Directed by Henry Maynard, Flabbergast Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet is a blend of live music, clowning, mask work, and Shakespeare verse that is sure to make for a fresh take...
Hey Henry! What was your first encounter with Shakespeare? Was it casual, or did it feel significant even then?
Hello! Like many of us in the UK, I first encountered Shakespeare in English Literature classes in secondary school. I don’t think I can say that I felt the love that I feel now for it at the time… It’s tough, I feel that Shakespeare needs to be experienced as a play rather than as a literary text, at least in the first instance, which is why we love performing for young people and why I was especially proud of Stewart Lee’s appraisal of our ‘Macbeth’.
I’m so glad my kids saw this because it will make them lifelong converts to theatre… I’m glad I saw it because it reminded me of being 19 and having my mind blown.’
That said, it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with the plays, and I performed as Romeo at 18 in a local Am Dram production, and I haven’t looked back since. I didn’t get to perform in our ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ last year, but I shall be back in the cast for this production.
The production will show in London’s Wilton’s Music Hall. How does the historic atmosphere of this venue influence you?
I am always astounded by Wilton’s, as I’ve mentioned to Holly, the Artistic Director, many times before. I frequently imagined my plays as being performed there - the atmosphere, aesthetics and history of the building really appeal to my sensibilities.
Holly and Wilton’s have always been very supportive of our work, programming us way back when we were doing our puppet cabaret and my solo clown show Tatterdemalion (which you can catch at Jacksons Lane 1st & 3rd July) and hosting the first WIP of Macbeth in 2018 as well as offering us development space for our new shows. My work is influenced by cabaret, burlesque, and clown, and I feel like Wilton’s is the perfect setting for it.
Are there any contemporary commentaries or socio-political ideas you're threading through the play?
Shakespeare writes about people and examines our fundamental nature, which I believe is why the work is so enduring, and why it can be adapted and reimagined so well. The plays reflect our modern lives and socio-political circumstances as they did our forebears.
Romeo & Juliet specifically addresses warring factions, the tragedy of generational and tribal hatred and young love, and it’s also a hugely patriarchal world in which Juliet is viewed as chattel, her choice in who to love is an act of rebellion, and she is destroyed because of it.
Could you please share a rewarding moment from the process of preparing this this particular production for the stage?
This will be the second iteration of our production of Romeo & Juliet. We first created it for a summer tour in 2025, and it’s wonderful to revisit and reimagine it for Wilton’s. I relish developing work over a longer period, adding layers and depth with each remounting. Whilst I was very happy with what we had last year, I have really enjoyed taking that as a strong basis to make bolder choices and take more theatrical risks.
Having the ensemble back together to reimagine and nurture our vision is such a joy. We develop our work during residencies, staying and eating together whilst we work creatively. It really is a privilege to work with such generous artists in a way that nurtures.
Over the past four years, we have also performed our Shakespeare plays outside at Ludlow Castle, which is always a special venue in which to play, even when it rains!
What's grabbing your attention in the UK culture scene right now? (could be anything!)
I have a deep passion for Clown (so much so that I co-founded the London Clown Festival in 2016 with Dan Lees and Amee Smith, which runs this year at Soho Theatre and Jacksons Lane). There are some wonderful clowns playing this year, and you are likely to see stars of the future.
I’m also really enjoying seeing a whole new generation of theatre makers creating work and growing up through the cracks. Flabbergast is committed to platforming and helping to produce work created by our ensemble, and being a part of making their shows happen is very rewarding.
Flabbergast Theatre: Romeo and Juliet will be performed at Wilton’s Music Hall from the 10th to the 21st of June. Tickets available HERE.