In this feisty adaptation of a YA novel, three of Shakespeare’s heroines, Juliet, Cordelia, and Ophelia, squabble about their grisly endings. Juliet is sick of having to stab herself, and wants them to take control of their stories and change their fortunes. Much to Juliet’s annoyance, Ophelia is sweetly accepting of her fate, and Cordelia is moodily accepting of her’s. Neither wants to make enough changes to get a different outcome.

Jumping up from the audience seating, with differently coloured bits of satin as costumes, the large cast clatters through the Shakespeare version of their stories, and then each girl, dressed in a casual summer party outfit, has them clatter through the changes they would make, with only Juliet giving them the optimistic ending they deserve.

The 500-year-old venue has terrible sight-lines and soundproofing, but the ornate painted ceiling creates a suitable atmosphere for the battles, balls, ghosts, and murders of Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, and Hamlet. The script is modern and accessible, peppered with a few quotes from the bard, and with the convoluted plots made clear enough to remind the audience that these were the popcorn, blockbuster, movies of their day.

As it was written for young adults, it is most likely to appeal to them, grappling as it does with difficult parents, first love, and family expectations. It has the laid-back, slangy, witty, but sincere feel of an American show set in a high school. They could be investigating the murder of a King, or campaigning to be the prom queen.

The performers are very young, and have all the squeaky, gawky, abrupt mannerisms of teenagers. The pace of the show is fast, and their emotional range is limited to sarcastic and bright. But, they have a huge amount of enthusiasm and charm. At one point they corpse on stage and it adds to the show rather than detracting from it. Everyone has to start somewhere, and for their age and experience, they show a lot of potential.

One advantage of the frantic melodrama and jokes is that it’s never boring. At no point does the story drag, and while that means that there is no ‘sweet sorrow’, it also means that no one is shuffling in their seat or trying to sneakily scroll on their phone. The show is very funny, and the slight shambles of the production, with audience members told not to sit on a chair that is never used, by technicians who whisper loudly to each other, is endearing.

‘Enter the Body‘ is at Greenside @ Riddles Court – Willow Studio until Sat 9 Aug 2025 at 16:20