Brighton Fringe 2025
Romiet
Gazelle Theatre
Genre: character comedy, Theatre
Venue: Lantern Theatre
Festival: Brighton Fringe
Low Down
“Romiet follows Romeo and Juliet meeting after the events in the famous play. With the question will they get back together now Romeo is a drag queen? Can Juliet put her beliefs aside for the love of her life? The play follows Romeo expressing himself and being who he wants to be, whilst looking at the effect that has on his loved one Juliet.”
Review
Romiet is a bold and anarchic reimagining of Romeo and Juliet, performed by Brad Collett and Martha Meager. This modern Bardish mashup opens with Juliet returning home only to discover that her husband, Romeo, has become Romiet, a straight drag queen. From this audacious premise unfolds a chaotic, touching and punky-spirited theatre piece that leans heavily on audience interaction while remaining tethered to its Shakespearean roots.
Time flew in what was a gloriously clunky show, joyfully assembled from scripted moments, improvised tangents and unpredictable audience contributions. Our host, Romiet, clutching a large script book, took on the role of both narrator and conductor, constantly inviting the audience to stand, speak, banter and play. He dominated the space with a commanding presence, while the show itself cleverly disrupted its own timekeeping, using disorder as part of its structure. Beneath all the comic mayhem ran a sincere emotional thread. What happens when love is forced to adapt to radical change?
Juliet’s journey is at the heart of this reworking. With warmth, humour and some pleasing emotional clarity, she navigates the transformation of her partner and emerges, as … I won’t spoil it for you – let’s just say we have here a touching fusion of identities that speaks to real world questions of love, selfhood and expression. The storyline is both farcical and moving, and the show resists easy answers, instead offering a ride that is as musically playful as it is narratively enjoyable. I enjoyed it rather a lot.
The smattering of songs are well composed and performed, supported the piece’s momentum and tone shifts. Oh, I did value the shifts in tone and pace in what deafults to a pacy piece struggling to end on time ! The performers’ chemistry held the show together even in its wildest moments. There is a clear straight man and funny man dynamic at play, and while Collett’s Romiet is often centre stage, Meager brings a grounded presence that balances the show. That said, she is occasionally underused, and one could not help but wish she had been given a few more moments to truly steal the show and disrupt the dominance of Romiet’s forceful charm.
What makes Romiet a success is not just its daring, though it is certainly that, but its heart. The script, though light in tone, holds a clever respect for Shakespeare’s original themes of desire, identity and the fallout of transformation. It is no polished West End production, nor does it want to be.
Romiet is highly recommended by your humble reviewer because it dares to take real creative risks without losing its connection to story, structure or emotional truth. It is a show that plays with gender, identity and love in ways that are both hilariously absurd and genuinely moving. The performers commit fully to the experience, bringing the audience with them into a space that feels alive, unpredictable and joyfully messy. It manages to be silly and sincere, outrageous and thoughtful, camp and profound. In a fringe packed with forgettable experiments, Romiet stands out as a rare thing, a chaotic comedy with a beating heart and something important to say. Go see it.
