Two hours’ stage traffic becomes one in this modern hip-hop take on Shakespeare, designed for children from Year 5 upwards and set in the Polka’s borough of Merton. Created and directed by Conrad Murray and Lakeisha Lynch-Stevens from Beats & Elements theatre company, it excels when depicting headlong romance and the rival gangs’ combustible grudges.
The script and songs’ use of rhyme often reflects the original play’s rhythms, although precious few of its lines or phrases are incorporated which is a shame as the opening number Star-Crossed Lovers does so with skill. While the storytelling falters in the production’s home straight, this is a dynamic hour that would benefit from audiences’ prior knowledge of the tragedy and provides a stimulating complement to Shakespeare.
