SHAKESPEARE'S Romeo and Juliet has been retold in many different ways.

We have had West Side Story, Baz Luhrmann's take on the star-crossed lovers and now Custom/Practice presents a street dance influenced version.

Street dance and Shakespeare marries very well - choreographer Kenrick 'H2O' Sandy has interpreted the words into movement to emphasis the action.

The youthful energy of the cast perfectly captured Shakespeare's words and gave a fresh feel to one of his most well-known plays.

The scene where Romeo first sees Juliet was enchanting, in slow motion they move towards to each other and the desire was palpable.

It was as breathtaking as the fight sequences which used street dance to good effect energising the scene and increasing the tense atmosphere.

Slow motion also gave the fight sequences an almost cinematic feel as Mercutio then Tybalt met their doom.

The lighting by designer Nic Farman was superb.

From the informal opening, the cast milling about on stage and interacting with the audience, the theatre was plunged into darkness before lighting up the stage and the actors in formation.

Night and day, anger, passion - all are brilliantly illuminated.

At the end, Romeo and Juliet were silhouetted against a deep pink background and looked statuesque - it was stunning.

Arun Blair-Mangat and Remmie Milner, as the titular characters, were perfectly suited.

Their scenes together were captivating, it felt like you were watching young love unfold before your eyes and, though the ending is so well known, it was still no less saddening.

A beautiful sequence as they spent their first night together as man and wife managed to be sensual but not smutty - no mean feat considering Romeo was in his boxer shorts.

Milner's Juliet was childlike to begin arcing into a headstrong young woman in her final moments.

A youthful Blair-Mangat portrayed Romeo as a love-struck adolescent with fluid movements and was at his best as he bounced off his friends Benvolio (Nathanael Campbell) and Mercutio (David North).

Custom/Practice wanted to reinvigorate Romeo and Juliet to bring it to a diverse audience - no more was this clear when the three were on stage together.

Though Shakespeare's words haven't been changed, their interactions were thoroughly modern and they gave a spirited performance.

Michelle Cornelius as Nurse added impish fun - flirting with the men while acting as a go-between for the lovers.

It was a simple but elegant set - an ivy covered frame which the actors clambered on and a platform used to good effect in the final scenes inside the candlelit crypt.

The pace seemed to drop after the interval, it was far more of a straight interpretation of the play.

There were times where it would have been good to see street dance used more intensively - perhaps after Juliet sups the poison and, as we enter the tomb, a small sequence between

Juliet and Tybalt jars because it had been used so sparingly.

After the lights drop at the end of the play, they come back up for a high-energy hip hop dance which showcased what the dancers could do and made you wonder why they did not make more of their obvious skills throughout.

A small niggle, there were problems with the Prince's (Naomi Hefferman) microphone, it boomed out too loud and sounded too crackly.

With grace and energy, Custom/Practice has managed to keep Shakespeare's words and setting but give it a modern, exciting twist through lyrical movements that added, rather than distracted, from the original.
 

Closes Saturday, November 1. Tickets available on 01684 892277.