Watching The Wales Theatre Company last week performing Romeo and Juliet was a mixture of delight and utter cringe. Sorry guys, but I've seen you do so much better and Jack Ryder just fell flat, although his casting as Romeo was understandable; his boyish physique and slender frame fitted in accurately with the young teenage lovers' dilemma.

Nurse and Mercutio held the adolescent audience's attention well, and thank goodness for the rudeness and smutty interpretations of Rosaline's 'quivering thighs' ...
Juliet ranted a bit too much and her behaviour was more 11 ish rather than approaching 14.

Although, the calamity on Juliet's death bed was astounding and it became farcical as even the Friar mounted the mattress as well as Nurse and Lady C!

Excellent paparazzi moment in the closing scene, reminding the audience of the Baz Luhrman classic with the huge black and white grainy images gazing down upon us all.
It actually made me realise just how very good the Luhrman interpretation is; just how wonderful and engaging it is; one is swept along, drawn in and then drowns in the pure colourful, vibrant emotion of it all.
Luhrman, for those of you who may not know, directed the most expensive advert of all time, a 4 minute film for Chanel, starring Nicole Kidman. Presently, his Australia and New Zealand epic advertisements fill our screens...