Doomed love goes West

Shakespeare’s Globe

A comedic version of Shakespeare’s most famous love story, set in the Wild West, went down well with the critics. The young stars Lola Shalam and Roman Asde made a strong impression in Sean Holmes‘ production.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

4 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑

Fiona Mountford, writing for the Telegraph, said ‘Holmes’s vision is no dispiriting instance of a classic play being shoe-horned into an outlandish concept, but something quite the opposite: it makes perfect sense for the Capulets and Montagues to be warring tribes in a place of barely suppressed lawlessness’.

The Guardian’s Arifa Akbar declared it to be ‘a rare production where high concept meets high-class execution.’ Tom Wicker for The Stage said, ‘Sean Holmes brings a light touch and plenty of humour to his staging of William Shakespeare’s enduringly popular tale of doomed romance’. As for the star cross’d lovers: ‘Shalam gives a star-making performance as a complicated and well-rounded Juliet…Asde does a good job of capturing Romeo’s bluster but also his vulnerability’.

Julia Rank for LondonTheatre noted, ‘Sean Holmes’s nifty production is set in the Wild West of the 19th century, where everyday violence pervades, and he also extracts the full comic potential of the play’. She praised the leads: ‘Asde speaks beautifully and nails the character’s impulsiveness, suggesting a young actor to watch. Fellow newcomer Lola Shalam is also eye-catching as Juliet, a strong-willed frontier girl who has been coached in what to say and feel but can’t contain her outspoken nature’.

Miriam Sallon for WhatsOnStage thought ‘The chemistry between Asde’s Romeo and Lola Shalam’s Juliet is brilliant in that they’re just two horny teenagers who happen to have landed on each other as targets.’

TheArtsDesk’s Rachel Halliburton noted, ‘Great ensemble work from the cast buoys the atmosphere of this giddy seesaw ride between life and death’. She enthused, ‘It’s a joyous, flamboyant launch to the Globe’s 2025 summer season’.

3 stars ⭑⭑⭑

Isobel Lewis writing for Time Out was concerned that ‘There are parts, however, where this comic focus doesn’t work‘. For her, ‘it’s the undeniable chemistry between Asde and Shalam that’s the star attraction.’

Dominic Maxwell in The Times said ‘there is a vivid sense of youth here that keeps the show fresh, even when overthought or oversold.’

Critics’ Average Rating 3.8⭑

Romeo And Juliet  can be seen at The Globe until 2 August 2025. Buy tickets direct from the theatre

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