Sadie Sink Delivers a Brilliantly Neurotic Performance in Robert Icke's Romeo and Juliet
Robert Icke's bold new production of Romeo and Juliet at the Harold Pinter Theatre is set to infuriate Shakespeare traditionalists while captivating audiences with its outlandish joy and innovative staging. Starring Sadie Sink from Stranger Things and Noah Jupe of Hamnet fame, this revival breathes fresh life into the classic tragedy, transforming it into a vibrant exploration of adolescent love.
A Joyful Take on a Tragic Tale
Despite the play's infamous conclusion with two teenage corpses in a crypt, Icke's interpretation is remarkably joyful. Sink and Jupe portray an unapologetically adolescent pair of lovers, infusing the minimal stage with their larky energy and colourful presence. They embody characters who are "born to die," as echoed by both Lord Capulet and Lana Del Rey, yet remain blissfully unaware, making the production feel profoundly alive.
Icke's Signature Directorial Tools
Icke employs his trademark techniques to construct this formidable production. A flashing digital clock imposes order and tension on the classic text, reminiscent of his 2024 staging of Oedipus. Blinding flashes of white light between scenes leave the lovers' silhouettes imprinted on viewers' retinas, while sliding panels create a sense of secrecy and anonymity. The stage evokes a hotel room, where furtive meetings occur on a messy bed, adding a modern, intimate touch.
Softer and More Romantic Than Expected
This production feels softer and more romantic compared to Icke's previous terrifying heights. Sink spends much of the play buried under rumpled sheets in a teenage stupor of obsession, with Icke gently fleshing out Juliet's mental landscape. He incorporates dream sequences where she envisions Romeo before they meet, adding depth to her character. Sink's performance is nervy and neurotic; when she finally encounters her crush, her wiry arms flutter with uncanny speed, reminiscent of a silent movie star's jerky movements.
Jupe's Romeo starts more self-contained but soon mirrors Sink's mannerisms, suggesting that madness is contagious. The portrayal of youth as a kind of disease is highlighted by Kasper Hilton-Hille's scene-stealing Mercutio, who squabbles and moons through scenes, baring his bum when baring his soul proves too difficult.
Grounded Sanity Amidst Hysteria
Clare Perkins as Nurse brings a welcome grounded sanity to the proceedings, puncturing the hysteria with a simple suck of the teeth. In contrast, the adult characters, such as Eden Epstein's subtle, exasperated Lady Capulet and Clark Gregg's complex, troubled Lord Capulet, feel marginalised, half-hidden behind screens that conceal the human clutter of the story.
Confidence from a Second Visit
Icke first staged Romeo and Juliet in 2012, and this production exudes the unabashed confidence of a second visit. He expands on the idea of exploring alternative realities, adding small scenes that suggest more hopeful endings to the tragedy. For instance, what if Paris were gay and never pursued Juliet? What if Juliet awoke from her poisoned slumber in time to witness Romeo's arrival at the crypt?
Challenging Traditionalists
These directorial interventions may send traditionalists spluttering into their tankards of mead, but they feel fitting given that multiple surviving folio versions of Shakespeare's plays mean there is no one definitive text. Icke's balletic, abstract take on the ending slightly sinks into sentimentality, implying a woman's most beautiful destiny is to be a wife, mother, and grandmother, but he has earned a little self-indulgence.
Overall, this is a richly emotional and brilliantly intelligent take on a classic. It plunges a knife into the heart so skilfully that the pain is hardly noticed, making it a must-see for theatre enthusiasts. Romeo and Juliet runs at the Harold Pinter Theatre until 20 June.
