In William Shakespeare’s ‘second period of writing,’ between 1594 and 1599, he joined the Lord Chamberlain’s Theatre Men, in London, when the original Globe theatre was built beside the Thames.

During these five years the Bard wrote five comedies, three histories and just one of his tragedies - Romeo and Juliet.

He had ten plays in his belt by then and there were another sixteen to come.

In those first performances, men and boys played all the parts because it was illegal for women to act on stage professionally.

Isle of Wight County Press: The Apollo Theatre in Newport, and inset, Shakespeare.

It wasn’t until after the English Civil War and the Restoration, in 1662 and almost 100 years after Romeo and Juliet was penned, that Mary Saunderson became the first woman to play Juliet.

Things change and Tchaikovsky's Orchestral Overture, a 1940 ballet by Prokofiev, Sonheim's 1957musical and the 1968 Zeffirelli movie all set Romeo and Juliet in a different light.

At the Apollo Theatre in 2023, with a 'new moon' shining centre stage, all the parts were played by women, except Chorus (called the street cleaner, here) who uttered the immortal lines, 'Two households, both alike in dignity…’

Directed by Joe Plumb and set on a modern building site, the Montagues and Capulets were like the fighting mobs in city riots, except these warring crowds were carefully choreographed by movement director, Callum Davie, to scare us with their shouts and screams, and with scarlet search lights and loud music designed to shock.

Isle of Wight County Press: There were interesting scenes between Fizz Lewis-Marlton as Romeo and Ruby Beaman as Juliet - the balcony, part of the builders’ scaffolding, and particularly the love scene, so cleverly choreographed with a huge white sheet, adding shape and beauty to their one night of love.

Of course, the very experienced actors like Fiona Gwinnett as Capulet, Caroline Read playing Nurse, Carol Crowe as Montague, and Claire Fussell as Friar, added so much to the production.

Romeo’s critical fight with was very realistic and Juliet’s moments thinking about taking the contents of the vial and her choice to join her true love in death we emotional.

We see the world so differently now. We are used to heavy background music in restaurants and bars, huge music festivals with flashing lights, jogging in the park with earphones, celebrating scores in twenty/twenty cricket. 

With this production, the Apollo showed us a new world for Shakespeare. And as Chorus, the street cleaner, said: ‘There never was a story of more woe, that this of Juliet and her Romeo.’