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Disclaimer:
The reviewers' opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheatreLouisville.org. |
Peer Reviews Romeo & Juliet
Poor William Shakespeare. His reputation as the greatest playwright of the English language is firmly secure, yet his plays are forever being pulled and prodded in ways he could never have foreseen. Are we so bored with him that we feel the need to reinvent his work so aggressively, or are his plays so fertile a source that we are inspired to return again and again, illustrating the resiliency and endurance of those archetypal stories? Certainly the latter is the case. Walden Theatre's current production of Romeo & Juliet (a play they have mounted many times before) is cut to run only 75 minutes, and the primary reason given in the program notes is to accommodate a busy schedule of school performances, an integral part of Walden's educational mission. And with this most familiar of Shakespeare's plots, one can certainly count on the audience to fill in any gaps. But to my surprise, I found myself not missing the excised material so much and getting caught up in the B-movie pacing and tone that director J. Barrett Cooper brings to the production. The essential moments remain: the opening confrontation between Montagues and Capulets ("Do you bite your thumb, sir?"), the introduction of all the primary characters, the ball where Romeo first meets Juliet, the "Queen Mab" speech and, of course, that famous balcony scene. The romance and tragedy play out in the way that anyone asked to relate the plot would outline, but without so much of the poetry and exposition. I know that many would consider this sacrilege, but the result was a lean and economical telling that emphasized the psychological underpinnings of the relationships. The staging was brisk and bawdy, with a taste for physical humor that transitioned into startling moments of violence as the comedy gives way to tragedy. Yet these moments occur at unexpected times, while some of the classic moments of physical confrontation are underplayed. When Tybalt accidentally delivers a mortal wound to Mercutio because Romeo intervenes, it is played so casually at first that the audience seems caught off guard when they realize the seriousness of his injury just before his final exit. Yet, when Juliet's parents upbraid her on the eve of her arranged marriage, the moment is given such force that my familiarity faded away entirely and I felt as if I was watching the scene for the first time. Much of the credit is due Ali Burch and Andy Fleischer as the Capulets: his unfettered rage and her spooky, sepulchral grief in this scene were unsettling. By the time we arrived at the tragic climax and the two young lovers embrace their terrible fate, the play had achieved all the emotional impact you could ask for in Romeo and Juliet. Jacob Lyle and Madeline Marchal were splendid as the title pair, Nathan Kaplin made for a memorable Mercutio (surely one of the most enjoyable roles in all of Shakespeare) and Alex Masterson didn't squander the sure-fire laughs that the role of Juliet's nurse has always provided. Sebrand Warren was perfectly and appropriately loathsome as Tybalt; Alice Stites found the fun in Benvolio and Calvin Barron was a nicely measured Friar Lawrence. One of the benefits of the streamlined adaptation was that each of the one dozen cast members found room to make an impression. Mr. Cooper interjects enough idiosyncratic touches (six packs, a baseball mitt) and simple but striking visual effects and sound design to establish a modern tone without compromising the indeterminate period setting. Perhaps the drastic cutting sacrifices the effusive romantic swoon we associate with this play, but it forces us to reexamine an old chestnut and dig a little deeper in understanding a story we thought could not be made new again.
Romeo & Juliet Posted Oct. 23, 2008
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