If not for Rickman this would've been one of the most painfully dull productions of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet I've ever had the misfortune of sitting through. To watch the entire program I had to endure it in parts so I wouldn't fall completely asleep.
Ryecart as Romeo has so little presence and passion. Saire as Juliet, while age appropriate, has none of Juliet's spark. For co-main characters that is a failure from the get-go. Casting a slightly older Juliet may have helped a bit. Anthony Andrews as Mercutio overacts to the point of annoyance and Benvolio has no gravitas as peace-keeper or as Montague friend at all. The old veterans of the British theater are the best but even in certain parts they seem unsure of how to deliver the text. Now, let's talk about Alan Rickman as Tybalt.
This was Alan's first time in front of a television camera (and 10 years before his masterful first time in front of a feature film camera for "Die Hard") and here as "The Prince of Cats" he is somewhat subdued. Considering the uneven production and performances of the other actors in general I can't say I blame him. He shows flashes of the fire just below the surface and quiet intensity he would become memorable for in later theater and film. Standing to the side wordlessly watching Romeo dancing with his cousin and even as a corpse under a death shroud in the Capulet tomb he has more presence than the other young actors in the production.
Also the production is awkwardly blocked and directed by television veteran Alvin Rakoff. The studio sets seem too cramped and at times there's too many things going on to the point of confusion. The sword play is OK but at times looks TOO choreographed like a well-rehearsed dance. In particular, the duels between Mercutio and Tybalt and Tybalt and Romeo make it seem that Tybalt is not as bloodthirsty and is more cowardly than Shakespeare's text suggests.
This was shown on American television through PBS at the time and unfortunately PBS abandoned the BBC Shakespeare experiment fairly quickly due to the lackluster response of this and the other early BBC Shakespeare productions.
I suggest watching it in parts if your brain can take it. Or if you're a big Alan Rickman fan just fast forward to all of Tybalt's scenes.
Ryecart as Romeo has so little presence and passion. Saire as Juliet, while age appropriate, has none of Juliet's spark. For co-main characters that is a failure from the get-go. Casting a slightly older Juliet may have helped a bit. Anthony Andrews as Mercutio overacts to the point of annoyance and Benvolio has no gravitas as peace-keeper or as Montague friend at all. The old veterans of the British theater are the best but even in certain parts they seem unsure of how to deliver the text. Now, let's talk about Alan Rickman as Tybalt.
This was Alan's first time in front of a television camera (and 10 years before his masterful first time in front of a feature film camera for "Die Hard") and here as "The Prince of Cats" he is somewhat subdued. Considering the uneven production and performances of the other actors in general I can't say I blame him. He shows flashes of the fire just below the surface and quiet intensity he would become memorable for in later theater and film. Standing to the side wordlessly watching Romeo dancing with his cousin and even as a corpse under a death shroud in the Capulet tomb he has more presence than the other young actors in the production.
Also the production is awkwardly blocked and directed by television veteran Alvin Rakoff. The studio sets seem too cramped and at times there's too many things going on to the point of confusion. The sword play is OK but at times looks TOO choreographed like a well-rehearsed dance. In particular, the duels between Mercutio and Tybalt and Tybalt and Romeo make it seem that Tybalt is not as bloodthirsty and is more cowardly than Shakespeare's text suggests.
This was shown on American television through PBS at the time and unfortunately PBS abandoned the BBC Shakespeare experiment fairly quickly due to the lackluster response of this and the other early BBC Shakespeare productions.
I suggest watching it in parts if your brain can take it. Or if you're a big Alan Rickman fan just fast forward to all of Tybalt's scenes.