This production by Manchester University Drama Society at The John Thaw Studio Theatre in The Martin Harris Centre in Manchester is a rather gritty modern interpretation of Romeo And Juliet.
The Falls of the title refers to that infamous road in West Belfast, and the Montagues and Capulets in this story are the Protestants (Unionists) of The Shanklin Road, and the Catholics (Nationalists) of The Falls Road. The year is 1988, and the sectarian violence has been in full swing for many years. A huge wall divides the city, the police are not to be trusted and help whichever side suits their own purposes, and paramilitary organisations have become commonplace. Bombings, shootings, and random acts of cruelty are the every day things which these people live with, and all this in the name of peace.
For some, like Brendan (Oliver Robert-Vale), this becomes their territory and thrive off the back of all this negative energy. Violence becomes the man, and despite believing in what he is doing as right, he is still able to turn on his best friends when they disagree with him. For others though, this life-style is too much and they need their escape. In true Romeo And Juliet style, a young boy from the wrong side of town ends up at a Catholic party and meets a young girl there and they instantly connect. They are both disillusioned with society, hate the way their lives are driven by hatred and fear, and so starts their doomed relationship.
Our Romeo is called Jack (Chris Catney), and Juliet is Caitlin (Emma Young). Jack and Caitlin meet in secret, telling no-one of their blossoming relationship except Caitlin's family's Catholic priest who, unwilling at first, agrees to help them make good their escape from the city to start a new life in Glasgow. 
Of course things do not go as expected for the star-crossed lovers, and when Jack murders, albeit unintentionally, Caitlin's cousin Brendan, the need for them both to escape becomes more intense. On the eve of their flight however, Caitlin receives a visit from a Catholic 'friend', and is taken away for "questioning"; and in desperation, Jack sees his only course of action to be revenge and joins the UVF.
Catney and Young played their roles with unerring realism, and a strange coldness of acceptance of their fates at the end, and with a talented supporting cast, brought the grittiness of life in West Belfast in the late 80s very much into focus.
There were a few things which, for me, I found a little hard to accept. First; all of the cast looked the same age. I know that in reality of course they are, but when acting roles, the need to become the age you are playing is something of a necessity. Of course this can develop into caricature and comedy, which would have been wrong here, but nevertheless, I saw no difference at all in speed of movement, delivery of lines, or even an attempt at a little ageing make-up.
Second; the accent / dialect. The play is written in part in Belfast dialect, and all cast are required to speak in the accent of that city. Not an easy thing to do, I'll grant you all that. But if you accept the challenge then, be good for it; and sadly some of the accents were really just not hitting the mark. Good attempts were made by all and one or two sounded genuine, but the accents weren't constant. Moreover, because of the dialogue being not only spoken in a specific accent but also written partially in dialect, the need to enunciate properly and slow the delivery down a little is also more than necessary. I missed a lot of speeches simply because the actors were allowed to be too naturalistic in their speech patterns.
Finally, there was one moment in the play - a very crucial moment - the moment when Jack kills Brendan. This is the pivotal moment, and it was lost. It was directed extremely strangely. It was the only action in the play not performed in real time, it was mimed, there was a semi-blackout which came far too soon, and the two actors simply walked off the stage together in this semi-blackout. It was most bizarre and totally out of sinker with the rest of the play. Further, the gun was quite clearly pointing at Brendan's stomach during this episode, however the dialogue reveals that he was shot in the head.
If I am to understand it correctly then the play was written and directed by one of Manchester University's students, Tom Luke. In the main, it was well directed, and I liked the composite set. I found the projection screen and the images of the murals unnecessary and just putting an extra layer of unwanted icing onto the already thickly iced cake. I also found the solo violinist irritating. Lara Agar had composed original music for this play, and as such credit must be given to her. For me though, the idea didn't work. Pre-recorded music to underscore some of the dialogue might have worked, but I found the on-stage violinist an intrusion rather than complimentary.
This was a student production, produced and directed by students, and so for them it was still very much a part of their learning. Taken on this level then the performance was very good indeed; and taken on any level it was a worthy and enjoyable piece of theatre. Manchester University is proving to be quite a hot-bed of talent, and I am very much looking forward to my next visit there.
Reviewer: Mark Dee
Reviewed: 17th February 2016
