Romeo and Juliet review – Russell Kane and Natalie Casey turn love’s young dream into a midlife fling

Cacophonous and comedic staging sees an experienced, older duo engage in an enthusiastic liaison rather than a rebellious first romance

As in any production of Shakespeare’s tragedy of star-crossed lovers, the nurse can tell Juliet’s age “unto an hour”. In this collaboration between the New Vic and Not Too Tame, however, that age is older than most. The Capulets’ upcoming party – a barrage of Balearic beats around a swimming pool with Tybalt (Patrick Knowles) on the decks – will mark her 40th birthday.

Played by Natalie Casey, Juliet gets ready to the sounds of a chamber orchestra playing Like a Virgin. If you believe the nurse (Louise Haggerty), she is anything but.

This Juliet is no innocent girl waking up to the possibility of love, but an assertive woman, certain in her desires. She has her adult insecurities, but she knows what she wants and argues forcibly to get it. Not so mature that she won’t do the splits or dance on the spot, she is as impulsive and lovable as anyone.

That suits the similarly seasoned Romeo, played by comedian turned actor Russell Kane, dressed as a scaffolder in hi-vis jacket and shorts, his belt stuffed with spanners and wrenches. With impressive command of the language, he is no headstrong youth but just as lovestruck.

In all the cacophony of Jimmy Fairhurst’s staging, their relationship feels more like an enthusiastic fling than a meeting of soulmates. You miss a sense of profundity even as you will them on.

Age in itself, however, is not an impediment to the story. What is lost is the sense of the new order trying to overthrow the old, a young generation recognising the folly of family feuds and the old generation closing ranks. For all its passion, this love is not rebellious. The tragedy is more private than political.

And while there is a lot to enjoy in Fairhurst’s production, with its Botox injections for Lady Capulet (Lizzie Hopley), updated gags and chirpy audience interaction, it also strains too hard to persuade us we are enjoying ourselves. The extraneous business accounts for a longer-than-average running time and, for all the ebullience and heart of the cast, a little more trust in the play would be no bad thing.

• At New Vic, Newcastle-under-Lyme, until 10 October