Juliet is turning 40 in Newcastle-under-Lyme. The New Vic's new production of Shakespeare's tragedy, a collaboration with the company Not Too Tame, gives the Capulets' daughter a milestone birthday party rather than a coming-of-age celebration — and rebuilds the play around that premise.

The production stars Russell Kane and Natalie Casey as the lovers. The Guardian's review, published under the headline "Russell Kane and Natalie Casey turn love's young dream into a midlife fling", describes the result as a staging that swaps rebellious first romance for an enthusiastic liaison between two experienced, older characters.

The critic calls the production "cacophonous and comedic". Directorial choices push the play firmly toward noise and farce. The Capulets' upcoming party unfolds as a barrage of Balearic beats around a swimming pool, with Tybalt — played by Patrick Knowles — on the decks as DJ.

The age shift reaches into the text itself. As in any production of Shakespeare's tragedy of star-crossed lovers, the nurse can tell Juliet's age "unto an hour". Here, that hour points to four decades rather than the thirteen years the play implies. The Guardian's reviewer notes that in this version, Juliet's age "is older than most".

Natalie Casey's Juliet gets ready for the party to the sound of a chamber orchestra playing Madonna's "Like a Virgin". The reviewer adds a pointed aside on the nurse's account: "If you believe the nurse (Louise Haggerty), she is anything but."

The nurse is played by Louise Haggerty. Tybalt is played by Patrick Knowles. The production runs at the New Vic, Newcastle-under-Lyme, until 10 October.

The casting of two known comedic performers — Kane as a stand-up, Casey from screen sitcom work — signals the production's register. This is Romeo and Juliet played for energy and laughter, with the tragedy's adolescent urgency replaced by midlife momentum.

For the New Vic, the production continues a pattern of partnerships with visiting companies; here, Not Too Tame shares billing on the title. For audiences, the question the staging poses is a concrete one: what remains of Shakespeare's tragedy of star-crossed lovers when the lovers are no longer young? This production answers with a party, a swimming pool and a chamber orchestra playing pop — and runs only until 10 October for those who want to judge for themselves.