Belhaven Hill’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’
18 and 19 March 2026
One of the many outstanding features of Anna McGrath’s adaptations for Belhaven’s productions has been the introduction of the ‘play within a play’ to ensure that everyone has a part. Shakespeare gives Jaques in ‘As You Like It’ a famous monologue in which he describes the ‘Seven Ages of Man’ - in that, Jacques encourages us to see all the world as a stage, ‘and all the men and women in it, merely players.’ That has been the experience of the senior productions – all-encompassing experiences for the children in which everyone, confident actor or not, can find their voice.
The Senior production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ proved the epitome of this approach. The audience was treated to an excellent rendition of Shakespeare’s classic tale of tragic love from Form 1.
Key roles were divided so that four actors could enjoy the experience of playing the eponymous characters and Molly and Aubrey, Geordie and Clemmie each brought something different to their roles.
Gaston’s Prince added gravitas and emotion to those famous opening and closing sequences, whilst Tristan, Kaspar and Fergus strode the stage, all bristling intent and tragic testosterone-filled decision-making.
Juan and Will shared the role of the Nurse, revelling in their comedic interjections and Beatrix played the Friar Lawrence role with sincerity and a beautiful solo to add pathos and a dreadful anticipation to the final denouement.
Alongside the much-loved storyline was another, unique to Belhaven and typical of it – the Form 2 understudies, members of ‘The Traditional Theatre Company’, battled redundancy and ignominy in equal measure.
Ronald (Alexander J) bemoaned his usurpation by the all-powerful Julie (Meme L) and tried to ignore the blandishments of Lucian (Leo J-P) and the emotional outpourings of the colourful Pierre (Robin T), the Stage Manager trying to enthuse his set crew, the Popcorns and the Programmes, to great comedic effect.
Understudies Zac (Xander L) and Ayla (Anastasia G-C) typified the frustration of those waiting in the wings for ‘the professionals’ to trip up... but the show went on regardless, despite the well-publicised criticisms of Ray (Rafe L) as the Prince.
At key moments, ‘The Heartstoppers’, an all-girl band of American accents and remarkable quality, acted to inform and entertain the audience in equal measure. In front of a beautifully-decorated backdrop, their musical interventions served to narrate the story for a modern audience and to showcase the remarkable vocal talents of Imogen, Holly, Alice, Isobel and Sophia.
Everything looked and sounded superb – the set, designed and created by Miss Wimbledon and Mrs. Haddon, showed off the actors brilliantly and the Sports Hall was, once again, transformed by the energy and creative expertise of the PTFA, who spent many hours in the most worthwhile of causes in the creation of a little slice of sylvan Verona in our corner of East Lothian.
The overall effect of this combination of the hard work of children, staff and parents was mesmerising – sad and funny in equal measure, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ entertained young and old(er) and brought to an end another happy term at Belhaven with two rousing chorus numbers that whetted the appetite for the next School production, the Summer Concert on 21 May.
Romeo and Juliet March 2026
