Eagles Nest Theatre is a tenacious independent company committed to bringing classic and new work to schools and regional audiences.

Strong audience numbers on a cold Melbourne evening prove that there is always an audience for Shakespeare’s greatest love tragedy, but the power and grace of this text is overpowered by an inconsistent production.

The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is inevitable from the first word. This production explores failed and repressed desire in an evolving society, love and hatred, feuding families and fear within a violent and reactionary culture. The themes are supported with the sister production of Arthur Millers’s The Crucible.

Eagles Nest’s adventurous production supplants the Verona action to Brighton Beach in the 1960s, with mods and rockers fighting among the sounds of swinging beats. The concept tries to parallel the ancient family rivalries with a brawl over music and fashion. Unfortunately, this fails to create the depth and foundation required to focus to the action and narrative. The concept seemed simplistic and almost insubstantial against the universal themes it is presenting and Shakespeare’s characters come off as shallow and unsympathetic. The inconsistent and overly comedic direction lacked the sense of irony required to underpin the tragedy of the text.

The costume and set design lacked continuity in thematic styling and the stylised set made no sense within the context of the play. The lighting was quite interesting however, with a great use of minimal resources and shadow. The ground lighting served to create great drama in this uninteresting space, while the back lighting was the saving grace of the set design.

The actors were well rehearsed and all showed great command of the text. The pace was good overall even when competing against some loud and invasive street noise. Each actor was committed and focussed, and the ensemble work was impressive.

Syrie Payne was gorgeous as the torn and tormented Juliet, and Camille Meghaizel was charming as Romeo. Both were believable in their respective roles and showed great range and timing. Other notable performances came from Christina Costigan as the misplaced matriarchal Lady Capulet, Laura Hill as Juliet’s Nurse and Phil Zachariah as Friar Lawrence. The performance of the night belonged to Shane Lee as Benvolio. His understated manner and quiet sadness was engrossing and heartfelt.

Overall Romeo and Juliet showcases some great acting talent and a slick production. Through hard work Eagles Nest Theatre continue to offer valuable opportunities for emerging actors, theatrical artists and technicians. May this company keep growing in “our passage toward a utopia”.