Starcrossed is a must-see play currently on at London’s iconic Wilton Music Hall – one of the last remaining grand old music halls in the world. Following successful runs in New York and Washington, this play is the fantastic queer reimagining of the relationship between arch-enemies Mercutio (Connor Delves) and Tybalt (Tommy Sim’aan) from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Beautifully written by Rachel Garnet, and directed by Philip Wilson, this play is almost indistinguishable from a real Shakespeare play.
The genius of Garnet’s writing manages to take many of the elements of the original Romeo & Juliet play – the characters, scripts, and tragedy – and creatively rework them to focus on a newly created queer relationship. Mercutio, a friend of Romeo, a Montague, is a rather extravagant, somewhat camp, joker character who lives for the moment – “Foolishness is the flavour of life.” Sexy Tybalt, a Capulet, on the other hand, is a tough, handsome ruthless brute of a guy. The two men are rivals and enemies involved the Montague/Capulet family feud in 16th Century Verona. One night, at the famous masked ball where Romeo sees Juliet for the first time, a cheekily planted kiss on Tybalt’s lips by Mercutio awakens hitherto latent feelings of queer love and lust in Tybalt. The two men then slowly fall in love. However, they struggle to navigate the troubled waters in which their forbidden love has thrown them.
Very strong, convincing performances by Delves and Sim’aan as the fated lovers include deft swordsmanship and tender love scenes both beautifully curated by Haruka Kuroda. These guys are complemented by the super-talented Gethin Alderman, “The Player”, the only other actor on stage, who plays several other characters, including both Romeo and a hilarious Juliet. Set and costume designer Ruari Murchison has created a beautifully minimal set that perfectly fits the sparse, historic Wilton auditorium, and enhanced that with intricate ornate period costumes. The perfectly-timed play combines humour, camp theatrics, tragedy, and an undercurrent of violence to great effect. A very special addition to London’s stages.
Starcrossed ☆☆☆☆☆ Wilton's Music Hall, London : On until 25th June so catch it while you can.
Review: Ris Fatah Queerguru’s Contributing Editor Ris Fatah is a successful fashion/luxury business consultant (when he can be bothered) who divides and wastes his time between London and Ibiza. He is a lover of all things queer, feminist, and human rights in general. @ris.fatah
P.S. You may also like to check out QUEERGURU”s INTERVIEW with Connor Delves
Connor Delves talks about STARCROSSED a very sexy queer take on the world’s most famous love story
