GlobeLink - Globe Education's Online Resource Centre

By Lindsey Hunnisett on July 21, 2008

I came to the first night's performance at Avington Park, Winchester on Saturday 19th July 2008 and it was magnificent! The surroundings were spectacular with great use of the local church overlooking the performance area; as St. Peters. Don't ask me why but, I thought there was an etiquette to these things and so I was most amused by the audiences crazed dash to get to the front with practically their kitchen sink in tow! The weather held and the opening was strong with great choral movement techniques. Romeo was everything you could possibly hope for -angst, frustrated, love sick and so on... The static camper van was inspirationally used throughout. The Nurse almost stole the show - fantastic characterisation! Oh it was all SO GOOD!! I wanted it to go a little slower but with a small cast working so hard playing multiple roles it wasn't to be - hilarious protrayal of Peter by everyone! Even the peacocks and Paris and Friar Lawrence's sticky moment! (costume malfunction) couldn't thwart this robust casts enthusiasm. I wanted to come and see it again on Sunday!!!!!!!! It has inspired me for my forthcoming entry into the Shakespeare Schools Festival this October. Thank-you for a great night and experience - Oh! and for returning our raspberries!! XXXX

By steve maynard on July 16, 2008

Saw Romeo & Juliet in Malta tonight (15th July), a great production, good acting and use of the venue, but what an awful venue it was. A flat stage and seats meant anyone not near the front saw little except Juliet on the camper's roof, and only heard dialogue clearly when the actors were facing them. The fireworks in the 2nd half did not help, and how they organised 500 people and no toilets was stupid beyond words, such a shame the Malta Arts festival didn't put this play on in St Elmo where Macbeth was or the Opera House stage, whoever was to blame in the staging should be very shamefaced tonight and hopefully lessons will be learned for the future.

By Foowlydal on January 16, 2008

Make love, not war!

By Guy Pierce on September 13, 2007

I wanted to congratulate Edward Dick and show my appreciation for the recent touring production of Romeo and Juliet which I attended at Alnwick Castle on August 24th.

I very much enjoyed the evening and have continued to enjoy thinking about aspects of the production since. It was one of those rare evenings when the offering has real integrity that comes from inspirational and intelligent creativity together with the commitment and thorough hard work to realise it. I know that this sort of quality is only achieved by talented artists who are well managed and resourced. That is why I wish to congratulate all those involved in its realisation from the administrators, artists, and expert advisors to the production staff.

Please let me mention a few of the aspects of the production that I particularly appreciated.

It was wonderful to hear every word.

The sincerity of the lovers was thorough. They both took us to the depth of every hyperbole and passion through the career of the play. Romeo made good use of the audience in the soliloquies.

The Nurse/ Friar gave us such fresh characterisations which were driven on by the vertiginous but sinuously controlled comic potential of role swapping. I loved the fire with which the Friar met the impetuousness of the lovers. Mercutio’s insult to the Nurse was truly shocking and gave a new ( for me) energy to the following scene between her and Juliet.

I enjoyed the staging and the use of space. The mask scene with the slow dance was particularly effective as was the tomb scene with actors forming the sepulchre.

The swordplay was of an unusually high standard.

Clearly the vocal work that the company had put in, as I have already said made the text thoroughly accessible.

I hope this letter encourages those who took part in the production and the decision makers in their commitment to making quality theatre and taking to the outposts of civilisation!

Yours sincerely

Guy Pierce

By Sinead on September 2, 2007

I managed to see the performance 4 times overall (unfortunately the Lord's one sold out before I could get there) Globe, Wimbledon, Claremont and Dulwich Park. I just loved how different it was. It really can be that funny and people forget that. I would like to stand up for my loserness and say that I wanted to share the performance with everyone I knew which is supposed to explain the amount of times I saw it.
It was really nice to meet the cast on the train (yes, I'm that blonde loser) and to be remembered by Paul Woodson as "the biggest fan" or something along those lines.
I've written an article about the tour for the Friends of the Globe cue sheet but it might be too long to print, needless to say you guys will go on to do great things and I loved each performance even more than the last, it just got better and better.

Blondie
x

By Billy Horizontal on September 1, 2007

I saw the play in Dulwich park and was blown away by the energy of the performance...amazing! Thank you for reminding me how entertaining Shakespeare can/should be, Juliet and Nurse were especially special and the coreography was perfect,
Thank you all...

By Steve Sorrell on August 31, 2007

I came to see the play at Dulwich Park with my aunt and I must say that your performance highly exceeded my expectations! I thoroughly enjoyed the the show and thought the acting from all of you was at such a high standard.

I especially like Richard. As someone previously mentioned, he was mesmerising and I am sure everyone will agree with me that he pulled the audience in.

You are also very hot mr! :P

Thank you for such a wonderful evening!

Steve x

By Emma Nairn on August 31, 2007

Dulwich Park, South London, 30 August: A picnic, some good friends, a battered and beautiful blue campervan, and what an incredible performance. The weather was a little ominous but the slight wind made it all the more dramatic - not that the play needed any help as the actors created the most amazing atmosphere with their performances. Shakespeare's words can be a little tough if your unfamiliar with the text but the actors make the words and the story so accessible and so engaging. Brilliant use of very few props and how they're used to suggest the scene was so clever. Outstanding performances by all the actors - particularly Eliot Shrimpton and his dual role. A really really fantastic show, would highly reccommend it - I can't wait for the next venture! Thank you and well done all x

By Kelly on August 30, 2007

Saw the show at Alnwick Castle on the Saturday and i thought it was amazing! My auntie did make sure we sat right at the front so we did get a great view! I didn't know what to expect and was shocked to see a scooby doo van on the set but i really liked how the actors incorporated it into the play which for me made this play unique. I was impressed with how the actors changed scenes and tried something deifferent for each scene change rather than just walking off and making it dull! I also liked the lack of props, it kept the focus on the storyline and didn't detract the audiences attention away from it, although it must have been hard for the actors knowing that the focus was 100% on them but it made the story more powerful. All the actors were amazing and i can't believe the high standard they worked at, i wish them all the best and hope each of them achieve what they want to. Of course my favourite had to be Richard, i hope to see him in another Shakespeare performance, but i also particularly liked Tyne who played Lady Capulet.

By Beth Sutcliffe on August 27, 2007

Saw the performance at Alnwick Castle last night (26th August), what a wonderful perfomance in a fantastic location. I've been to the Globe in London many times, and it was really fun to go along to a Globe production on our doorstep - I liked the fact that you'd brought the Globe stage with you!
Thanks so much for coming to Alnwick - please do come back soon!

By Cat on August 22, 2007

Tremendous!
Saw the show last night (along with several thousand midgies) in the grounds of Hopetoun House.
A fantastic performance – hit every emotion square on and took my breath away.
I had been looking forward to this for months and am delighted to say it did not disappoint.
Please make touring a yearly event and bring us more open air Bard.

By Susan Whitaker on August 20, 2007

Saw the play at Newby Hall yesterday afternoon. What a superb performance! I am totally in awe at all the actors' ability not only to remember the whole thing, but to bring such enthusiasm to the whole production and capture the attention of the audience so completely with very little in the way of props, etc.
My respects also for the way they also ignored the almost sub zero temperature (at least it felt like that) and eventually the driving rain the complete the performance. Hope Juliette didn't catch a chill in that bikini!
Hope you do it again. Have been to The Globe in London but this was totally different and much more intimate. Well done!

By Claire (Globe Steward) on August 10, 2007

Dear all
Well done for Claremont - good house tonight and beautiful (if Midge-y) eve! Thanks for everything and for putting up with the hanger-on! All best for rest of tour! You are going to places I know very well so knock 'em dead and have fun! Prob see you at least once in Dulwich

Love

Claire

By Ruby Tomlin on August 9, 2007

I just want to say how much i enjoyed your performance of Romeo & Juliet at the Globe and at Hedingham Castle. I am also going to see it at The Lords Cricket Ground aswell as i think it is an exceptional show. A brilliant well done and thank you to the whole cast. Romeo & Juliet is my favourite Shakespeare and you truly did very well. I am only 15 and thoroughly enjoyed both performances and am looking forawrd to the one at Lords Cricket Ground. Good luck for all the other performances Ruby x

By Robert & Laura on August 8, 2007

Richard, thank you and the rest of the cast for an excellent evenings entertainment at Belvoir Castle. You were 'just great'. 'Stick In' as they say in Scotland.
Very well done, Robert & Laura.

By Claire (Globe Steward) on August 8, 2007

Dear all

Well what a night - Managed to snag half day off day job and so helped with incoming this eve at Esher. Nice mixture of audience, old(ish) to v young and excitable - I sold 4 Montague souvenirs to 2 Capulets - Hmm, does that give an indication of where audience's loyalties are lying? *grin*

Well done in coping with very strange but beautiful surroundings - strange, with the flight path straight overhead, the beautiful sunset on the tops of the trees, the rain and the fireworks from god knows where in the death scenes in Act V - that was interesting!!!!! :-)

See you all tomorrow and prob rest of week (I live locally so helping with stewarding and/or merchandising !!)

PS Lovely heartfelt performances, did I mention that?

cheers

Claire (mad Scottish Globe Steward!)

By Rebecca Day on August 7, 2007

I saw the show at Leeds Castle and I was really taken aback by the pure talent of all of the actors involved. I was amazed how they not only managed to remember the whole play (!) but how they also managed to create such an atmosphere by use of their own sound effects (which i LOVED!) and the way they all bounced around the stage with such energy.
The thing that i was really amazed at, however, was how the play was brought to life by only 8 actors.
I really want to congratulate everyone involved, it was such a memorable evening for me for so many reasons, and i would also like to thank the actors and actresses! At the time I went to see the play, I was writing an essay on Romeo and Juliet for my GCSE coursework. The performance really helped me to understand the play a whole lot more, and it really helped me with writing my essay.
The performance is one I will never forget.
Thankyou to all the actors and actresses involved, and well done!!! You are all so talented and have really brought Shakespeare to life for me!
Rebecca D x

By olivia,Eve,Kevin and Debbie on August 3, 2007

Sterts Theatre Cornwall 18th and 20th July.
To the whole cast -just wanted to express our thanks at putting on two brilliant performances.
From age 9 through to forty something we were all dazzled by the emotion, professionalism and energy of the performances.
You brought Shakespeare to life for us all - in such a great setting and despite Romeo's sunburn!
The best theatre production we have seen.
Look forward to seeing you back at Sterts next summer .

By Andy Craig on August 3, 2007

I must commend you on a splendid performance on the 31st of July at Castle Hedingham, the rain abaited and a wonderful evening was spent with you all on the grass in front of the Keep. As always the true beauty of the text can be appreciated so much more when performed live, than it being read on the page, both the acting, staging and costumes were simple but highly effective and the fact that the use of a Campervan as a central stage prop can be used in a play written over 400 years ago shows the versatility of the play and directing (although an avid VW Camper fan whom I attended with winced every time it was beaten or abused).
I hope this tour is just the beginning of many annual outings by the Globe to this and other localities around the country.
Bravo!

By Lee on August 3, 2007

I saw this play at Headingham Castle in Essex last night and really enjoyed the experience. Its only my second Shakespeare play and I decided it was time I gave my children some culture. I must eco the posting already here and say that it was very well acted and I cannot find a weak link in any of the cast. The actor that plays Romeo was very pleasant on the eye (my 10 year old is now in love with all Scotsmen) as well as someone that draws you into the play and mesmerises you when he speaks so that you cant look away- as if you would want to. And the comedy of the nurse-priest kept my children interested past the point where normally they would be complaining of being away from their play station for so long. The setting was magnificent, and the view as the sun set and turned the castle orange as the play carried on at its base and the church bells rang in the town nearby will stay with me forever. An excellent experience

By Suzanne Harrison on August 3, 2007

After watching Romeo & Juliet last night at Hedingham Castle with my daughter, Ruby, what a fantasic performance. We both went to the Globe Theatre and saw the first performance and we both said that the performance at Hedingham Castle was better than the Globe - more cosy, so to speak. Ruby, who is 15 has a hugh crash on Richard Maddon (Romeo) hence the reason why we have seen it twice and may I add are going to see it for a 3rd time at the Lords Cricket Ground.
Well done to all the cast, loved it, can't wait to see it again.
By the way does anyone know how I can get a photo or even a signed photo of Richard Maddon for my daughter?
Suzanne & Ruby
xxxxxx

By Elaine Charity on July 27, 2007

Have caught up on all the reviews and am now really excited about seeing the play next week in Grantham - culture comes to Lincolnshire - we've been waiting a long time!! Hope we have good weather. Break a Leg!

Elaine

By Your loving cousin!!!! on July 25, 2007

Richard, it is so good to hear you are still enjoying this experience, and growing with the play, but i have got to say, I MISS YA LOADS!!!
cant wait to see you, and give all the cast my support!!!
when are you comming home?!!?
love you lota, keep doing what you do best!!!!
Danielle
xxxxxxx

By katy parnall on July 24, 2007

We saw the matinee at trelissick garden in cornwall on sunday. I took my mum and my 2 daughters agred 9 and 7(only just). It was their first shakespeare performance and I so wanted it to be a positive one. It was. We were all spellbound. I saw my 9 year old straining to see a particular scene round the pillar towards the end. There was not a moment that we were not all fully engaged in what we were seeing unfold before us. Three generations, all entertained and stimulated. Not much in these times can do that. It was just so alive, watching it didnt feel passive. We lived the story, through them. it has provoked so much thought, as true art should. we're loving it!

By Wendy Suffield on July 23, 2007

I just wanted to thank you for a fantastic production which my friends
and I saw at Leeds Castle on Sunday 15th July. It had an intimacy and
creativity, as well as passion in the acting, that cannot be imitated
within the confines of traditional theatre, and proved a wonderful
introduction to live Shakespeare for my children (aged 11 and 12).

I have long wanted to visit the new Globe, but dates, babysitting
arrangements and travel plans never tied up. To have the Globe come
within easy reach was a gift devoutly to be wished, but an unexpected
pleasure nevertheless. I do hope this first tour is a great success,
because we as a family would love to see it as an annual event at Leeds
Castle (and have written to them explaining this too) - we certainly
would come and support it. It is not often that we country folk get the
pleasure of seeing such first class actors outside London and Stratford
- thank you again.

By Amanda Hipkiss on July 22, 2007

We saw 'Romeo and Juliet' at Terlissick Garden near Truro on 21/07/07. How fantastic! From the moment the actors exploded from the van to the time they ran off the stage after their final bows, I was mesmerised. My fourteen year old daughter (theatre mad) said she had never thought of Juliet as being so needy before. Ellie Piercy made us believe that Juliet was a very vulnerable young woman who truly needed love. My daughter says I have to say that Richard Madden was 'drop deal gorgeous'. As a more mature female, I have to admit that I could see the attraction!
We had the pleasure of meeting Tas Emiabata at the Globe when we were part of a group from school who toured and did a workshop there. He is an excellent teacher as well as an excellent actor.
It was the quality of the ensemble work which really impressed me. The fights between Tybalt, Mercutio and Romeo were so frightening that I closed my eyes! That was due in no small measure to the sound effects created by banging on that VW van.
I also have to mention Eliot Shrimpton. His dual roles of the Nurse and Friar Lawrence could have been ridiculous but were the highlight of a fantastic evening to me.
Please come again. We may not have been the biggest audience you play to on this tour. We may not even have been the most appreciative. But we are the ones most starved of work of this quality.
My husband said that he'd forgotten why he loves Shakespeare so much - it's the quality of the script. But, believe me, I have seen some terrible, boring and dull productions of 'Romeo and Juliet'. Not even the sound of the TV from the flat above me, the swallows and swifts calling overhead nor the bats which came out at dusk could distract me from your excellent, exciting and spell-binding production.

By Julia Dunn on July 22, 2007

I watched the show last night, 21st July, in Cornwall and it was superb! Absolutely fantastic! The best performance I'd ever seen! I had tears in my eyes at the end - I just wanted to bottle the performance, as if it had been in the poison bottle, and watch it again and again! I am due to study the play with some year 11 students; oh how I wish they could have seen this! It is the ideal way for anyone to understand Shakespeare at his best! My warmest congratulations and heartfelt thanks to all the actors - especially Richard Madden and Ellie Piercy. I will dine out on this experence for may weeks/months to come!

By brian martin on July 21, 2007

So much humour, so much depth. we have taken so much awy from this performance, had us philosophysing all the way home.

so lucky to see something as amazing as this inour home county, we are going again tomorrow. the friar/nurse was just brilliant, brought out the dichotomy present in so many shakespeare plays. each actor was brilliant in his part. loved them all being on stage, cotributing so much as the chours, adding to the touring team feel. loved the van, the balconey scen e was amazing. danger of going on and on. please come back again.

By helen on July 19, 2007

This is the first time i have seen Romeo and Juliet performed live and it was sensational. We have been studying it at school and watched the films both old and new and they were nothing compared to the performance we saw at canizaro park. It was so real and yet there were no props. We were all dran into the atmosphere and won over by not only the words but the performance. It was amasing. Thank you for takig it on tour.

By Natalie Pryce on July 18, 2007

Hi Company, I'm working at the Cannizaro Park feastival and saw your performance on monday, you were all fantastic, and Romeo you were very impressive. I didn't have the chance to study the play at school so to see it was a real treat. I would love to come and see you at Lord's in september, and would be very interested in chatting to you guys after the performance about the set and costume, how you found the whole experience really. I'm currently doing a BA in Theatre Design at Wimbledon College of Art so would love to get your perspective on the industry, first round on me as a thank you!
Good luck with the rest of the tour, and hopefully see you at Lords. Stay brilliant.
Natalie, London

By Julia on July 15, 2007

What a fantastic production staged at Leeds Castle. The audience was a complete cross-section including quite young children and everybody was entranced and followed with rapt attention. The entire caste was brilliant especially Eliot Shrimpton as the friar/nurse. A must to see!

By Emily Crabtree on July 15, 2007

I saw the preformance of Romeo and Juliet at Leeds Castle and i thought that the preformance was wonderful, i really liked Richard Madden as Romeo i think he is a brilliant actor. I also feel that the whole cast did an excellent show even in the heat. It was particually hot and the fact they all played many parts it must have been hard for them but i really enjoyed it.

Emily Crabtree UK

By Mark Wiles on July 15, 2007

A wonderful production. The direction, design, music, movement and, most of all, the acting were excellent. Such a talented bunch of young actors. The production had a vibrancy, economy and lightness of touch which delivered exactly what I want from good theatre: The comic moments made me laugh out loud, the sad and tragic moments brought a tear to my eye and I left feeling that I had been thoroughly entertained. I have no doubt that we will be seeing a great deal more of the actors brought together for this production. Ellie Piercy, in particular, gave a truly fantastic performance. Thank you to all involved for a great night.

By Rach on July 15, 2007

Went to see the play last night (july 14th) at leeds castle for my friends birthday. It was really good, particularly Richard Madden (and his cute scottish accent!) i don't think any of us could keep our eyes of him, especially when he came into the audience (very funny when he just started talking to this guy).The whole cast gave a great performance but i just have to say Eliot was great! He got everyone laughing at some point and he did really well to always stay in character, it must have been hard having to "switch" on stage. We were lucky enough to have our programs signed by all the cast (a great birthday present for lisa). So i'd just like to say thanks to all the cast for signing it and for giving such a great performance.
Well done to Edward and the other directors!
Rach xx
(kisses for Richard from all of us!)

By Jade on July 13, 2007

Hello. I am a school pupil at Fort Pitt Grammar School in Chatham and I attended the performance of Romeo and Juliet at Leeds Castle on Thursday 12th July 2007. I though this actor was very good looking and very convincing. When Romeo dies he made me cry. I am doing Romeo and Juliet for my english coursework and by watching this play it has really helped me understand the whole plot etc. Thank You fr the amazing experience. I think I may be Richards newest fan!! :D Coz he amazing and the fittest person I've met in my life!! and so what I have a little childish crush on him :p :O

Jade from Rochester xXxXx (14)

By Daisy on July 13, 2007

I went to see it with my school at Leeds Castle.
It was amazing.
Simple, but very well acted.
I liked the little modern touches.
I really want to see it again.
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it.
:)
x

By Mark on July 13, 2007

As a regular visitor the Globe, where the performances are always good and keep me returning year after year, I was interested to hear that for the first time in centuries a touring company from the globe would be travelling the country.

The touring companies performance of Romeo and Juliet at Leeds Castle was probably the best play that I have ever seen. The staging was clever and the performances of the players were outstanding - Ellie Piercy and Richard Madden as Juliet and Romeo were truely brilliant giving the story real life, such talent in actors who have only recently left drama school, and Tyne Rafaeli kept everyone laughing with his changes from nanny to friar.

Thank you to all the players for a fantastic evening and one that will stay with me for many years and hopefully this will be the first of many comapnaies that the globe sends into the shires.

By Amanda on July 13, 2007

Saw the Bristol show on Saturday evening - sunshine at last!!!! This was a fabulously engaging piece of theatre that captivated the audience. The whole ensemble was excellent but I have to congratulate the two leads in being the most convincing, charming and moving Romeo and Juliet I have ever seen (in 15 years of watching Shakespeare I've seen 6 other productions of R&J). It was great to see the Globe bringing accessible, thoughtful and fun Shakespeare to the rest of the country and I hope that this is the first of many tours.

By Holly on July 10, 2007

This play is the best live play I have ever seen. Seeing Romeo and Juliet performed by actors from the UK, is the only true way to experience it in my eyes. I learned more from actually seeing the play, than I ever did with British Literature class in high school. I came from the US and this was the one of the most awesome parts of my trip. The actors were passionate, physical, and so close it felt like they were in the audience with us. I liked the closeness and eye contact the The Globe provided.And the VW bus they used on stage was really funny! I also liked how they mixed modern clothes with Elizabethan, to me that showed how Shakespeare can be modern and classic at the same time. I cried when Juliet said "his lips are still warm", and felt such happiness and joy from the experience, the play was amazing and the actors really did a fantastic job, it is a performance I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life. Thank you for doing such a great job!!! Cheers, and Bravo, from NC, USA

By Angela Cooper on July 10, 2007

What a JOY! A thankfully, more or less,dry afternoon on Sunday (8 July) in Queen Square, Bristol and one of the best productions of the play I have seen (and that's a lot). Terrific direction, casting and ACTING! - I believed I was caught up in the Capulet/Montague feud and how wonderful to see such a young Romeo and Juliet. I thought Richard Madden was truly wonderful as Romeo - just the right mix of rash romanticism. Ellie Piercy's Juliet was so exuberant and tomboyish, yet at the same time very vulnerable. Eliot Shrimpton's Nurse/Friar Lawrence was a revelation - and his command of language is very impressive. The camper van was a brillliant idea too, with all its connotations of touring, youth, transience etc. Congratulations to everyone. I must admit I had let my membership as a Globe Friend lapse this year and now feel thoroughly ashamed of myself. I am renewing immediately. Please keep up the touring lark - it won't rain so much next year and even if it does there are those of us out there who really appreciate excellence when we see it. Thanks again.

By Professor Alison Findlay on July 9, 2007

A belated comment of congratulations to the whole company for a magnificent performance on Thursday 28 June in Lancaster.
Moving the show inside the Ashton Memorial because of the torrential rain must have been a challenge - especially with the appalling acoustic under the dome - but the effect was sharp, exciting and spontanous. For the company, another dimension to the Globe's project of recapturing, in different form, something of the experience of early modern performances? Each line must inevitably have changed as it was spoken in a new location, for those early touring companies.
Many thanks to you all. It was a great show.

By Rina Vergano on July 9, 2007

dear Company, I reviewed R&J for Venue magazine in Bristol, but wasn't sure if you'd get to see the review as you're now on your way to Leeds. Here's the review anyway, please contact me and I'll get a copy sent to your HQ. Thanks for a wonderful evening, best wishes with the tour, Rina

Romeo & Juliet
Open-air Shakespeare and summer monsoons maketh not good bedfellows. After chickening out of seeing a performance earlier this week in lashing rain and wind, I’m sitting in Queen’s Square wrapped in my blue blanket, eyeing the gathering clouds and thinking: it looks like it’s about to pi .... Suddenly eight actors burst out of what looks like an old dumped VW van, accuse us of biting our thumbs at them and launch into a group scrum. What ensues is so entertaining, fresh and vital that all thoughts of weather are banishéd. Edward Dick’s light clean direction cleverly draws out the youthful energy of the play, his Romeo dashing from first feverish kiss to testosterone-fuelled swordfight. The Globe’s production is about the romantic soul of the teenager in extremis - being besotted, feeling poetic, acting impulsively, kicking against adult control, taking risks, dicing with death - and reminds us that life is never that intense again. All Capulets are strongly played, and both lead roles are outstanding, with Ellie Piercy and Richard Madden incandescent as the star-crossed lovers. Both have a physical presence and lucidity which will get them increasingly nicked by TV and film makers. Tyne Rafaeli morphs most amusingly from Nursey into Friar Lawrence, played as a C of E vicar with badges and specs. Despite snatches of spoken text being lost to rustling trees, seagulls, wind, traffic, church bells and drunks, this is well worth getting drenched for and far funkier than most Shakespeare seen inside four walls. (Rina Vergano)

****

By Maria on July 6, 2007

I don't have the 40 years of theatre-going... I just went to a random Shakespeare open-air performance last Wednesday in Bristol and I loved it so much that, despite of the rain, I went back on the next day. What an amazing experience theatre can be! Troupe of travelling players, thank you and good luck.

By Mervyn Capel on July 4, 2007

Ellie Piercey is simply the best Juliet I've ever seen in over 40 years of theatre-going! She explores the character's depths and range of emotional states like no one I've ever seen. She HAS to be on her way to major stardom!

By Alan James Mueller on July 2, 2007

Two weeks after having seen you perform at the West End Festival in Glasgow I still feel compelled to write a wee note. The casting was superb; Lady Capulet and Mercutio were quiet wonders, and the Nurse/Friar was comic genius. Perhaps you didn't notice that the chiming of the hours occured in the most dramatic moments and added such darkness; not to mention the monsoon that engulfed the tragic finale - the standing ovation you received was totally deserved. Other than that, we just loved Richard! Success to you all!

aj

By Lee & Dan on July 2, 2007

I saw the performance at the "globe" and the whole cast was brilliant ! !!!
I was captivated for the whole performance !!!!!

Richard our "Romeo" we miss you !!!!

By issi on July 1, 2007

Glasgow was fantastic. sorry I can't make it to Buxton, but I will definitely be at Hopetoun.
RL&D will try to get to Grantham, so keep it going Kid.
LOL

By Neil Barton on June 30, 2007

I came down to London 2 weeks ago to see The Merchant Of Venice (Superb).And then the Globe came to Lancaster with Romeo and Juliet on a wet summers! night, brilliant,superb acting.To adapt the performance was a stroke of genius on the whole touring company. Thanks for coming to Lancaster.

By Terry Doyle on June 30, 2007

My Thanks to the whole team for the visit to lancaster. It was a pleasure working along with you all. Thursdays improvised move of venue was a sight to behold. I was extremely impressed by your attitude. Break a leg for the rest of the run and fingers crossed for a break in the weather. Hope to see you all again.

By Karen Soole on June 29, 2007

Thanks so much for coming to Lancaster. Adapting to heavy rain and performing at short notice in the memorial proved to be a great theatrical event we were really grateful.It was live performance at its best! The sound of the wind howling outside as "Romeo" died was chilling. The best version I have seen - wonderful Juliet - I was so pleased that my daughters 11 and 12 experienced this as their first live Shakespeare.

By Dicko and Batty on June 26, 2007

From Dicko and Batty on 26th June, 2007
Fantastic show....very gripping and atmospheric....nothing boring or stuffy...wish shakespeare could always be like this!!...break a leg!!!

By uncle nick and aunty b on June 25, 2007

knock em dead rich,miss the tomatoes,your rooms ready for your next london visit,love from all the family.n and b

By Missy Rose Alley on June 25, 2007

I came to the globe for the first time and this production was in one word.. awesome! i mean literally i was in awe of all the actors they were all so talented, i had tears in my eyes towards the end just the right mixture of comedy and tradegy. Eliot Shrimpton was one of the most versatile, talented and genuinely funny actors i have seen in a long time!. well done! it looks like so much fun so enjoy and Good Luck for all the rest of them! missy x