Shakespeare 4 Kidz - S4K Romeo - Stoke review, 25 Oct 08

IT'S the greatest love story ever told and yesterday morning, in front of hundreds of schoolchildren, the Shakespeare 4 Kidz Theatre Company brought it to life at Hanley's Victoria Hall.

From the moment the opening speech boomed, Star Wars fashion, from a giant screen on stage, all eyes turned to focus on an energetic and approachable version of Romeo & Juliet – adapted, rather impressively, for children of all ages to enjoy.

The vibrant cast worked hard to present the classic story in the style of a pre-teen musical without being disrespectful to the original.

The songs, including Mercutio's lively number Queen Mab, were quite catchy and instantly engaged the audience as they watched the story develop.

Neal Andrew as Romeo and Jenny Perry as Juliet presented fresh-faced performances and managed to declare their love despite the expected sighs of disgust from the audience.

In the first half, Noel Andrew Harron's eccentric performance as Mercutio stole the show, making the kids and adults laugh out loud with a witty interpretation of the role and great comic timing.

The sets were simple but nothing more was needed as the dark element of death and positive theme of love were explored.

This was a great opportunity for young children to be introduced to Shakespeare. Hopefully they'll come back for more.

Liz Rowley

See the original article via the This is Staffordshire website by clicking here

What they say about us:
S4K MACBETH: "I have to admit to seeing probably all your Macbeths. All of them have been stunning shows, all of them have held the audience captive for the full 2 1/4 hours. But I felt that this one surpassed all previous ones. They get better and better because I thought the same last year and the year before!!! Perhaps it was the cast, or the evening itself that made it special but it was quite a spectacle and each child, parent and teacher was buzzing today with talk about the great show they had seen. Some of our smaller ones had not experienced S4K before and I know that they will now come back time and again with school and as individuals."

What they say about us:

S4K MACBETH: "I have to admit to seeing probably all your Macbeths. All of them have been stunning shows, all of them have held the audience captive for the full 2 1/4 hours. But I felt that this one surpassed all previous ones. They get better and better because I thought the same last year and the year before!!! Perhaps it was the cast, or the evening itself that made it special but it was quite a spectacle and each child, parent and teacher was buzzing today with talk about the great show they had seen. Some of our smaller ones had not experienced S4K before and I know that they will now come back time and again with school and as individuals."