ROMEO AND JULIET

Written by William Shakespeare

Directed by Ellie Hurt

Liverpool EVERYMAN

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The star-crossed lovers have been reimagined countless times, but the Everyman’s latest take on Romeo and Juliet proves there’s still fire in one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies. Director Ellie Hurt has shaken the dust off the Verona cobblestones and transplanted them into a world that feels strikingly contemporary, without losing the pulse of Shakespeare’s poetry.

The Everyman’s thrust stage, with its intimacy and edge, works wonders for a play about red hot passion colliding with simmering feuds. The opening brawl brims with a raw, streetwise energy that instantly declares this is not a Verona of ruffled sleeves and dainty sonnets, but one where violence is sadly as casual and lethal as in any British city today.

Alicia Forde delivers a Juliet played with a sharp wit and a teenager’s quicksilver emotional shifts, she resists the tragic heroine mould and instead feels vividly alive; by turns funny, impatient, fierce, and achingly young. Zoe West as Romeo is a mixture of impulsive swagger and genuine vulnerability that is utterly absorbing. The electric chemistry between these star crossed lovers burns not in polished declarations, but in stolen glances and nervous laughter, which makes their sudden plunge into tragedy all the more painfully poignant.

The production is peppered with smart choices as a perfectly cast Elliot Broadfoot delivers Mercutio’s bawdy humour with the timing of a polished stand-up set. Kelise Gordon-Harrison as Benvolio is vibrant with youth yet wiser and more reflective than his peers. Eithne Browne brings real depth and humorous empathy to the Friar.

Kelise Gordon-Harrison and Elliot Broadfoot as Benvolio and Mercutio.
Image credit: Pamela Raith Photography

Live music underscores scenes with a throbbing, modern urgency from a score by Dom Coyote with music from Joy Division, Kate Bush and Jimmy Somerville interspersed with a hymnal poignancy delivered by the Chorus. The lighting design flips seamlessly from neon brashness to candlelit intimacy. The costume design fuses modern street fashion with that of Tudor times, with every costume having flashes of blood red suggestive of the impending tragedy.

But the Everyman’s greatest triumph here is clarity. For a play often drowned in its own reputation, this staging makes the story feel inevitable and freshly shocking. This could be a balcony in old Verona or a balcony on a council estate in Toxteth or Moss Side. By the time the lovers fall, you’re reminded that tragedy is not about inevitability, but about the exquisite, wasteful cruelty of timing.

This Romeo and Juliet doesn’t just retell a familiar tale—it makes you feel its sting anew, as though hearing that ancient line for the first time…never was a story of more woe.

LIVERPOOL EVERYMAN 13th Sept- 4th Oct 2025

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW

Cabaret, Shakespeare, Small Theatres

Written by William Shakespeare

Directed by Amy Gavin and Hannah Ellis Ryan

The Shrew Gets a Manc Makeover: Unseemly Women Take On Shakespeare

The bawdy babes are back and this time, they’re not pulling any punches. Unseemly Women, HER Productions, and Girl Gang Manchester have teamed up for a burlesque-soaked, neon-splashed, full-throttle takedown of Shakespeare’s most problematic “rom-com” at HOME and it’s an absolute riot.

Under the whip-smart direction of Amy Gavin and Hannah Ellis Ryan, The Taming of the “Shrew” ditches dusty tradition for something far more visceral. Set between a glitter-drenched nightclub and the chaotic world of Padua, this all-female and non-binary ensemble slices through the Bard’s gender politics with stilettos sharpened.

The very talented cast slinks and shimmy across the stage and into the audience to ramp up the immersive aspects of this sassy production. Think Baz Luhrmann meets Blackadder on a hen do in the Northern Quarter, with a soundtrack that pivots from catchy pop tracks and bluesy vocals to the sinister horror of a slowed down Andy Williams’ Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.

Shady Murphy is magnificent as Katerina, all fire and fury before her spark is methodically and heartbreakingly extinguished. Opposite her, a brilliant Emily Spowage delivers a Petruchio that’s equal parts swagger and sadism. It’s a masterclass in gaslighting so when Petruchio insists the sun is the moon, your stomach will twist as Katerina tries to navigate around safe path through her marital nightmare.

Visually, it’s a feast: Zoe Barnes’ Vivienne Westwood-inspired wedding dress looks iconic. The Belles look suitably beguiling and risqué for this production. The pole dancing and musical elements ramp up the visual drama and showcase the multi-talented performers in this riotous piece.

This is a fun and face-paced punch to the gut that’s a glitter cannon full of feminist fury. By refusing to sanitize the original text, this production reframes it with power, purpose, and a healthy dose of revenge. Here this vibrant and talented ensemble reclaim the narrative. The odious Sly Christopher is left to watch the women like a second rate Bernard Manning gagged and trussed up like a turkey.

Catch it before it disappears in a cloud of glitter and gaslight.

HOME MCR 27TH-31ST MAY 2025

The Taming of the “Shrew”

Shakespeare, Small Theatres

Written by William Shakespeare

Directed by Amy Gavin and Hannah Ellis Ryan

HOPE MILL THEATRE

The bawdy babes are back with another co-production from Unseemly Women, HER Productions and Girl Gang Manchester. Here this all female and non-binary collective take on Shakespeare’s portrayal of gender roles and a women’s place in a marriage. Under the spirited direction of Amy Gavin and Hannah Ellis Ryan this production zeroes in on the enduring horror of coercive control and the mind numbing impact of gaslighting. As the Bellas teach their drunken patron Sly a lesson he won’t easily forget, the audience get to watch as the action moves from a neon pink burlesque club to Padua where the “Shrew” Katerina and her sister Bianca are wooed by a selection of potential suitors.

Katerina is a force of nature who takes no prisoners and does not mince her words. As her father offers a large dowry on her being married before her younger and more malleable sister Bianca, Petruchio decides he is up the challenge of taming this wildcat. Multiple suitors are also vying for the hand of Bianca and as Shakespeare loves a confusing twist, the wealthy Lucentio is mascarading as a tutor to woo Bianca while his servant Tranio pretends to be his Master. Katerina is forced into marriage and her new husband sets in place an abusive plan to ensure his new wife is broken in like a wild horse.

Emily Spowage and Shady Murphy in The Taming of The “Shrew” at Hope Mill Theatre Image credit: Shay Rowan

The whole production has a feel of Baz Luhrmann meets Blackadder on a Hens night out in the Northern Quarter. The costumes look fabulous and strikingly individual. Zoe Barnes has been incredibly creative and adds real visual impact especially in the Vivienne Westwood inspired wedding dress which Shady Murphy is forced into. In fact everything about this production feels considered and creative from the lighting by Tom Sutcliffe to the sound by Hannah Bracegirdle and movement by Yandass Ndlovu.

It’s great to seem a dozen female and non binary performers on stage doing their thing and strutting their stuff. There is a real immersive feel to this production with the audience seated traverse and with some seated at candle lit tables in the burlesque club itself. The pole dancing by Leah Eddleston and the bluesy vocals of Megan Holland really add to the nightclub vibe.

Shady Murphy as Katerina nails her performance as the confident force of nature brought to her knees by an abusive husband. She is at turns vibrant and vociferous before being broken and cowed by her husband. Emily Spowage as Petruchio is also utterly compelling as the leering Lothario who verbally spars with his bride-to-be before his chilling shift into sadistic bridegroom who has his whole household flinching as they observe his cold cruelty.

This is a brilliant take on one of the Bard’s more difficult plays. In particular the scenes where Andy Williams Can’t Take My Eyes of You is used and at points dramatically slowed down, really ramps up the quiet terror of coercive control. The scene where Petruchio argues the sun is the moon and challenges Katerina’s very reality now plays as gaslighting behaviour. Gavin and Ellis Ryan have kept the original text and by not shying away from it have enabled this cast to reframe the narrative for the sisterhood. Sly Christopher may be a misogynistic boor in the manner of a Bernard Manning but here he sits bound and with a gag in his mouth.

HOPE MILL THEATRE 19th -30th June 2024

Romeo & Juliet

Large Theatres, Shakespeare

Written by William Shakespeare

Directed by Nicholai la Barrie

Royal Exchange Theatre

This 400 year old tale of star-crossed lovers hits the rainy streets of modern day Manchester and as young love burns bright it reminds us all what a heady and dangerous drug it can be. This is no desolate, grimly passion-fuelled tale of doomed romance but rather a celebration of hope in the darkest moments where the human spirit always finds a way to flourish and defy even in death itself. By placing Shakespeare in Manchester and celebrating local people Nicholai la Barrie brings a fresh and urgent energy to his words. The dark and wickedly sly retorts of a Manc on form are perfect for Shakespeare. Even when some sobering lines sound like they are played for laughs it feels more resonant of the local people and their capacity to wield a rapier sharp retort as easily as a Stanley knife. This works especially well with David Judge‘s perfectly pitched Mercutio and Gemma Ryan‘s slovenly Nurse.

There are some great performances with changes to the original script that now see Lady Capulet (a suitably steely Kate Hampson) as a single mother and a gritty Northern matriarch overseeing her clan. The most sweeping change might have been to save Mercutio and allow for for more of David Judge on stage but that may have sent Shakespeare spinning in his grave! He gives a compelling performance and his fresh twist on Shakespeares’ poetic words land perfectly sounding like a Manc street poet as he raps out his lines. Geoff Aymer is excellent as the meddling Friar Lawrence. There are some striking casting touches with Ashley O’Brien as a intimidatingly tooled up Tybalt while the tics and twitches of neuro diverse actor Adam Fenton give additional menace and edge to his Benvolio.

The two central character feel fresh and energetic in their roles as Romeo and Juliet. Initially Conor Glean did not feel like a Romeo I could get on board with but as his scenes develop there is real depth to his Romeo. Impetuous and foolhardy he may be but the depth of feeling he has for Juliet is never in doubt…even in his initial flinch at the prospect of marriage there is also an openness and generosity of heart to ensure he gives his Juliet what she needs from him. The raw pain he exhibits as he cradles a dying Mercutio is absolute and throughout the second Act he continues to grow in the role. Shalisha James-Davis makes for an vibrant Juliet. She brings a fresh look at this girl and fleshes out her ageless appeal…not just a pretty innocent girl but a feisty and spirited young woman with a passion for life and love that more than meets that of her Romeo. When she insists on marriage this is less about convention and more about knowing her own worth and valuing herself.

Shalisha James-Davis as Juliet
Credit: Johan Persson

The sparse staging is more scorched earth than Northern cobbles but the speakers littered around the stage certainly feel like old rave parties or Moss Side carnival. In the Royal Exchange it would be easy to imagine a balcony scene staged from the circle but instead designers GOOD TEETH have the balcony descend from the heavens. The party scene becomes a rave party with a feisty confident Juliet at its core on a raised platform that defiantly marks out Capulet territory. The music ramps up and five disco balls create a kick ass party where a supernumerary cast fill up the stage and audience members are joining the dancing throng. Later the funeral scene for Juliet sees a sea of black umbrellas providing shelter from the driving rain as the heavens weep to the sound of Elbow‘s Lippy Kids. Some might see possible dramatic overkill whereas I hope it was a homage to L.S. Lowry and to the Manchester music scene.

Director Nicholai la Barrie pulls out all the elements of this timeless tale that still feels fresh and relevant. Whether it is in Verona over 400 years ago or modern day Cheetham Hill there will always be impetuous young lovers and opinionated parents trying to steer their children a certain way. Sparring or killing whether with rapiers or flick knives will always result in devastated families and wasted young lives. The enduring resonance of Shakespeare is however his use of language. Whether in Received Pronunciation or in a Manchester accent it is his ability to capture and summarise the human experience in such a perfect and beautiful manner will always bring joy. This Romeo & Juliet certainly brings the joy.

ROYAL EXCHANGE THEATRE 20th Oct – 18th Nov 2023

MACBETH

Large Theatres, Shakespeare

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Christopher Haydon

Royal Exchange Theatre

Director Christopher Haydon delivers a production of Macbeth that is packed full of ideas and creativity. There is a veritable smorgasbord on display that is as colourful and attention grabbing as the infamous banquet where bloody heads compete for space with luridly iced party cakes and doughnuts. Unfortunately although iced delights can tempt us to a quick sugar fix this is a drawn out affair which fails to deliver in a more ultimately satisfying manner.

Lucy Ellinson is a mercurial leader who is believable as a toughened soldier and a popular leader. Sinewy and earthy she appears one of the lads, however as the prophecies of the three weird sisters start to tighten their grip, she becomes increasingly paranoid and driven by bloody ambition. Ellinson soon morphs into a power crazed maniac complete with sunken eyes and bone bleached skull. The performance itself is strong and gripping, however it somehow fails to provide a truly satisfying Macbeth. The physical fragility of a woman who increasingly resembles a crack addict searching for her next fix simply cannot deliver a plausible final battle scene with Macduff. Ultimately there is too much petulance and vulnerability here that could work with Hamlet but not as successfully here with Macbeth.

This is only part of the frustration with this Macbeth which had the opportunity to really shine a light on relationships for ambitious women in power. This lesbian couple seem emotionally ill matched and implausible as this war hardened hero seems incapable of questioning or even noticing Lady Macbeth’s scheming greed and machinations. There is no exploration of their lack of heirs as a gay couple which could have been a really interesting angle to explore in their quest for the crown. The ambitious Lady Macbeth would have surely contemplated a modern ruthless attempt at altering their fate – perhaps spurgling the sperm of Macduff or Banquo?? There is no tenderness between them or any real sharing of the damage their actions cause them personally.

Motorway murder scenes, torrential storms, helicopters, red balloons and chatty interactions with the audience members pepper this production. Designer Oli Townsend has a stark but beautiful heptagram on the stage with a steaming cauldron at its heart. All is as minimalist as a soldier’s rations until the Mad Hatters tea pparty that is the lurid banquet complete with fancy dress and part games. Looking like something from a Ken Russell movie this is OTT in the best way. Dreamlike and drug fueled the game of musical chairs drily reflects our current political situation.

Lucy Ellinson as Macbeth Image- Johann Persson

The ever present weird Sisters as drug addled party girls supplementing their incomes as sinister, sulky waitresses at the castle is an entertaining aspect to this Macbeth. They bring both light and dark elements to the production. For such a female heavy cast it is troubling that the real heart of this Macbeth ultimately seems to belong to the men. Banquo and Macduff balance career and family with grace and honour. Actors Theo Ogundipe and Paul Hickey give performances that resonate and truly highlight the tragedy of this piece.

Royal Exchange Theatre 13 Sept – 19 Oct 2019

Images by Johann Persson