Romeo And Juliet - The Lowry - 28/04/08 by Jo Beggs

When you think of great loves and lovers, Romeo and Juliet are at the top of the list. But Northern Broadsides, in their usual uncompromising style, deftly discard the overblown and get straight down to the text, plainly revealing it for what it is, a tale of burning adolescent passion, quivering hearts, surging hormones, of falling head over heels.

Romeo is a morose teenager, moping in his bedroom, 'shutting up his windows' to 'lock fair daylight out'. First in love with Rosalind, then equally struck with Juliet. If this isn't heart-rending, soul-destroying love then it certainly feels like it to him. And that's much the same. And Juliet? Nearly fourteen and steeped in romantic dreams. Along comes this beautiful boy, proclaiming his devotion, and there's no stopping her.

And it's this innocence, the naïve belief that this is a love greater than anything, that makes this play such a tragedy. Not the noble death of the world's greatest lovers but the senseless end to two young lives.

Casting credibly youthful actors - Benedict Fogarty makes his professional debut as Romeo, Sarah Ridgeway (Juliet) seems impossibly young to already have a reasonable amount of TV and radio experience behind her - gives this element of the production resonance. Both portray likeable and irritatingly immature in equal measure. The adults raise their eyebrows and shake their heads at the bad-tempered outbursts and even Romeo's mates - a bawdy, boisterous crowd - at times lose patience with his sullenness.

All this set against a world where the grown ups deal with the ups and downs of everyday life, where celebration and mourning happen from one day to the next. Lord and Lady Capulet (Barrie Rutter and Lisa Howard) and Lord and Lady Montague (Jem Dobbs and Kate-Lynne Hocking) are busy keeping up with the Jones's while Juliet's Nurse (Sue McCormick) provides the motherly affection. McCormick brings a warmth to the role, some humanity and understanding to Juliet's plight, even whilst seeing it for what it is. Fine Time Fontayne as the Friar also provides some benevolence, albeit somewhat tough love.

Design is minimal, music is provided live by the multi-talented ensemble, and the usual dose of Northern Broadsides clog dancing is thrown in. It all works fine but what is central here are the performances and the authentic delivery of the story. Director and company maestro Barrie Rutter has chosen to keep the text pretty much intact (there are scenes left in here that create a kind of 'Director's cut' when you're used to them being axed), making this a long production. But three hours goes surprisingly fast and before you know it, the play is careering satisfyingly towards its tragic end.