Brighton Dome, London.
12 November 2026.
How refreshing it is to see something different. Lost Dog Dance’s quirky dance theatre work, Juliet & Romeo, is just that. The two artists wandered onto the stage and introduced themselves – Juliet and Romeo.
“We’ve been together 20 years. Things change – I’m sure some of you know about that.” A modern-day Juliet performed by Emily Terndrup, said wryly, speaking to the audience. The show follows a Romeo and Juliet that did not die as we thought but instead ran away from their families with the help of Friar Laurence and ended up in an apartment in Paris with a daughter, Sophie. Romeo and Juliet both took a seat downstage right in what appeared to be a couples therapy set up. And indeed, they proceeded to tell us how they’d tried every therapy going, but nothing had worked so they were trying something new by working through their issues right there on the stage in front of us. Such a great imaginative concept.
Their speech and body language was relaxed, funny and direct from the outset. As an example of their comical, relatable humour, Romeo, performed by John Kendall, quipped, “Our families don’t get along well.” They worked through their memories and their issues with one another, through talking, through dance, through mime. Notably – and used in both humour and poignancy – they each had different recollections of the same events.
The Dance of the Knights became a passionate contemporary duet under red lighting. It illustrated their believable onstage chemistry and authentic rapport with one another. Other music used included the Beatles, “I Want You,” and other recognisable tracks that matched the theme of the moment.
“I’ve got a list of questions here that you don’t have to answer,” said Juliet. “Oh great!” replied Romeo, which raised a laugh, but their roles were quite stereotypical – Juliet forthright, in charge of the narrative and of the relationship in general. Romeo was cast in a loveable hapless character role, always saying or doing the wrong thing, fumbling through attempts not to upset Juliet. It worked, but a bit less predictability in their characterisation could have done, too.
There were some enjoyable links to the original Shakespeare text, such as Juliet talking candidly about the poison Friar Laurence had given her to take so she didn’t have to marry Paris. She offered a different perspective on the well-known scene by worrying aloud about whether she’d wake up too early from it and be stuck in the morgue.
They relayed a story about a ‘friend of Friar Laurence’ who came to visit them with a bottle of whisky, then some time later, a script entitled ‘Romeo and Juliet’ was posted through their door, written by “someone called William Shakespeare” but, as onstage Romeo complained, “I don’t like the changes he’s made to our story,” while Juliet became transfixed with acting out the script and insisting Romeo joined in, too.
There’s a very cleverly choreographed duet where a poisoned Juliet lies ‘dead’ and Romeo (having been instructed to by Juliet) dances with her body – as a dead weight. His efforts produce a lot of laughter from the audience, and he ends up with a strained back. I’d like to have seen more dance – they managed to convey so much through the dance moments that there were.
There were serious moments when a hush spread over the audience – Juliet having taken a positive pregnancy test was having an ultrasound but they are told there is nothing there. And there were lighter occasions, like Romeo breaking out of their reenactment of the play – Juliet was spread across the dining table playing dead, and Romeo announced he was going to the shop for toilet roll!
The messiness of life unfolded in a very imaginative and emotional way, as the famous pair looked back at their younger years. I overheard two friends in the audience; one commented how moving the show was and asked the other if she had ever played her own life backwards in her mind, examining all the life choices she had made. Her friend responded with a very quick and decisive, “no!”
There’s a poignant ending to Juliet & Romeo, which felt sad and regretful, but it reflected real life – and it wasn’t predictable, which is always good. A thoughtful evening.
By Louise Ryrie of Dance Informa.
