Starring Lily James and Richard Madden, this is the latest in the Kenneth Branagh Theatre’s season of work at the Garrick Theatre. But does it wow the critics?
The Telegraph: *** Dominic Cavendish thought that Lili James: “possesses the right, credible mixture of infatuation and impulsiveness and, later on, dread as she sups the friar’s potion. She makes, nay saves, the night.”
The Guardian: **** Michael Billington wrote: “the production certainly has a pulsating energy.”
The Independent: *** Holly Williams commented: “Branagh’s Verona largely persuades as a steamy setting for these star-crossed lovers.”
WhatsOnStage: *** Daisy Bowie-Sell found: “this Romeo and Juliet works best when it lingers, and really in this cast it is only in Jacobi’s all too fleeting moments that the play is brought vividly to life.”
Evening Standard: *** Henry Hitchings summed the production up by saying: “it is stylish, accessible and illuminated by Lily James, it misses the passionate intensity of the tragedy.”
The Upcoming: **** “This Romeo and Juliet has the qualities of a film, which could be its curse or virtue, according to how audiences enjoy their Shakespeare.”
West End Whingers: “We found it completely uninvolving and it wasn’t just us.”
West End Wilma: *** “ultimately this turns out to be a frustrating production.”
London Theatre.co.uk: ** Mark Shenton wrote: “It all feels very old-fashioned, even as it seeks to be aggressively hip and happening.”
CityAm: “the gimmicks are more reliable; excellent casting and intelligent, playful direction.”
Londonist: **** “Jacobi is so superb in fact that Mercutio’s death upstages that of the lovers.”
Theatre Cat: “Branagh’s sweatily Italian and disastrously unfunny production is such a disappointment.”
The Reviews Hub: **** “it is hard not to be won over by this classy and warm-hearted production.”
West End Frame: *** “There might be one or two glimmers of excellence, but this production is very much style over substance.”
Live Theatre UK: “Romeo and Juliet is unfathomably boring, unfeasibly incoherent and unconscionably passionless.”
The Gizzle Review: “It’s not quite iconic, but Shakespeare’s tragic romance is as moving here as it’s ever been.”
British Theatre Guide: “This is an unusual but enjoyable reading of Romeo and Juliet that will be remembered for the stage presence of the unforgettable Miss James, its humour and the star qualities of Sir Derek Jacobi and Meera Syal.”
Romeo & Juliet will appear at the Garrick Theatre until the 13th August. To book tickets visit: Ticketmaster.co.uk, Discount Theatre.com, Last Minute.com, Theatre Tickets Direct.co.uk, Love Theatre.com, Theatre People.com and UK Tickets.co.uk.