Romeo and Juliet is one of the most famous love stories ever written. C theatre’s Shakespeare for Kids takes this classic romance and delivers it in a fun-filled forty-five minutes.
Through a narrator and plenty of fourth wall breaks, the twists and turns of the tale were delivered in a format digestible for younger audiences that was also peppered with trivia that many of the adults in the room were also previously not privy to. Alongside providing clarifications, addendums, and recaps, the cast effectively used vocal variety and exaggerative physical punctuation throughout. This meant that pace, pitch, tone, and gesture turned Shakespearean Early Modern English from impenetrable for younger audiences to instinctively understood.
Minimal staging was used, akin to Shakespeare’s original production of the play; spoken decor encouraged the audience to immerse themselves in imagining the details of the scenery. Similarly, there was a sense of playfulness in the way the audience was encouraged to engage with the characters- for example the reminder that it’s ‘only pretend’ when Romeo laments being unable to do the show again tomorrow due to his inevitable death.
While the show was brief, it certainly did not feel rushed. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a show to bring bairns to over the summer holiday, and to anyone who fancies a fun and informative rendition of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
Shakespeare for Kids is running until 30 August (excluding the 17th) at C ARTS venue Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, above Victoria Street, EH1 2JL. Buy tickets here.
Image provided to The Student by C ARTS as press material
