A Tender Thing

When you condense such a well-known play, it is only natural to draw comparisons with the original text. What makes the tale of Romeo and Juliet so intoxicating is the lengths to which the lovers go to be together, the war between their families and the tragedy of their young deaths. Ben Power’s adaptation concentrates on the love story, injecting it with a contemporary story of an older couple. Also drawing dialogue from Shakespeare’s sonnets, it is fair to say that this is a radical adaptation. We bear witness to the life that Romeo and Juliet might have lived had they reached old age.

It is refreshing to have new groups like Growling Grin Productions experiment with a contemporary version of a classic. Originally a two hander, director Olivia Jane Parker has added youthful versions of the main characters to demonstrate the length of their love story. A look inside the beginnings of their tender courtship is a nice thought, but at times it became a distraction, interrupting the momentum of the main players. Benjamin Orchard and Ruby Bown seemed awkward in their roles as the young lovers. Parker added an introduction from CJ Dennis’ The Sentimental Bloke. Given that we were already dealing with several different texts, it was an addition that did not connect easily to the rest of the production.

Lesley Reed and Lindsay Dunn capture the required intimacy of the aging lovers and the agony of their final goodbyes with sombre restraint. Though occasionally a little flat when lengthy dialogue is delivered downstage toward the audience, for the most part the story allows for the actors to explore the anguish of the choice they face. There is never going to be a happy ending, but Parker’s direction captures the tender moments beautifully.

The set allowed us to feel at home and the musical interludes added a sense of wonder to this tale of old age and mortality.

It was hard not to empathise with the unenviable choices offered up by the script.

Kerry Cooper

Photographer: Lucie Bauer