Romeo and Juliet grapple with Welsh-English language barrier

The subtleties of Shakespeare’s poetry and prose have proved a challenge for many a theatre company but a novel linguistic approach has been added into the mix in a new production of Romeo and Juliet.

- Steven Morris

Theatr Cymru’s Welsh-English bilingual version of the tragedy, called Romeo a Juliet, is about to set off on tour, ending at Shakespeare’s Globe in London. It is thought to be the first time Cymraeg (the Welsh language) will have been heard at the venue on the South Bank.

Aptly, the feuding families at the centre of the drama are divided in this retelling by language, with the Capulets speaking English and the Montagues Cymraeg. It means the way the lovers communicate and grow to understand each other is all the more charged.