Wherefore art thou alcohol?

I’ve never seen West Side Story, nor do I remember much from high school, but I have seen NUTS’s production of Romeo and Juliet in Drunk Shakespeare.

And really, that’s all I need. I understood the story better than I have with any previous attempts and that was thanks to the cohesive direction by Lily Carter and successful character motivations executed by the cast.

Romeo was played by Jack Batchelor, who exuded a strong sense of solemnity in all of his movements. This was a complement to Juliet’s frazzled nature, played by Eliza Hoh.

I thought Romeo and Juliet were superbly cast, as their chemistry with each other was enough to carry the stage when it was just the two of them. This was most evident during their balcony scene, where both of their demeanours played off each other very well.

None of the show was a drag to watch which was also entirely due to the casting and chemistry among all the actors.

The accompanying characters were a raucous bunch who managed to pull off comedic fight scenes while (thankfully) lacking the typical Shakespearean traits of one, namely violent injuries and death.

Of the Montagues (Romeo’s loyalists), we had Adara Eyre as Lady Montague, Ethan Hinds as Lord Montague, Ryan Cruickshank as Mercutio and Ro Huang as Benvolio.

During fight scenes, the Montagues dominated the Capulets, partially because of their numbers but also because they successfully presented as an intimidating group on stage.

Of the Capulets (Juliet’s fans), we had Jess Maree as Lady Capulet, Curtis Green as Lord Capulet and Miles Pike as Tybalt.

I would say the Capulets carried the play comedically, with my favourite part being Lord Capulet (Curtis Green) theatrically gasping at the character Paris (Juliet’s would-be lover, played by Murphy Scott), rising from the dead to take a shot.

Lady Capulet (Jess Maree) carried the stage very well, with a distinct personal style that was on display via her character.

Watching this play, I gained a renewed understanding of why Shakespeare was designed to be spoken and watched as opposed to read.

It was much easier to pick up on the tension and character dynamics than any other prior engagement I’ve had with Shakespeare.

While the pacing of the show and the characters were all sharply done, my only gripe was that the show lacked the entertainment of previous Drunk Shakespeare NUTS plays I’ve seen.

There was little impact of the alcohol on the dynamics of the play, aside from humorous reactions while the shots were taken.

This may have been because of the number of actors who were drinking (4 out of a 15 person cast). It also became quite predictable when the shots would be delivered, as the overlap of these characters was infrequent.

Another minor thing that bothered me was not actors breaking character to take the shots, but rather speaking directly to each other out of character. This felt most discordant and was the only thing I wished did not happen.

I am not suggesting the actors drink more, per se, but rather there be a higher level of commitment to the ‘drunk’ part of Drunk Shakespeare. Is it problematic to suggest actors drink consecutive nights in a row? Note to self, keep away from the Esme Timbery lab. 

The grand ending took place, and I watched with curiosity as my memory was quite rough on the final events of Romeo and Juliet. Juliet was fast asleep, and Romeo mistook her for dead, so he killed himself!?

Juliet wakes up and sees Romeo slumped over on the ground, so she stabs herself!? But I thought this was a love story… 

Lilya Murray is a third-year student at UNSW, currently completing a Bachelor of Media, majoring in communications and Journalism. You can most likely find her rearranging playlists and listening to a different song on repeat each week, or reading in a book, in which case you won’t find her.