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Just my hot take but I feel minimalism is so overdone, in so many things - it feels really passé and a lazy creative choice. I crave color and spectacle and elaborateness in things. Life is short and we don’t need more muted expanses of nothing much.
Absolutely agree. We were reading Romeo and Juliet when the movie came out, and our teacher REFUSED to even discuss the movie.
But she made us watch some men in tights low budget version from the 70s.
Way to put your own biases before kids' education.
Was a good few years after it came out, but when we read Romeo and Juliet at school, we watched The BL version and all loved it. Has been one of my favourite films ever since and was certainly a great choice to get a bunch of moody 14 year olds interested in Shakespeare.
Baz's R+J is single handedly responsible for the Shakespeare resurgence in modern, contextualised form. People don't remember how groundbreaking it was, and it still stands up. Jamie Lloyd should be on his knees thanking Baz.
Moulin Rouge is amazing and the stage musical is honestly incredible, maybe the best one I’ve ever seen (maybe tied with Beetlejuice). Truly a delight to watch.
There is something about the aesthetics of the MR which is beyond anything he did with R+J, Elvis, Gatsby and erm.. Australia. MR is opulent, sultry, sensual, mysterious yet there is something very cozy and inviting about it. It is my go to Valentine's Day watch. I love getting my self a nice box of handmade chocolates and disappear into Paris.
You are so lucky to see the stage show, from all accounts it sounds incredible.
You described it so perfectly. Every scene is like that, too. I watched it in theaters at 16 or 17 and was just awed, it invoked something in me, like this feeling of grandness. It’s perfect for Valentine’s Day!
There is one scene that gives me the same feeling, it’s the scene in A Knights Tale where Heath Ledgers character has to perform a dance at dinner with Shannon Sossamons character to show that he’s a noble, and the way the music and colors and costumes blend together to create two perfect minutes.
I am so lucky to have seen the MR stage play. Thank you for reminding me of that. It seriously is perfect and it does that same swelly thing in my heart as that scene from A Knights Tale. I hope you can see it someday.
When I rewatched Romeo+Juliet as an adult, it became clear to me just how much that movie shaped the course of my personality as a preteen/teen. I would've been 12 the first time I saw it.
THANK YOU yes. Everything is greige and barely any life. Minimalism taken too far. We need more vibrancy, more colors. Where is the beauty in craftsmanship, in detail? In color? Right now it feels like everything from houses to clothing to even media is monochrome and lifeless.
It’s partly why theatre can’t get attention of people who aren’t interested already in the source material or actors (apart from the extremely serious fans).
when i was in middle school/ high school we watched a play (it was so bad i removed it from my memory, i don’t know what it was supposed to be but i think romeo and juliet) i was so excited to have the opportunity to watch a play and i imagined the theater like something mozart esque with elaborate costuming and set design. it was about 10 years ago and about smart phones. the set were text messages, facetimes etc they were all wearing jeans and hoodies. it was very very bad. my english teacher didn’t expect it either and we had a long discussion in class afterwards.
I think this is a good point. When I was a kid we went to our local Shakespeare in the park. Very often they would do that or set it in a different time period.
But … the dialog was the same. So Othello and Iago are in WWII uniforms and Desdemona is in a 1940s red suit, but like, why?
Maybe it didn’t work for me because the set was also minimalist? So it was just the actors in their 1940s costumes, and 16th century dialog.
I enjoyed Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet in a modern setting.
But I fully admit that I’m no theater expert. I’m sure it was more fun for the actors. I suppose they get tired of doing the same things each season.
Regardless, it was always fun to watch the play in the park with a picnic. I’m sad I never got to take my kids. Our state’s Shakespeare company shut down abruptly in 2022.
A local group does what they call a "bard crawl" every summer. Each year they pick a new play, rehearse it only once, then perform it in a different bar each week. No set other than the bar, costumes are....minimal haha. But it's a ton of fun. They have a person standing by with the script for when an actor forgets their lines. I think many productions use minimalist as a cover for just doing another lifeless production.
In the early 2000's my husband's family had season tickets to the Met, so I watched a lot of opera. Once watched a Wagner that the stage was like the bow of a nordic boat for 3+ hours. Great nap, highly recommended, if you can sleep through.
There is also beauty in simplicity (which is why I love minimalism), but yeah, I also get what you mean. Color and vibrancy aren’t bad things. We just need more balance.
Yeah I also love and enjoy some really nice and tasteful minimalism when it's well done and fits. But it feels like these days minimalism is in everywhere and everywhere and it feels like so many things are pushing for it because it's cheaper and not because it actually fits the vision
As someone currently visiting South Korea, I was not aware how much I needed this kitschy, colorful plushy culture. 😅
It is so refreshing to see such a positive vibe everywhere. Broody, moody, minimalist and dark is so overdone nowadays…
It's fking boring. No aesthetic? It feels like a high school play where the kids wear their boring regular clothes and they were too broke for a real set
It reminds me of the SNL theater sketches where all the kids dress in black and do these shock value sketches like where Aidy coughs and goes "Yep, you guessed it - I have AIDS 😔"
I finally got around to watching Do Revenge on Netflix last night and OMG I was pausing on every single frame to feast!! It was a visual delight, I was gorging myself on color and texture and fashion and movement and design…I highly recommend it!
https://preview.redd.it/jmurqvw23s2d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3926141873ebfb37b579107f83bf16f21590c54d
Another movie that really took into consideration color is Charlies angels (esp the first one ) that starred Cameron, drew and Lucy. Found that out on the old school “special features” segment of the dvd haha. Its very beautiful
This movie was such a welcome surprise, right down to the production design. Thanks for reminding me about it!
If you didn’t get a chance to watch Saltburn, I think you’d appreciate it. It was so visually sumptuous. I’m bummed it got so overshadowed for the more risqué moments because it was easily one of the most beautiful movies of the year (and we had a lot of gorgeous movies).
No, for real, the lack of set and color is a great disservice to the actors and the writing. How are they going to lean into the emotion of the verse standing in a bag of charcoal?
Especially when you're paying top dollar to see the production. I want to see where my money has gone up on that stage with cool sets, beautiful costumes etc. Feeling like all my hard earned money went directly into Spider-Man's bank account instead? No thank you.
Yeah I saw Jessica chastain in a dolls house recently and it was SUPER minimalist.
In contrast I saw Patrick Stewart in Macbeth a while back and they did it as Russians and had the three witches as naughty nurses lol
100000% agreed, especially on Broadway. I’ve seen a few shows where minimalism really added to the experience, but the trend has gotten a little out of control in the last few years
Well if you are in London, craze shakespeare and this Tom Holland minimalism is not your vibe, head over to the Globe and go watch Much Ado About Nothing.
Easily one of the best play and stage productions of the year, full of colour, the costume department alone deserves multiple awards.
And because its the globe many tickets are extremely cheap
I have no problem with minimalism but like anything else, it is a tool. Using it obsessively for the sake of minimalism demonstrates a lack of understanding, I think. I’ve not seen this ~~film~~ play, but that’s what I’m imagining based on these descriptions. *Edit: speaking of lack of understanding, I did not understand that this was a play rather than a film.*
I love or at least enjoy minimalistic, black-box style theatre (when done well). It challenges set designers and lighting techs to create/heighten emotional experiences with the basics of light, dark, space and shape. And it challenges actors to perform by focusing audience attention almost entirely on their abilities.
Of course it can be badly done and expose audiences to the tedium of a middling performance.
But especially in this era of stage shows (imo) being heavily influenced by musical theatre (typically a “bigger”/brighter/campier experience), I’m glad major shows are resisting the trend - even if it doesn’t always work.
It’s one of those things where something makes sense in some cases, gets popular off one of those cases, and then people don’t understand why it works and just do it willy nilly. Like it worked for Oklahoma, for instance, in my opinion because it stripped back to show the darker story that’s at heart.
But like… there is no hidden dark truth that hasn’t been explored in Romeo and Juliet. You’re not revealing anything you’re just boring me.
Imo you need color and spectacle to distract from the fact that R&J is about 2 teenagers acting overly dramatic about someone they've known for 7 minutes. Lol. Yep, sorry, I'm a cynic.
I mean no offense but that’s a simplistic reading of Romeo and Juliet. It’s as much about the futility of the family’s feud, free will versus fate, etc.
I would agree! Yes, it's easy to dismiss their behavior as childish/toxicity, but who I think it's relatable in the sense many of us can fall victim to hands of our family in love/life..etc.
Agree! I saw Player Kings recently and was in awe - it was such a spectacle. My favourite minimalist production of late was Kenneth Branagh’s King Lear but he’s so powerful on stage, he took over and you honestly didn’t care about the lack of props. If the Romeo is a bit bland that’s not a great start (though I paid £££ for a ticket and generally don’t trust reviews so I await any judgement until I’ve seen it).
In general I tend to agree, but this kind of staging is Jamie Lloyds signature artistic vision. Silly to expect something else from a Jamie Lloyd play - it's his artistic language.
Bring back the elaborate 15th century gowns like the 1969 movie or something like from the Borgias show with Jeremy Irons. The outfits and hair pieces were a feast.
What is with Jamie Lloyd’s obsession with this color scheme? I remember when he did Cyrano de Bergerac with James McAvoy, and that also had this gray, lifeless look to it.
I think he’s an actors director and wants the performers to be centre stage without the “distraction” of staging. Personally I think sets and costumes are so important and can only be discarded if you have someone like Sir Ian McKellen as your lead.
That makes a lot of sense and I agree with you particularly on set design being a vital element of performance. I remember my initial disappointment at seeing the bare bones set for Cyrano. I do think James McAvoy’s performance was breathtaking but then I’d rank him with the likes of McKellan. Everything else fell away when he was on stage but the rest of the cast, while good, aren’t on the same level. Scenes without him felt lacking and would have been elevated by a different staging/costume approach.
When Pacific NW Ballet retired the Stilwell/Sendak Nutcracker, which was bright and colorful, Pete Boal hired the author of the Olivia the pig books to design the sets and costumes with Balanchines choreography. It is a feast for the eyes. And because the Peacock was the most beloved dance in the Stowell Nutcracker Arabian coffee was made the Peacock.
I agree, it’s devaluing the work of the artists who do the sets and costumes as well if you want to de-emphasize them and have them as minimal and store bought as possible.
That’s not a great take-having a minimalist vision as a director doesn’t mean you don’t value artisans and technicians, it means you don’t want it for one particular show.
I watched a grayscale Don Giovanni and I was so starved by the lack of color it was hard to look at. It was distracting in its own way because it took away all context in the story. Set and Costume design indicate socioeconomic status, religious affiliation, cultural customs, etc and the lack of those things can make you feel adrift.
> you don’t value artisans and technicians,
if you consider their work "distracting" then I think its very arguablle that you do not value what they bring to the table.
Their entire job is to enhace, to build the reality the stage portrays. You can have a non loud stage production that does mountains of work. Having none, is arguably a take that their work not only does not help but hinders the stage somehow.
If you did it for one show, it would raise eyebrows, but Lloyd has done it for every show so clearly he does not value that part of stage production for whatever reason
But even if you are minimalistic you can make it interesting. Like separating the two families by black and white costumes, but make Romeo and Juliet wear more grey when they fall in love.
People can have different takes. And no matter if you like the result it’s still Placing actors, directors and writers as above all others involved in theatre. If you have red reviews minimalist productions it’s so often pointed out how it’s now the actors burden to carry this production. It’s by design and not an accident.
Agreed Andrew Scott also popped into mind for setless monologues! Everything is so lifeless and boring anymore and beige. Please hire artists and allow color back into our life Hollywood! I’ve been drifting towards reaching 90s and early 00s movies because they feel cozier and real to me.
Yep, thanks I hate it
You can’t expect me to just grow up loving the eye explosion that is Baz Lurhmann’s version of R&J and then somehow be impressed with the minimalist Walmart costumes of this version.
It’s like the all beige baby nurseries of the TikTok influencers-only-in-their-minds thing- quit trying to make fetch happen.
I was just about to say this in response to another comment- say what you want about the writing etc. but its always an event and spectacle (Luhrmann's films) and tbh, I appreciate that
I’m really hoping for this from Romeo + Juliet on Broadway, I can’t tell if it’s purposefully inspired by Luhrmann but the stylization of the title and the promo materials so far seem to suggest it might be? I also think Rachel Zegler is phenomenally talented and I’m super pumped for her stage debut
its her broadway debut! She did a bunch in high school. She was only 17 when West Side Story was filmed and has been pretty much doing film since then.
Hahaha omg wasn’t the last Romeo and Juliet production the movie with Hailee Steinfeld? They do love reworking Shakespeare but I wish they’d do a Midsummers Night Dream that’s one of my favorites
Well technically there was Spielberg’s West Side Story a few years ago (ironically also starring Rachel Zegler) but these are films and not stage productions so
The way all the characters in Cyrano addressed the audience instead of each other drove me nuts. I wonder if he took the same approach in this production
Wild that his performance has been critically acclaimed, even the more mixed reviews still heavily praised him but one publication, that does not typically review westend theatre, thrashes him and puts it in the title and THAT is the review everyone is seeing and basing their opinions on. It must be so frustrating 💀💀
this is your daily reminder that all modern media is driven by clicks, and the surest way to garner clicks is to be a complete asshole so clickers can rage, and money can be made.
I think you've misread my comment. I never said it was the only review to criticise those things. I was simply speaking about tom hollands performance being critically acclaimed by critics and how frustrating it must be that it only takes 1 bad review that thrashes you in the title for views, to get the attention of the general public and spread a very negative narrative about your performance which does not reflect the general concensus of critics. The fact that this review is the only one that's been posted on this sub, as well as deuxmoi is my point. Its also the only one that seems to have gotten noticed on twitter. The vast majority of reviews are praising him but this is the one that everyone is talking about and so people have decided he's a terrible actor based off this 1 review theyre seeing. I'd just find that very frustrating. You can do a wonderful job but if a big publications doesn't like it and uses it in the headline BOOM you're a dud
I don't even think it's Tom's fans specifically. It's just that some bigots only heard about this because Tom is in it and realised that enough people have heard of R&J to turn this into a fake controversy of wokeness. And then other bigots happily jumped on the hate train.
The way every single one thought it was ok to say something nasty like "it's not about her being black, it's about her being ugly" which is not any better. I cannot even imagine that poor girl reading all that about herself, I hope she has a really good support system.
Yup. Usually made by Trump loving, gun toting, giant truck driving incels who will likely never ever set foot in a proper theater for a play let alone across the pond to London
I fear if the production flames out, even a flawless performance from her won’t save her from blame. People are just frothing at the mouth for something to lay at her feet.
was there not talk of attempting to transfer it at some point? I’ll admit I’m not the most knowledgeable about the logistics of theater, I’m a casual fan
I have never seen any transfer talk. Although, “transfer” is always a goal. It’s much cheaper to stage/originate a show in West End and then transfer it over to Broadway.
There was a rumour. But the reports were all based on one "insider". Shortly afterwards a different Broadway production of Romeo and Juliet, starring Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler was announced. So I think that the insider had heard: *"British actor will play Romeo on Broadway"* and just assumed it was about Tom
I’ve seen 4 versions of Romeo & Juliet on stage so I would be interested in seeing it simply for how they approached it.
First two I saw were faithful adaptations - one in my native language, second one in the actual Globe Theatre back in 2010, the third was a University of Sheffield production called Juliet & Romeo where they swapped all the lines, giving Romeo’s lines to Juliet and Juliet’s lines to Romeo (it was a pretty interesting switch, somehow made the characters a lot more likeable and endearing), and finally Matthew Bourne’s ballet.
The last obviously doesn’t have spoken lines but I highly recommend any of Matthew Bourne’s ballets as they take a classic tale and really flip it around. It’s left to the audience’s interpretation where R&J meet - an asylum, a juvie prison, a Hunger Games type boarding school? - but it’s just 🤌
I saw one done in classic Shakespeare style during the Stratford festival, it was okay. Obviously the DiCaprio and Claire Danes one still lives rent free in my head since that’s the one they showed us in school.
Haha wait I think they showed us one scene from that version. I can’t even remember what the lesson was around the readings we did other than study the acts and how they progress storylines
Our class watched this one in high school. The teacher turned the tv around during a racy scene. Thats obviously all I really remember.
Also, the TV on the cart to watch movies really dates me. How were we able to have an entire class watch with that tiny ass screen? Oh the good old days.
My teacher didn’t bother to turn the tv around during that scene, just told us all to be mature about it. It went surprisingly well actually, I remember being proud of how we handled it.
9th grade freshman in 1989, and we watched the 60s version. Some of us actually stayed after class to watch the end, that's how engrossed we were. And our teacher didn't fast forward the nude scene either.
I saw a ballet production of Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet last year in London and it actually changed my life. The first kiss scene? Breathtaking.
That’s the bit I don’t remember too well, as it was 11 years ago now. Definitely Juliet’s crew was an all female cast, and Romeo had a male “nurse”. I’m only 50% sure that Juliet’s nurse was fighting against Rosalie and died (aka, Rosalie had Tybalt’s lines and the nurse had Mercutio’s lines).
ETA: trying to Google and find anything online about it but I only get results about their ‘23 version of it which sounds like it has been moved to a more gothic setting but no line swaps.
The UK reviews have been very positive. The US publications like Variety, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter have been negative. Something smells funny to me.
I would probably also add that there would be a lot of people who aren’t regular theatre goers seeing this play purely because Tom Holland is in it. And are realising seeing a Shakespeare play is nothing like a Marvel movie.
Hopefully it might also convert a few people to loving theatre though too.
UK and US theatre critics generally have different standards. Bad Cinderella & Cabaret both got positive reviews in London and savaged in the US (& I wonder if Jamie Lloyd's Sunset Boulevard is going to follow them). Hadestown got raves in the US and a lukewarm reception in the UK.
I suspect this is another one of those cases. Also, Tom Holland is one of the UK's biggest young acting exports & hasn't been coaxed back to the West End in years, so I suspect the London critics would find it pretty painful to criticise him too much.
I just remember people making jokes about Lloyd Webber and how he was behaving during the production. Though it’s a shame it didn’t go on longer I actually really love Carrie Hope Fletcher
>Also, Tom Holland is one of the UK's biggest young acting exports & hasn't been coaxed back to the West End in years, so I suspect the London critics would find it pretty painful to criticise him too much.
Meh If they were very vague about his performance, throwing a quick line or two in id wonder that too but the majority of the reviews are extremely vocal about how great they thought he was. Even the US publications were very positive about him sans THR
Oh man, I went to see Hadestown in March because I kept seeing references and raves about it online from the US fans. As in, I was subscribed to news for the tickets and got them a year in advance for the UK theatre release.
And it was just OK. I think I like the themed cocktails more. The friend I was staying with that weekend showed me “Hazbin Hotel” or something and that super 00’s looking animated show had way better songs, imo 🤷♀️
I’ve previously gone in blind for my watch of the UK Hamilton release and that was amazing!
I think people liked Hadestown on Broadway more I saw it with the original cast and loved it, but it is kind of entwined in that southern jazz and blues that resonates well with US audiences at least that was one take I saw on why it worked in the US but not the UK
I did wonder if that was the reason, though I feel like whoever I spoke to really enjoyed Hades’s songs (so did I!) because the melody style and the UK actor’s* singing voice was very reminiscent of Nick Cave.
*although part of the UK cast, according to my booklet the actor - Zachary James - is American.
Hmm interesting did you watch the videos of the original cast? I really loved the staging on Broadway too what they did with the lighting when he went down to Hadestown was so good and of course Reeve and Eva were so good to see live. When she hits that last high note in the reprise for wait for me it’s just too good. That’s probably the best song on the cast recording actually.
Listen I saw Hadestown with most of the original Broadway cast and while I enjoyed it (because I tend to enjoy most Broadway shows), I didn't think it was great either. Some of the music definitely stuck with me after the show but I wasn't compelled or moved by it at all. I was surprised that it's still doing so well. There are obviously things in it that are excellently done (including the staging) but I thought it was missing something in it that just won me over.
I've seen a lot of theatre both on Broadway and the West End and everywhere in between. I've only ever left one show at the interval—Hadestown at the National with the og cast. IMO Reeve Carney has about as much charisma as a plain piece of white paper.
He has received great reviews tbf for the play, and most of the negatives I have read have been towards the direction and the style of the play. Good for her though for the praise
I’ve been to two minimalist plays, and I hated them both. I’m sorry but there needs to be color and a little spectacle for plays. It augments the performances, in my opinion.
See I love minimalist performances, but it depends on the cast and play. Some plays & actors are so raw and captivating that a minimalist approach works. It's just the dialogue, actor and audience. No distractions. No sets or costumes to distract. One person plays tend to work best like this.
If I'm seeing Sweet Charity or Hamilton, yeah, I want big dance numbers, costumes, pretty sets, etc. But more character driven plays I find more compelling when pared down. Closer and Angel in America were written for that type of performance.
But not all plays are meant for minimalist productions and not all actors are capable of it.
Here are some other reviews
[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/romeo-and-juliet-duke-of-yorks-review-tom-holland/](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/romeo-and-juliet-duke-of-yorks-review-tom-holland/)
[https://www.theguardian.com/stage/article/2024/may/23/romeo-juliet-review-tom-holland-spider-man-francesca-amewudah-rivers](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/article/2024/may/23/romeo-juliet-review-tom-holland-spider-man-francesca-amewudah-rivers)
[https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Review-ROMEO-JULIET-Duke-Of-Yorks-Theatre-20240524](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Review-ROMEO-JULIET-Duke-Of-Yorks-Theatre-20240524)
Although this review doesn't seem to be the best, the majority of the reviews I've seen have been a lot more positive. From what I've found:
3 = 5 star reviews
14 = 4 star reviews
5 = 3 star reviews
2 = 2 star reviews
1 = 1 star reviews
These are just the ones that give ratings that I could find, also didn't include some of the blogs as wanted to focus more on the what the trades were saying but a lot of the blogs I skimmed through were quite positive about the play.
Seems to be 3 consistent takeaways from the reviews I've read:
1) Both Tom and Francesca give great performances and have great chemistry and the supporting cast are very solid as well.
2) You either love or hate Jamie lloyd minamilist style, most of the mixed / negative review take issue with the directing and production side of things. Apparently there are no props, no real sets (no balcony in the blacony scene) and no real costumes. Some people love the minimalist style, most of the reviews are 4 stars. Personally not a fan of the minamilst style, when I used to live in London and go the theatre (which isn't always cheap) I much prefer seeing a production with proper set designs and costumes it made it easier to get immersed and invest in the play but thats a personal preference.
3) The first half is better than the second. Saw this point mentioned in a couple of the reviews, apparently the first hour is paced better and more engaging the second is rushed a little. Maybe someone whos gone can confirm this.
As far as I know we dont have a rotten tomatoes for theatre but most of the reviews seems to be more positive than not and most of the criticism is more focused on Jamie lloyd minamilist style, which he probably will continue to do. A couple of months ago he won an olivier award for directing and this production of Romeo and Juliet sold out in 2 hours and is mostly getting good reviews.
I didn't want to sound too negative when the initial photos of the show came about and I was baffled by how minimalistic the set and costume was. Especially for such a spirited play , the set and costumes could have been re-imagined in the least.
They have Tom Holland headlining and obviously the tickets have been sold out from the moment they were made available , so the cost must not have been a hindrance. Were there any other production issues which made them choose to go this minimalistic? Perhaps time constraints?
That's Jamie Lloyd's style. If you bought a ticket to this play expecting anything more than that, it's kinda your own fault lol. Love him or hate him, this is what he's known for
These stripped down stages performances always remind me of improv nights in high schools. Almost every single one of these just look sloppy and poorly planned from beginning to end. It’s like someone got the idea to save and pocket money by not using costumes or staging, then others jumped on it too
Wow, I just looked at the whole collection of reviews and they are all terrible. Even the New York Times. Sad really because he got his start years ago in Billy Elliot.
I just read the NYT review. How is it terrible? ”The minimalist staging puts an extra onus on the actors to make the script shine, and they don’t disappoint. Holland gives a controlled performance as Romeo, evoking the halting, hopeful awkwardness of a love-struck teenager with understatement.” Edit: I think you’re specifically looking at the bad reviews or interpreting them as bad because there are way more 5/4 even 3 star reviews. Does deadline/ variety even have a rating?
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Just my hot take but I feel minimalism is so overdone, in so many things - it feels really passé and a lazy creative choice. I crave color and spectacle and elaborateness in things. Life is short and we don’t need more muted expanses of nothing much.
Yep give me Baz Luhrmans maximalistic view any day
R+J is perfection. I think I like it more now even than I did as a 16 year old, when it first released.
Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo dominated my teenage fantasies for years.
I had been a Leo girl going in, but emerged a John Leguizamo woman. He’s so hot in that movie.
I emerged a Claire Danes woman, and spent the next two years of college sexually ambiguous because of it.
Truly a movie for everyone.
I've never seen it. Maybe I should see if it's streaming somewhere and watch it this week!
It’s on Hulu but leaving in about 5 days or so
I think it’s on Hulu?
It’s on Disney. It’s honestly stunning.
Absolutely agree. We were reading Romeo and Juliet when the movie came out, and our teacher REFUSED to even discuss the movie. But she made us watch some men in tights low budget version from the 70s. Way to put your own biases before kids' education.
Was a good few years after it came out, but when we read Romeo and Juliet at school, we watched The BL version and all loved it. Has been one of my favourite films ever since and was certainly a great choice to get a bunch of moody 14 year olds interested in Shakespeare.
Baz's R+J is single handedly responsible for the Shakespeare resurgence in modern, contextualised form. People don't remember how groundbreaking it was, and it still stands up. Jamie Lloyd should be on his knees thanking Baz.
Same with Moulin Rouge and even Elvis. MR was amazing, Elvis was very meh but beautiful to watch.
Moulin Rouge is amazing and the stage musical is honestly incredible, maybe the best one I’ve ever seen (maybe tied with Beetlejuice). Truly a delight to watch.
There is something about the aesthetics of the MR which is beyond anything he did with R+J, Elvis, Gatsby and erm.. Australia. MR is opulent, sultry, sensual, mysterious yet there is something very cozy and inviting about it. It is my go to Valentine's Day watch. I love getting my self a nice box of handmade chocolates and disappear into Paris. You are so lucky to see the stage show, from all accounts it sounds incredible.
You described it so perfectly. Every scene is like that, too. I watched it in theaters at 16 or 17 and was just awed, it invoked something in me, like this feeling of grandness. It’s perfect for Valentine’s Day! There is one scene that gives me the same feeling, it’s the scene in A Knights Tale where Heath Ledgers character has to perform a dance at dinner with Shannon Sossamons character to show that he’s a noble, and the way the music and colors and costumes blend together to create two perfect minutes. I am so lucky to have seen the MR stage play. Thank you for reminding me of that. It seriously is perfect and it does that same swelly thing in my heart as that scene from A Knights Tale. I hope you can see it someday.
When I rewatched Romeo+Juliet as an adult, it became clear to me just how much that movie shaped the course of my personality as a preteen/teen. I would've been 12 the first time I saw it.
It really is great..I should rewatch it
Yes!!!
THANK YOU yes. Everything is greige and barely any life. Minimalism taken too far. We need more vibrancy, more colors. Where is the beauty in craftsmanship, in detail? In color? Right now it feels like everything from houses to clothing to even media is monochrome and lifeless.
It’s partly why theatre can’t get attention of people who aren’t interested already in the source material or actors (apart from the extremely serious fans).
when i was in middle school/ high school we watched a play (it was so bad i removed it from my memory, i don’t know what it was supposed to be but i think romeo and juliet) i was so excited to have the opportunity to watch a play and i imagined the theater like something mozart esque with elaborate costuming and set design. it was about 10 years ago and about smart phones. the set were text messages, facetimes etc they were all wearing jeans and hoodies. it was very very bad. my english teacher didn’t expect it either and we had a long discussion in class afterwards.
I think this is a good point. When I was a kid we went to our local Shakespeare in the park. Very often they would do that or set it in a different time period. But … the dialog was the same. So Othello and Iago are in WWII uniforms and Desdemona is in a 1940s red suit, but like, why?
It's fun
Maybe it didn’t work for me because the set was also minimalist? So it was just the actors in their 1940s costumes, and 16th century dialog. I enjoyed Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet in a modern setting. But I fully admit that I’m no theater expert. I’m sure it was more fun for the actors. I suppose they get tired of doing the same things each season. Regardless, it was always fun to watch the play in the park with a picnic. I’m sad I never got to take my kids. Our state’s Shakespeare company shut down abruptly in 2022.
A local group does what they call a "bard crawl" every summer. Each year they pick a new play, rehearse it only once, then perform it in a different bar each week. No set other than the bar, costumes are....minimal haha. But it's a ton of fun. They have a person standing by with the script for when an actor forgets their lines. I think many productions use minimalist as a cover for just doing another lifeless production.
In the early 2000's my husband's family had season tickets to the Met, so I watched a lot of opera. Once watched a Wagner that the stage was like the bow of a nordic boat for 3+ hours. Great nap, highly recommended, if you can sleep through.
Damn, even the opera is not immune? Yikes.
That's why the maximamilism of the Victorian era is god tier.
There is also beauty in simplicity (which is why I love minimalism), but yeah, I also get what you mean. Color and vibrancy aren’t bad things. We just need more balance.
Yeah I also love and enjoy some really nice and tasteful minimalism when it's well done and fits. But it feels like these days minimalism is in everywhere and everywhere and it feels like so many things are pushing for it because it's cheaper and not because it actually fits the vision
And not for nothing, but if I was a patron dropping money on a ticket, I'd want to be blown away by every aspect of a production.
As someone currently visiting South Korea, I was not aware how much I needed this kitschy, colorful plushy culture. 😅 It is so refreshing to see such a positive vibe everywhere. Broody, moody, minimalist and dark is so overdone nowadays…
It's fking boring. No aesthetic? It feels like a high school play where the kids wear their boring regular clothes and they were too broke for a real set
It reminds me of the SNL theater sketches where all the kids dress in black and do these shock value sketches like where Aidy coughs and goes "Yep, you guessed it - I have AIDS 😔"
Minimalism to me, especially in live theatre always screens to me “money saving”. It’s awful.
I finally got around to watching Do Revenge on Netflix last night and OMG I was pausing on every single frame to feast!! It was a visual delight, I was gorging myself on color and texture and fashion and movement and design…I highly recommend it! https://preview.redd.it/jmurqvw23s2d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3926141873ebfb37b579107f83bf16f21590c54d
This movie is awesome!! Highly underrated
And it features SMG. Loved it.
Another movie that really took into consideration color is Charlies angels (esp the first one ) that starred Cameron, drew and Lucy. Found that out on the old school “special features” segment of the dvd haha. Its very beautiful
Agree, give me colors
This movie was such a welcome surprise, right down to the production design. Thanks for reminding me about it! If you didn’t get a chance to watch Saltburn, I think you’d appreciate it. It was so visually sumptuous. I’m bummed it got so overshadowed for the more risqué moments because it was easily one of the most beautiful movies of the year (and we had a lot of gorgeous movies).
Minimalism is the Modern Farmhouse of stagecraft.
This is a pretty popular take with Broadway right now . Most folks I know are so tired of minimalism
Straight up, bring back the crazy color days of the 90s where everything was fucking wild berry and neon.
No, for real, the lack of set and color is a great disservice to the actors and the writing. How are they going to lean into the emotion of the verse standing in a bag of charcoal?
Especially when you're paying top dollar to see the production. I want to see where my money has gone up on that stage with cool sets, beautiful costumes etc. Feeling like all my hard earned money went directly into Spider-Man's bank account instead? No thank you.
I said this on the Shakespeare subreddit and completely agree. In this case it seems entirely cost cutting.
Totally agree
Yeah I saw Jessica chastain in a dolls house recently and it was SUPER minimalist. In contrast I saw Patrick Stewart in Macbeth a while back and they did it as Russians and had the three witches as naughty nurses lol
100000% agreed, especially on Broadway. I’ve seen a few shows where minimalism really added to the experience, but the trend has gotten a little out of control in the last few years
Well if you are in London, craze shakespeare and this Tom Holland minimalism is not your vibe, head over to the Globe and go watch Much Ado About Nothing. Easily one of the best play and stage productions of the year, full of colour, the costume department alone deserves multiple awards. And because its the globe many tickets are extremely cheap
love how the Globe always comes through
might I interest you in bollywood films
I have no problem with minimalism but like anything else, it is a tool. Using it obsessively for the sake of minimalism demonstrates a lack of understanding, I think. I’ve not seen this ~~film~~ play, but that’s what I’m imagining based on these descriptions. *Edit: speaking of lack of understanding, I did not understand that this was a play rather than a film.*
> I’ve not seen this film It's a play.
I love or at least enjoy minimalistic, black-box style theatre (when done well). It challenges set designers and lighting techs to create/heighten emotional experiences with the basics of light, dark, space and shape. And it challenges actors to perform by focusing audience attention almost entirely on their abilities. Of course it can be badly done and expose audiences to the tedium of a middling performance. But especially in this era of stage shows (imo) being heavily influenced by musical theatre (typically a “bigger”/brighter/campier experience), I’m glad major shows are resisting the trend - even if it doesn’t always work.
It’s one of those things where something makes sense in some cases, gets popular off one of those cases, and then people don’t understand why it works and just do it willy nilly. Like it worked for Oklahoma, for instance, in my opinion because it stripped back to show the darker story that’s at heart. But like… there is no hidden dark truth that hasn’t been explored in Romeo and Juliet. You’re not revealing anything you’re just boring me.
Imo you need color and spectacle to distract from the fact that R&J is about 2 teenagers acting overly dramatic about someone they've known for 7 minutes. Lol. Yep, sorry, I'm a cynic.
I mean no offense but that’s a simplistic reading of Romeo and Juliet. It’s as much about the futility of the family’s feud, free will versus fate, etc.
I would agree! Yes, it's easy to dismiss their behavior as childish/toxicity, but who I think it's relatable in the sense many of us can fall victim to hands of our family in love/life..etc.
100000 percent agree!
Yess. Minimalism is f*cking boring and overdone to death everywhere it’s utilized. Fashion, art, architecture, etc
This looks like a community theater more than an actual production.
Agree! I saw Player Kings recently and was in awe - it was such a spectacle. My favourite minimalist production of late was Kenneth Branagh’s King Lear but he’s so powerful on stage, he took over and you honestly didn’t care about the lack of props. If the Romeo is a bit bland that’s not a great start (though I paid £££ for a ticket and generally don’t trust reviews so I await any judgement until I’ve seen it).
I really agree with this. I need color and stimulation. Give me dancing and singing and pretty costumes, please.
In general I tend to agree, but this kind of staging is Jamie Lloyds signature artistic vision. Silly to expect something else from a Jamie Lloyd play - it's his artistic language.
Yeah, they needed to do something Bridgerton-esqe and go all out with the costumes and set design!
>hot take
Bring back the elaborate 15th century gowns like the 1969 movie or something like from the Borgias show with Jeremy Irons. The outfits and hair pieces were a feast.
What is with Jamie Lloyd’s obsession with this color scheme? I remember when he did Cyrano de Bergerac with James McAvoy, and that also had this gray, lifeless look to it.
I think he’s an actors director and wants the performers to be centre stage without the “distraction” of staging. Personally I think sets and costumes are so important and can only be discarded if you have someone like Sir Ian McKellen as your lead.
That makes a lot of sense and I agree with you particularly on set design being a vital element of performance. I remember my initial disappointment at seeing the bare bones set for Cyrano. I do think James McAvoy’s performance was breathtaking but then I’d rank him with the likes of McKellan. Everything else fell away when he was on stage but the rest of the cast, while good, aren’t on the same level. Scenes without him felt lacking and would have been elevated by a different staging/costume approach.
When Pacific NW Ballet retired the Stilwell/Sendak Nutcracker, which was bright and colorful, Pete Boal hired the author of the Olivia the pig books to design the sets and costumes with Balanchines choreography. It is a feast for the eyes. And because the Peacock was the most beloved dance in the Stowell Nutcracker Arabian coffee was made the Peacock.
I agree, it’s devaluing the work of the artists who do the sets and costumes as well if you want to de-emphasize them and have them as minimal and store bought as possible.
That’s not a great take-having a minimalist vision as a director doesn’t mean you don’t value artisans and technicians, it means you don’t want it for one particular show.
I watched a grayscale Don Giovanni and I was so starved by the lack of color it was hard to look at. It was distracting in its own way because it took away all context in the story. Set and Costume design indicate socioeconomic status, religious affiliation, cultural customs, etc and the lack of those things can make you feel adrift.
a grayscale *Don Giovanni* is bananas lmao, did Werner Herzog direct
it's a weird choice for Romeo & Juliet though, the most familiar and one of the most simplistic of Shakespeare's plays.
I disagree-Shakespeare is like a blank canvas because of the language, it literally works in any setting.
> you don’t value artisans and technicians, if you consider their work "distracting" then I think its very arguablle that you do not value what they bring to the table. Their entire job is to enhace, to build the reality the stage portrays. You can have a non loud stage production that does mountains of work. Having none, is arguably a take that their work not only does not help but hinders the stage somehow. If you did it for one show, it would raise eyebrows, but Lloyd has done it for every show so clearly he does not value that part of stage production for whatever reason
But even if you are minimalistic you can make it interesting. Like separating the two families by black and white costumes, but make Romeo and Juliet wear more grey when they fall in love.
People can have different takes. And no matter if you like the result it’s still Placing actors, directors and writers as above all others involved in theatre. If you have red reviews minimalist productions it’s so often pointed out how it’s now the actors burden to carry this production. It’s by design and not an accident.
Agreed Andrew Scott also popped into mind for setless monologues! Everything is so lifeless and boring anymore and beige. Please hire artists and allow color back into our life Hollywood! I’ve been drifting towards reaching 90s and early 00s movies because they feel cozier and real to me.
The way I thought these were rehearsal photos the first time I saw them then found out this is just the entire aesthetic 😣
Yep, thanks I hate it You can’t expect me to just grow up loving the eye explosion that is Baz Lurhmann’s version of R&J and then somehow be impressed with the minimalist Walmart costumes of this version. It’s like the all beige baby nurseries of the TikTok influencers-only-in-their-minds thing- quit trying to make fetch happen.
Have we had a sad beige version of Shakespeare yet?
Same with Tom Hiddleston, Zawe Ashton and Charlie Cox in Betrayal. Jamie Lloyd like’s Minimalist Monotone.
Betrayal in Harold Pinter Theatre is in my top 3 favourite shows so some enjoyed it! I still think about it.
I would have loved to see it, but I live in Australia. Bit far unfortunately 😂
Needs more Baz Luhrmann vibes imo
I was just about to say this in response to another comment- say what you want about the writing etc. but its always an event and spectacle (Luhrmann's films) and tbh, I appreciate that
I’m really hoping for this from Romeo + Juliet on Broadway, I can’t tell if it’s purposefully inspired by Luhrmann but the stylization of the title and the promo materials so far seem to suggest it might be? I also think Rachel Zegler is phenomenally talented and I’m super pumped for her stage debut
Wait huh??? Rachel zegler’s never been on theatre stage??? I thought she was a theatre kid? 😭😭😭
this is her first professional role on broadway but everything she’s done prior has been only high school plays
its her broadway debut! She did a bunch in high school. She was only 17 when West Side Story was filmed and has been pretty much doing film since then.
Damn ok i feel like ive been living under a rock lmao i legit thought shes been in a couple broadway shows already
Might be hard to do with &Juliet making the rounds right now
there is also Romeo + Juliet coming soon lol, but there are also two Gatsby adaptations rn so it feels like anything’s possible lol
Hahaha omg wasn’t the last Romeo and Juliet production the movie with Hailee Steinfeld? They do love reworking Shakespeare but I wish they’d do a Midsummers Night Dream that’s one of my favorites
Well technically there was Spielberg’s West Side Story a few years ago (ironically also starring Rachel Zegler) but these are films and not stage productions so
There is a happy middle ground between dull and grey, and seizure inducing.
I remember that. I’m not a fan of dour Shakespeare.
I feel like it can work for the more serious political plays, but whyyyyy do it for Romeo and Juliet
It seems like everyone does it this way now though.
it's basically grimdark Nolan/Snyder aesthetics applied to the stage and it's so weird and boring
It was also his approach to Sunset Boulevard and A Doll’s House. It’s so fucking ugly.
Admittedly it might work a little with Sunset Boulevard given that the greige could represent Norma being in the past, and forgotten about
In some scenes, you'd need to contrast it with the scenes in the "real world" like the NYE party at Artie's.
It's how you know he's a *Serious Artiste*.
The way all the characters in Cyrano addressed the audience instead of each other drove me nuts. I wonder if he took the same approach in this production
Okay, if you do Cyrano that way, you’ve definitely gone wrong. Of all the plays that should be over-the-top…
For the Betrayal revival too. But at least it was okay for that production. He needs to switch it up.
Wild that his performance has been critically acclaimed, even the more mixed reviews still heavily praised him but one publication, that does not typically review westend theatre, thrashes him and puts it in the title and THAT is the review everyone is seeing and basing their opinions on. It must be so frustrating 💀💀
Those publications - Variety, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter are all owned by the same company, thus why they all had the negative reviews.
this is your daily reminder that all modern media is driven by clicks, and the surest way to garner clicks is to be a complete asshole so clickers can rage, and money can be made.
[удалено]
The person you’re replying to is very specifically talking about Hollands performance being critiqued, not the set style or tech issues.
I think you've misread my comment. I never said it was the only review to criticise those things. I was simply speaking about tom hollands performance being critically acclaimed by critics and how frustrating it must be that it only takes 1 bad review that thrashes you in the title for views, to get the attention of the general public and spread a very negative narrative about your performance which does not reflect the general concensus of critics. The fact that this review is the only one that's been posted on this sub, as well as deuxmoi is my point. Its also the only one that seems to have gotten noticed on twitter. The vast majority of reviews are praising him but this is the one that everyone is talking about and so people have decided he's a terrible actor based off this 1 review theyre seeing. I'd just find that very frustrating. You can do a wonderful job but if a big publications doesn't like it and uses it in the headline BOOM you're a dud
I'm glad Amewudah-Rivers is getting good individual reviews with how nasty certain sects have been to her at least.
The nasty comments were largely by non theatre people from what I saw 😔
Yeah, I was rolling my eyes often at the "this is going to flop at the box office!" comments all over Twitter. These people have no clue
Usually people don’t talk about theatre like this, even some people in this thread think it’s a film. So I don’t really blame people
Most of them also thought it was gonna be a movie so shows how much they actually care
Due to Tom's involvement too. His MCU fanside is what brought the bigoted hate who has probably never even seen a show even on youtube.
I don't even think it's Tom's fans specifically. It's just that some bigots only heard about this because Tom is in it and realised that enough people have heard of R&J to turn this into a fake controversy of wokeness. And then other bigots happily jumped on the hate train.
The way every single one thought it was ok to say something nasty like "it's not about her being black, it's about her being ugly" which is not any better. I cannot even imagine that poor girl reading all that about herself, I hope she has a really good support system.
Tom does have some real weirdo fans but I think this is just plain ol "anti-woke" racism
MCU viewer side do have a lot of that. Him being cast made the news reach those sides and it started blowing up.
Yup. Usually made by Trump loving, gun toting, giant truck driving incels who will likely never ever set foot in a proper theater for a play let alone across the pond to London
I fear if the production flames out, even a flawless performance from her won’t save her from blame. People are just frothing at the mouth for something to lay at her feet.
The whole run has been sold out for ages and it was only ever going to be a limited run. So it won’t flame out, thankfully.
was there not talk of attempting to transfer it at some point? I’ll admit I’m not the most knowledgeable about the logistics of theater, I’m a casual fan
I have never seen any transfer talk. Although, “transfer” is always a goal. It’s much cheaper to stage/originate a show in West End and then transfer it over to Broadway.
There was a rumour. But the reports were all based on one "insider". Shortly afterwards a different Broadway production of Romeo and Juliet, starring Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler was announced. So I think that the insider had heard: *"British actor will play Romeo on Broadway"* and just assumed it was about Tom
Oh I didn’t even consider they might’ve been getting Kit and Tom confused lol, that’s a good point!
I’ve seen 4 versions of Romeo & Juliet on stage so I would be interested in seeing it simply for how they approached it. First two I saw were faithful adaptations - one in my native language, second one in the actual Globe Theatre back in 2010, the third was a University of Sheffield production called Juliet & Romeo where they swapped all the lines, giving Romeo’s lines to Juliet and Juliet’s lines to Romeo (it was a pretty interesting switch, somehow made the characters a lot more likeable and endearing), and finally Matthew Bourne’s ballet. The last obviously doesn’t have spoken lines but I highly recommend any of Matthew Bourne’s ballets as they take a classic tale and really flip it around. It’s left to the audience’s interpretation where R&J meet - an asylum, a juvie prison, a Hunger Games type boarding school? - but it’s just 🤌
I saw one done in classic Shakespeare style during the Stratford festival, it was okay. Obviously the DiCaprio and Claire Danes one still lives rent free in my head since that’s the one they showed us in school.
They showed us the 60s version with Olivia Hussy and the Romeo who looks just like Zac Effron!
Haha wait I think they showed us one scene from that version. I can’t even remember what the lesson was around the readings we did other than study the acts and how they progress storylines
Our class watched this one in high school. The teacher turned the tv around during a racy scene. Thats obviously all I really remember. Also, the TV on the cart to watch movies really dates me. How were we able to have an entire class watch with that tiny ass screen? Oh the good old days.
My teacher didn’t bother to turn the tv around during that scene, just told us all to be mature about it. It went surprisingly well actually, I remember being proud of how we handled it.
9th grade freshman in 1989, and we watched the 60s version. Some of us actually stayed after class to watch the end, that's how engrossed we were. And our teacher didn't fast forward the nude scene either.
I saw a ballet production of Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet last year in London and it actually changed my life. The first kiss scene? Breathtaking.
The USheffield one sounds so interesting. Thanks for sharing! ☺️
Did Juliet and Romeo only swap their lines or lines of characters too?
That’s the bit I don’t remember too well, as it was 11 years ago now. Definitely Juliet’s crew was an all female cast, and Romeo had a male “nurse”. I’m only 50% sure that Juliet’s nurse was fighting against Rosalie and died (aka, Rosalie had Tybalt’s lines and the nurse had Mercutio’s lines). ETA: trying to Google and find anything online about it but I only get results about their ‘23 version of it which sounds like it has been moved to a more gothic setting but no line swaps.
The UK reviews have been very positive. The US publications like Variety, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter have been negative. Something smells funny to me.
Even the more critical UK reviews have praised Holland but lay fault at the feet of Jamie Lloyd and his production choices.
Yeah, Jamie's direction seems like to have everyone talking. His style isn't for everyone I guess.
I saw some random person on Twitter say they left at intermission during previews so I figured it might be weird and divisive.
I would probably also add that there would be a lot of people who aren’t regular theatre goers seeing this play purely because Tom Holland is in it. And are realising seeing a Shakespeare play is nothing like a Marvel movie. Hopefully it might also convert a few people to loving theatre though too.
One critic said the reliance on screens rendered the play more like a Marvel movie than a Shakespeare play.
Ouch
i feel lie theater is too expensive for that but i’m also just poor 😭
UK and US theatre critics generally have different standards. Bad Cinderella & Cabaret both got positive reviews in London and savaged in the US (& I wonder if Jamie Lloyd's Sunset Boulevard is going to follow them). Hadestown got raves in the US and a lukewarm reception in the UK. I suspect this is another one of those cases. Also, Tom Holland is one of the UK's biggest young acting exports & hasn't been coaxed back to the West End in years, so I suspect the London critics would find it pretty painful to criticise him too much.
Didn’t Bad Cinderella end up closing early on the West End and go through a few changes?
Yep. I might have been a bit too nice calling its British reviews "positive" lol but they were still way, way better in the UK than the US.
I just remember people making jokes about Lloyd Webber and how he was behaving during the production. Though it’s a shame it didn’t go on longer I actually really love Carrie Hope Fletcher
>Also, Tom Holland is one of the UK's biggest young acting exports & hasn't been coaxed back to the West End in years, so I suspect the London critics would find it pretty painful to criticise him too much. Meh If they were very vague about his performance, throwing a quick line or two in id wonder that too but the majority of the reviews are extremely vocal about how great they thought he was. Even the US publications were very positive about him sans THR
Oh man, I went to see Hadestown in March because I kept seeing references and raves about it online from the US fans. As in, I was subscribed to news for the tickets and got them a year in advance for the UK theatre release. And it was just OK. I think I like the themed cocktails more. The friend I was staying with that weekend showed me “Hazbin Hotel” or something and that super 00’s looking animated show had way better songs, imo 🤷♀️ I’ve previously gone in blind for my watch of the UK Hamilton release and that was amazing!
I think people liked Hadestown on Broadway more I saw it with the original cast and loved it, but it is kind of entwined in that southern jazz and blues that resonates well with US audiences at least that was one take I saw on why it worked in the US but not the UK
I did wonder if that was the reason, though I feel like whoever I spoke to really enjoyed Hades’s songs (so did I!) because the melody style and the UK actor’s* singing voice was very reminiscent of Nick Cave. *although part of the UK cast, according to my booklet the actor - Zachary James - is American.
Hmm interesting did you watch the videos of the original cast? I really loved the staging on Broadway too what they did with the lighting when he went down to Hadestown was so good and of course Reeve and Eva were so good to see live. When she hits that last high note in the reprise for wait for me it’s just too good. That’s probably the best song on the cast recording actually.
Listen I saw Hadestown with most of the original Broadway cast and while I enjoyed it (because I tend to enjoy most Broadway shows), I didn't think it was great either. Some of the music definitely stuck with me after the show but I wasn't compelled or moved by it at all. I was surprised that it's still doing so well. There are obviously things in it that are excellently done (including the staging) but I thought it was missing something in it that just won me over.
I've seen a lot of theatre both on Broadway and the West End and everywhere in between. I've only ever left one show at the interval—Hadestown at the National with the og cast. IMO Reeve Carney has about as much charisma as a plain piece of white paper.
Broadway World and The NYT have been nice too, so that may be a Hollywood thing more than a US thing?
Different standards? Bad Cinderella was well reviewed in the UK but poorly recieved by US publications
Wonder if it has anything to do with him saying he hates Hollywood and American celebrity culture in that podcast last year.
That could be it because a couple of New York based publications gave them fine reviews.
New York theatre people also hate Hollywood and Los Angeles...
He has received great reviews tbf for the play, and most of the negatives I have read have been towards the direction and the style of the play. Good for her though for the praise
I’ve been to two minimalist plays, and I hated them both. I’m sorry but there needs to be color and a little spectacle for plays. It augments the performances, in my opinion.
See I love minimalist performances, but it depends on the cast and play. Some plays & actors are so raw and captivating that a minimalist approach works. It's just the dialogue, actor and audience. No distractions. No sets or costumes to distract. One person plays tend to work best like this. If I'm seeing Sweet Charity or Hamilton, yeah, I want big dance numbers, costumes, pretty sets, etc. But more character driven plays I find more compelling when pared down. Closer and Angel in America were written for that type of performance. But not all plays are meant for minimalist productions and not all actors are capable of it.
And that’s ok! If it’s something you like, that’s perfectly fine.
Here are some other reviews [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/romeo-and-juliet-duke-of-yorks-review-tom-holland/](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/romeo-and-juliet-duke-of-yorks-review-tom-holland/) [https://www.theguardian.com/stage/article/2024/may/23/romeo-juliet-review-tom-holland-spider-man-francesca-amewudah-rivers](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/article/2024/may/23/romeo-juliet-review-tom-holland-spider-man-francesca-amewudah-rivers) [https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Review-ROMEO-JULIET-Duke-Of-Yorks-Theatre-20240524](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Review-ROMEO-JULIET-Duke-Of-Yorks-Theatre-20240524)
Although this review doesn't seem to be the best, the majority of the reviews I've seen have been a lot more positive. From what I've found: 3 = 5 star reviews 14 = 4 star reviews 5 = 3 star reviews 2 = 2 star reviews 1 = 1 star reviews These are just the ones that give ratings that I could find, also didn't include some of the blogs as wanted to focus more on the what the trades were saying but a lot of the blogs I skimmed through were quite positive about the play. Seems to be 3 consistent takeaways from the reviews I've read: 1) Both Tom and Francesca give great performances and have great chemistry and the supporting cast are very solid as well. 2) You either love or hate Jamie lloyd minamilist style, most of the mixed / negative review take issue with the directing and production side of things. Apparently there are no props, no real sets (no balcony in the blacony scene) and no real costumes. Some people love the minimalist style, most of the reviews are 4 stars. Personally not a fan of the minamilst style, when I used to live in London and go the theatre (which isn't always cheap) I much prefer seeing a production with proper set designs and costumes it made it easier to get immersed and invest in the play but thats a personal preference. 3) The first half is better than the second. Saw this point mentioned in a couple of the reviews, apparently the first hour is paced better and more engaging the second is rushed a little. Maybe someone whos gone can confirm this. As far as I know we dont have a rotten tomatoes for theatre but most of the reviews seems to be more positive than not and most of the criticism is more focused on Jamie lloyd minamilist style, which he probably will continue to do. A couple of months ago he won an olivier award for directing and this production of Romeo and Juliet sold out in 2 hours and is mostly getting good reviews.
I didn't want to sound too negative when the initial photos of the show came about and I was baffled by how minimalistic the set and costume was. Especially for such a spirited play , the set and costumes could have been re-imagined in the least. They have Tom Holland headlining and obviously the tickets have been sold out from the moment they were made available , so the cost must not have been a hindrance. Were there any other production issues which made them choose to go this minimalistic? Perhaps time constraints?
That's Jamie Lloyd's style. If you bought a ticket to this play expecting anything more than that, it's kinda your own fault lol. Love him or hate him, this is what he's known for
Proud of Francesca ☺️
Minimalism is just an excuse to be cheap and uncreative
Minimalism is just an excuse to be *pretentious while being cheap and lazy. That way if you don’t like it, you just don’t *get* it.
These stripped down stages performances always remind me of improv nights in high schools. Almost every single one of these just look sloppy and poorly planned from beginning to end. It’s like someone got the idea to save and pocket money by not using costumes or staging, then others jumped on it too
Who decided on the boring costumes?
The budget went to Tom holland and none to the set or costumes
Wow, I just looked at the whole collection of reviews and they are all terrible. Even the New York Times. Sad really because he got his start years ago in Billy Elliot.
I just read the NYT review. How is it terrible? ”The minimalist staging puts an extra onus on the actors to make the script shine, and they don’t disappoint. Holland gives a controlled performance as Romeo, evoking the halting, hopeful awkwardness of a love-struck teenager with understatement.” Edit: I think you’re specifically looking at the bad reviews or interpreting them as bad because there are way more 5/4 even 3 star reviews. Does deadline/ variety even have a rating?
Where are you looking because I’ve seen mixed reviews of the show but not overly critical reviews of him specifically?
https://preview.redd.it/78ahqg26cu2d1.jpeg?width=1140&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=44a749b509b466e8eb3806105695a6fc7beebf15 A lot is not positive here.
“I can’t really explain it…”
“…I haven’t got the words.”
Literally every review I’ve seen here in the UK has been good lol
Really? The Guardian gave it 3/5. Not bad but not good either. In the end, it doesn’t matter, the run has been sold out for ages.
3/5 is positive. 2.5 would be midpoint, so 3 is good, 4 is great, and 5 amazing
The Guardian don’t do half stars afaik.
Really? I’ve been reading a lot of good reviews