As a part of an extensive tour, the TNT Theatre Group presented Romeo and Juliet at Akershus Fortress in Oslo earlier this month. Daily Scandinavian attended the performance and interviewed Nina Schlautmann and Leo Benedict about their starring roles. Read more about Romeo and Juliet castle performance in Oslo.
As stated in the program, Romeo and Juliet is neither a classical tragedy nor even a traditional romance. It is a play that has become a myth, and the myth obscures the play. At the Akershus Fortress in Oslo the audience could experience Shakespeare’s great love story as an Elizabethan audience might have done at a London theatre some four hundred years ago.
Though the play ends horribly for its two star-crossed lovers, it has many witty moments and even plays with comedic conventions in its early acts. The production fascinated me with touch and proximity. Producer Grantly Marshall’s interpretation is carefully crafted and intensely visual and with some very interesting choices.
“I never knew Shakespeare could be so entertaining,” wrote CNN TV about the performance.
Leo Benedict as Romeo is expertly capturing Romeo’s impulsive nature, and while Nina Schlautmann as Juliet is outshone by Benedict, she does a good job of what could have become a very bland one.
All in all, it was an excellent performance that moved fluidly from excitement to grief.
Nina Schlautmann has studied at Laurence Mitchell Home Studio in London and tells that she was suggested by a friend to go for an audition and was lucky enough to be chosen for the leading role.
DS: Outdoor performances may be a daring project. What happens when it’s pouring down?
“The outdoor elements can also be serving,” she says. “At the performance at Ulstein Monastery in Bergen, it was fantastic weather until – at the right moment – raindrops were falling from the sky. It has been one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited.”
About the role as Juliet, Nina says she works very much in her head, more than in the body. “I am constantly thinking,” she says, “I should follow my body more, so there’s room for improvements.”
Nina is also writing theatre plays. She loves making comedy about serious things. Her favorite playwright is Samuel Becket.
Leopold Benedict says that seeing the world and sharing Shakespeare’s works is a privilege.
Leopold has studied at Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, at Conservatoire National Ken Braicough, Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique in Paris as well as at Cambridge University.
DS: Outdoor performances may be a daring project. What happens when it’s pouring down?
“We have raincoats, but it can be horrible at times. My worst experience was in Leipzig where it was raining cats and dogs. But the show must go on.”
He says that every performance is different. It varies with weather and audience. The actors communicate with the audience, and today’s performance was definitely different from the day before. “We have to address the audience,” he says. “Almost the same way as with football manager Joey Barton, it’s all about sharing. It’s about response. I was a different Romeo today than yesterday.”
Leopold Benedict says he is a great admirer of Henrik Ibsen, and he has played the priest Brand.
“Will alone that mars or makes,
Will, that no distraction scatters.”
His next project is a London audition. He is open for film, TV or theatre, but Shakespear is in his blood.
Romeo and Juliet Castle Performance in Oslo, written by Tor Kjolberg
All images © Daily Scandinavian/Tor Kjolberg
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