Tragic tale of Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers to be retold

Theatre lovers are in for a pre-Valentine’s treat as one of the most popular romantic tragedies ever written heads to South Hill Park.

Romeo and Juliet, one of the most enduring and best-loved of Shakespeare’s extensive corpus, will become one of the latest in-house productions to grace the stage at the venue in February.

More than 400 years since it was first performed, the story of the star-crossed lovers torn apart by warring families continues to entrance audiences.

For Jack Fairey, who plays Romeo, the romance of the play, one of it’s biggest appeals, is rooted in the tragic end for the protagonists.

He said: “Right from the start, we know they’re never going to make it, because the whole world is against them.

“And yet, they try anyway.

“They love despite the odds, despite the danger it puts them in, and as readers and watchers we respond to that.

“It's something everyone wants, I think, to be loved even when loving is hard.”

Fairey, a South Hill Park regular who also appeared in 2016’s Peter Pan and 2017’s the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, is joined in the other half of the titular roles by Laura Hannawin.

The production reunites the pair after the success of last year’s Macbeth, which saw Hannawin step into the blood-spattered shoes of Lady Macbeth.

Talking about her latest, and very different, role, she said: “Juliet is an amazing role to play and I am so excited.

“She is witty and intelligent but also completely follows her heart and I’m excited to explore the love that she and Romeo share.

“It’s one of the aspects of the story that people strive to achieve in their own lives, finding their ‘soul-mate’, and I want to do it justice.”

Another feature familiar to repeat visitors to the Bracknell theatre’s in-house productions will be an original score penned for the play by George Jennings.