SUTCO’s Romeo & Juliet – 10 May 2026, Weston Park
Review by Claire Taranaski.
Over 400 years ago when William Shakespeare presented Romeo & Juliet to the world his cast would have not included a single female and he would have designed it to be performed on a traditional stage but in 2026 SUTCo have continued to confirm why performing the Bard’s plays in a park is such a delightfully idea (especially on a sunny Sunday afternoon) and why a majority female cast works wonderfully.
I am not a Shakespeare expert, though those who were in the audience were delightfully rapturous for their favourite lines and characters, but like many I know the story making it one of the Bard’s most approachable tragedies, though with plenty of comedy too. SUTCO present a strong production that will happily compete with the other Bard productions in parks that are currently doing the rounds and that this production came at the end of two semesters of the company’s members working together, meant that the connection between and support for its members shone through.
All of the cast were superb in bringing the Bard’s words to life but you cannot review the production without mentioning the title characters, whose chemistry of young love shone through and kisses and interactions came across as natural with real affection for each other. I had already been delighted by Jennie Beattie earlier in the season and it was wonderful to see the English rose as a leading lady, as she made me even more excited about her as an actor, playing Juliet with beautifully fun, youthful flirtatious energy and charm. Emily Barrow as Romeo captured the emotional torment of young love in a way everyone’s adolescent selves could relate to.
Holly Pearce as the Nurse provided a wonderful balance between adding comedic gold to the tragedy and the emotion of wanting to protect and support her young ward whilst deal with the loss of a close friend. Holly also possesses a knack for believable aches and pains. Mason Lugh as Lord Capulet reminded me of a young Griff Rhys Jones and although you would not want him as your own father, superbly combined extremes of wanting to protect his daughter with wanting to protect the family name, which is not necessarily the same thing, whilst showing comedic talent.
On Romeo’s side the friendship between Emily and Poppy Taylor as Mercutio and Ava Ferrari as Benvolio shone through, with Poppy, reminding me of a young Susannah Corbett, capturing the arrogance and attitude of youth whilst Ava captured the need to go along with and be there for your friends.
Two other cast members who deserve special mention and I would loved to have seen more of were Daniel Gains as the Capulet’s servant who was a natural comedic actor with wonderful comic timing and persona and who I could not take my eyes off when he was on stage, reminding me of Ryan Sampson’s portrayal of Grumio in Plebs’; and Gail Annis as the Chorus, who provided the prologue of each act and came across as a natural storyteller.
Director David Osamudiamen and assistant director Shurti Deshpande brought the best out of the cast and the Bard’s play to life with directing highlights including the cleverly choreographed sword fighting scenes and the masquerade ball, which was beautifully accompanied by the folk quartet, who would not have been out of place at any folk festival and added to the outside theatre atmosphere. The quartet also provided a beautiful musical accompaniment throughout, rarely overshadowing the actors but adding to the atmosphere, unlike the local geese who unlike the audience did not appear to be theatre fans and let everyone know (thankfully the cast did not get distracted).
The costumes were kept simple but stylish combining natural shades with the blue and red of the Montagues and Capulets, which to those newer to the play could happily use to distinguish between the war families. The props were kept simple but effective and for those wondering how the balcony scene was going to be created it may not have been the tallest but it worked; and instead of the set the park added a beautiful back drop. Lord Capulet’s mask was a stand out as were the beautiful poison bottles and their bright contents were effective in making us realise that the lovers had had truly consumed them.
After over nine years of reviewing SUTCo it was a delight to final experience them perform Shakespeare in the park and was a fitting end to their 2025/26 academic year. Whether graduating this summer or continuing in the company for years to come I look forward to seeing what everyone involved in the production does next.
