queen Mab speech - it really resonated for me and helped explain why Mercutio is such an inconsistent person . I've spent a lot of time with people recovering from trauma and PTSD, and for me this delivery really strongly reflected some of the haunted rants I've heard from people living in a world that is half-comprised of nightmares. Similarly with the nurse, in the second half it suddenly felt like the humor from the first half was part of a post-trauma defense mechanism to me. Though both made the whole play darker. One thing you didn't mention which was another Jamie lloyd-ism was the removal of microphones to signify the death of Romeo & Juliet. Again something that I think worked in Cyrano because in Cyrano words are everything, words are life and existence. But here.... I was just asking wherefore?

me seeing the rating before clicking on the video: pikachu face

I can’t lie, I would pay £200 for a ticket to see Tim Holland in “Pepper Pigs Big Day Out” 😆

Oregon Shakespeare Festival does fantastic text focused productions with diverse casting but unlike this production you understand everything perfectly because they've placed such an emphasis on the storytelling

I never watch these until I’ve seen it myself. And then I watch your videos on the train home 😂. I agree entirely - the context point is so important. I know R&J relatively well. And at times I was confused as to what was going on. And the creative choices felt too close to Sunset Boulevard for no reason.

This is slightly of topic, but this is the second time you've mentioned Kit Connor being attached to a West End production. (First time was in Joe Locke's Sweeney Todd casting announcement video) Can you reveal what production it was? I'm so curious. Fans thought it may have been Player Kings because it looked like he had a Henry IV book in one of those what's in my bag videos

I'm actually a bit worried this will put younger people off going to the theatre. If you go to the theatre to see your favourite film actor, who you've spent tonnes of money to see as a one off and then end up with a show you can't hear, seems partially prerecorded and seems to be trying to send a message thats far to deep and artsy for you to understand why would you want to go to another play? It feels like this is reinforcing the idea a lot of people have that Shakespeare is complicated and that theatre isn't actually accessible for the normal person. I don't want this to flop, but I hope people do realise that this style doesn't reflect what everyone is doing. Very interested in seeing what others will say on this one.