 | Romeo and Juliet |  |
"He jests at scars that never felt a wound.
But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." Act II, scene ii
Written: 1594
Shakespeare Theatre Company ; September 28, 2008 Washington, D.C.
Director : David Muse ; Starring :
Reviewed on : 2008-09-30 13:13:45 ; Reviewed by : Antonia Mandry
| Many say that the only difference between Shakespeare's comedies and tragedies is the ending. Director David Muse takes this concept and runs with it at the same time as giving us a peek into past theatrical tradition.
The all-male cast, perhaps the initial draw for the production, features a variety of talented and committed actors. The power of the theatre and some of the acting is so good that the audience completely suspends disbelief in the fact of a male Juliet, among others, in this modern age of co-ed casting. The production, however, never knows if the "men in drag" is to be played for laughs or taken seriously, which contributes to the unevenness of the production.
The first half is filled with riotous laughter and clever touches. The production utilizes a choral recitation of many of the most famous speeches in the plays, including the opening introduction. This is a highly effective and powerful technique. Very cleverly, the director uses dueling musicians to also foreshadow the feuding families. Also innovative is the multiple usage of props in different, changeable forms with the cast, while still acting, often changing the sets in plain view. This is a good use of props as well as creating smooth transitions. Some of better transitions involved barrels turning into elegant tables at a party, then into pots with small trees, further into small containers of fruit, and so on. Some of the comic scenes are the hyperactive antics of the teenage Romeo and Juliet, the former who can never stand still and bounces across the stage and the latter who, when she falls in love, does the same. The production tries to capitalize on the men in drag by having them talk in a higher register most of the time with the occasional low dip for comedic effect. It is a curiousity much to be discussed as to why a man in women's costume is funnier than a woman in man's.
More interesting interpretations include Aubrey Deeker's Mercutio, a crude, violent, nasty piece of work, whose teasing of the Nurse is less like that of a naughty teenage boy and more like a sociopathic misogynist. It is Finn Wittrock and James Davis as Romeo and Juliet who seem to bring the freshest approach to their characters: these giddy, silly, overactive, fast-talking teens are both humorous and sweet and their romance is truly believable. Much of the rest of the cast, save for Cody Nickell as a cowardly Tybalt, plays their parts by the numbers: the bawdy Nurse, the silly Lady Capulet, the dour Lord Capulet, bringing little new to the performances except for the "novelty" of having men in women's clothing. These men approach their female characters as parodies of womanhood and it is childlike romantic Davis that brings a little truth to his female character. It is only with the dramatic shift in tone in the second half, the the mothers get any resonance of character in the performance of their grief.
This shift turns comedy intro tragedy and the shadow of death hangs indelibly over the second half. The douty Friar Lawrence, played with gravity by Ted van Griethuysen, cannot stem the tide of destiny's path and the entire production builds momentum toward the inescapable conclusion. By the end, lightweight Paris lies dead in the chamber partially obscured by view, an afterthought to the greater tragedy that lies downstage of him. Clasping hands, the lovers lie in their grave while the cast recites those tragic words together, "Never was there a tale of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo."
This is a beautiful production, filled with creative touches, interesting character interpretations and sentimental lead performances. It is marred only by a slight unevenness of tone and an uncertainty about whether to take the "women" seriously or not. Regardless, this Romeo and Juliet is a worthy addition to the Shakespeare Theatre Company's illustrious history.
|
|
Sir John Gilbert, R.A.,
The Lovers' Fatal Parting
Reviews
|  | Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg
March 23, 2011 |  | Royal Shakespeare Company
March 25, 2010 |  | Guildford Shakespeare Company
February 8, 2010 |  | The Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey
November 6, 2008 |  | Shakespeare Theatre Company
September 28, 2008 |  | Stratford Festival of Canada
August 29, 2008 |  | Shakespeare’s Globe Touring
June 26, 2008 |  | Northern Broadsides
April 12, 2008 | | Chapterhouse Theatre Company
July 30, 2006 |  | American Repertory Theatre at Loeb Drama Center
March 2006 |  | Chicago Shakespeare Theatre
April 10, 2005 |  | Hungarian Theatre
2003 |  | Chicago Shakespeare Theatre
2001 |  | Chicago Shakespeare Theatre
2000 |  | Apple Tree Theatre
1999 |
|
>> next reviews
|
|
