Romeo & Juliet at Shakespeare’s Globe: Dominic Dromgoole’s Intimate Take on the Timeless Tragedy

Few stories have captured the imagination like Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare’s enduring tale of youthful passion and family conflict. Now streaming on Marquee TV, this 2009 production—filmed live at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London—offers a vivid and immediate interpretation of the classic play. Directed by Dominic Dromgoole and starring Adetomiwa Edun and Ellie Kendrick, it draws viewers into an atmospheric Elizabethan world where love and fate collide under the open sky.

A Production Rooted in Place and Purpose

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre is more than just a venue—it’s a living monument to the Bard’s work. Watching Romeo and Juliet in this space adds layers of texture and authenticity. With its circular wooden galleries, standing “groundlings,” and candlelit evenings, the Globe creates a communal experience that mirrors the 16th-century theatre.

Dromgoole, then Artistic Director of the Globe, leans into this intimacy. His direction emphasizes clarity, pace, and the immediacy of live performance. The result is a production that feels fresh and urgent, capturing both the lyrical beauty of Shakespeare’s language and the raw volatility of its central romance.

Star-Cross’d Chemistry: Edun and Kendrick

Adetomiwa Edun’s Romeo brings a balance of boyish charm and emotional depth to the stage. His performance exudes sincerity, lending weight to Romeo’s impetuous devotion and ultimate despair. Edun, familiar to audiences from roles in Merlin and Bates Motel, finds new resonance in the poetic cadences of Shakespearean verse.

Opposite him, Ellie Kendrick—known for Game of Thrones and The Diary of Anne Frank—makes a compelling Juliet. Kendrick plays the role with youthful defiance and flashes of wit, reminding us that Juliet is not just a symbol of love, but a teenager grappling with overwhelming emotion and impossible choices.

Together, their chemistry is tender, impulsive, and heartbreakingly believable, grounding the play’s tragedy in real human stakes.

Ensemble Brilliance and Character Dynamics

While Romeo and Juliet are the emotional core, this production benefits from a robust supporting cast. Phil Cumbus’s Mercutio is a scene-stealer, infusing the role with bawdy humor and unpredictable energy. His death marks a turning point, the moment the play’s lightness descends into shadow.

Ukweli Roach’s Tybalt radiates intensity, while Jack Farthing’s Benvolio provides a calmer, more measured counterpoint. The ensemble as a whole brings Verona to life—not as a distant Renaissance city, but as a living, breathing society with its own rhythms and tensions.

Dromgoole’s direction pays careful attention to these interpersonal dynamics, allowing the broader themes of honor, violence, and reconciliation to resonate without ever feeling abstract.

The Language, The Setting, The Music

One of the joys of this production is its clarity. Dromgoole avoids over-interpretation, letting Shakespeare’s words do the work. There are no elaborate conceptual twists or modern updates here—just the power of performance in an evocative space.

The production also makes excellent use of music, with live musicians accompanying the action. This score—based on period instruments and folk-inflected melodies—underscores both the levity and the pathos of the play. It reminds us that this is a world where love songs can quickly become funeral dirges.

Why This Romeo & Juliet Still Matters

In an age of cinematic spectacle and visual overload, there’s something profoundly moving about the simplicity of this Romeo and Juliet. By embracing the traditions of the Globe Theatre and focusing on the emotional truth of the story, Dromgoole and his cast remind us why Shakespeare’s tragedy has endured for over four centuries.

This version doesn’t rely on clever gimmicks or elaborate visuals. Instead, it offers a masterclass in storytelling, one that captures the youthful rush of love and the heavy weight of consequence with grace and immediacy.

Final Thoughts

If you're looking to watch Romeo and Juliet in a way that feels both timeless and alive, this Globe Theatre production is essential viewing. It offers a rare combination of poetic fidelity, visceral emotion, and theatrical authenticity. Whether you're a longtime Shakespeare enthusiast or discovering the play for the first time, this performance has the power to move, inspire, and break your heart all over again.

Watch Now on Marquee TV

Step into the world of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet like never before. Stream the full production from Shakespeare’s Globe, starring Adetomiwa Edun and Ellie Kendrick, only on Marquee TV. Discover the beauty of live theatre—where every word counts and every emotion is real.