People's Romeo

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People's Romeo
Written byMukul Ahmed
Date premiered6 October 2010 (2010-10-06)
Original languageEnglish, Bengali
GenreDrama

People's Romeo is a play by British playwright Mukul Ahmed based on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Cast[edit]

Themes[edit]

Performed in both English and Bengali[1][2][3] it blends William Shakespeare's words with Bengali poetry[1][2] and the Pala Gaan theatrical tradition[3] of song, music, dance and story-telling is used.[4] The original text, alongside modern English, is also used.[4]

Production[edit]

The People's Romeo was developed across a two-year period by Wandsworth-based theatre company Tara Arts.[1][2] The production's name – People's Romeo – reflects the sub-continent's traditions of People's Theatre, where performers tour with a minimum of props and a small cast.[4]

The cast of three actors; Delwar Hossain Dilu, Caitlin Thorburn and Leesa Gazi play multiple roles,[4] transitioning from one character,[3] although the story has been pared down.[4] Characters such as Mercutio and Count Paris have been left out all together.[4] Several important parts have been left out, notably, the reason for Romeo not knowing that Juliet has faked her death was omitted.[3] The company of five also includes[3] singer Sohini Alam joining in traditional and modern Bengali folk songs,[4] and percussionist Swagata Biswas provides us with a live musical score.[5] The set was designed by Sophie Jump's and the lighting designed by Howard Hudson.[5][6]

Tour[edit]

The People's Romeo opened at Greenwich Theatre in September 2010, as part of a UK tour.[1][2] Prior to a UK tour, it played five performances at TARA Studio ahead of visits to Greenwich, Plymouth, Wolverhampton, Crawley, London's Asia House and Waterman's Hull, Darlington and Birmingham.[7] The show was also staged at Hull Truck Theatre as part of Black History Month.[4]

Reception[edit]

Deborah Klayman of The Public Reviews rated People's Romeo it 3/5 called it "is energetic and entertaining with moments that are exciting, moving, and humorous."[3] Matthew Jenkins of News Hopper said, "Both charming and moving, People's Romeo is a brave attempt to try something genuinely new and makes for a culturally enriching and entertaining two hours."[1][2]

The Stage said, "Director Mukul Ahmed may have taken several liberties with Shakespeare's original but the important elements remain and his cast of five performers, including a percussionist and vocalist create an utterly absorbing piece of theatre.[8] OffWestEnd.com said, "The People's Romeo is a dynamic cross-cultural performance made for our time that uses Pala Gaan, a popular Bengali folk theatre style that combines music, dance and storytelling to re-invent this classic of English theatre.[5]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Jenkin, Matthew (14 September 2010). "THEATRE REVIEW: People's Romeo at Greenwich Theatre ****". News Hopper. London. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e Jenkin, Matthew (14 September 2010). "THEATRE REVIEW: People's Romeo at Greenwich Theatre ****". This Is Local London. London. Retrieved 1 June 2015.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ a b c d e f Klayman, Deborah (11 September 2010). "People's Romeo – TARA Arts (touring)". The Public Reviews. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "A Bengali take on the Bard's Romeo and Juliet". Hull Daily Mail. Hull. 4 October 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  5. ^ a b c "The People's Romeo". OffWestEnd. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  6. ^ Bussell, Karen (October 2010). "The People's Romeo (Plymouth)". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  7. ^ "'People's Romeo' in English and Bengali". Asian Image. 19 August 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  8. ^ Vale, Paul (13 September 2010). "People's Romeo". The Stage. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
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