Shakespeare’s play with its eternal insights into romantic love amidst feuding gangs resonates with modern youth, and transfers successfully to a current day setting. Just substitute knives for rapiers. And nobody mention the existence of that inconvenient plot-busting device, the mobile phone.

Director Erica Whyman does that and more. Five male roles are allocated to women, casting is across cultures, and an emphasis on youth includes four school children. And, all credit, it comes bursting onto the stage, full of pent-up energy and direct 21^st century emotion. Sustaining that and avoiding oversimplification is another matter, but the production is blessed in its central casting, with Bally Gill as Romeo and, outstandingly, Karen Fishwick as Juliet. A star is born!

To résumé the plot minus the emotion … In old – now new – Verona, two rich families are in longstanding feud. Romeo Montague crashes a party at the Capulets house, where he and their daughter Juliet fall in love. They are secretly married by Friar Lawrence.  Romeo attempts to prevent further fighting, but when his friend Mercutio is killed by Tybalt, he kills Tybalt in a fury and is banished. Then Juliet, to avoid an enforced marriage, feigns death by taking a drug. A message to Romeo fails to reach him. On seeing Juliet in her tomb, he takes poison. She awakes to find Romeo dead and kills herself

The menace and bravado of the youths in contemporary dress comes excitingly through, reminiscent of today’s television news. And Tom Piper’s set device – an ever changing large box structure with two closed sides, facilitates every occasion without though necessarily enhancing it. Although the star clustered night of the balcony scene enchants.

The enchantment of course belongs to the star crossed lovers, and both speak the verse with understanding and fervour. Gill’s Romeo, although full of vigorous courtliness, is robbed of the opening affected melancholy he enjoys ‘suffering’ from an unobtainable love. So losing the contrasting depth of his real feeling for Juliet.

Contrast too should come from Mercutio, a strange fusion of ethereal poet, rabble-rouser and bawdy humourist. Shakespeare is said to have given him an early exit as he threatens to steal the play. No need in a production over strong on gesturing, which requires Charlotte Josephine to jerkily illustrate or mug to her every phrase.

Wisdom and emotional truth lie with the fourteen year old Juliet. And Karen Fishwick succeeds in suggesting extreme youth matched with mature understanding, transported by deep love but still earth bound. Her Scottish accent cutting through even Romeo’s high flights of fancy.

If acting strength does not follow all the way down, there are significant contributions. Amongst them as Juliet’s father, Michael Hodgson effects the mean spirit of a weak, domestic tyrant, Ishia Bennison gives the nurse a northern bawdiness without being required to suggest her gross culpability and, as the ruler Prince Escalus, Beth Cordingly stings with female anger at the stupidity of feuding men.   ★★★☆☆   Derek Briggs   4^th May 2018

Continues until  21^st September.