Anyone seen CSC's Romeo and Juliet?- Page 2

[stevenycguy]

Posted: 10/12/13 at 10:47pm

Wow, this is by far my favorite production of Romeo & Juliet. The acting (especially Daphne-Ruben Vega and Elizabeth Olsen) was simply outstanding. The actors made the Shakespeare language very easy to follow, with pauses, body language, and emphasis on certain key words. Other non-important sentences were spoken very quickly so that the key sentences could be taken more slowly and enjoyed, which I really appreciated. The costumes and dance music at the rave/party were a nice modern touch. I was told that the actors do not "stage door" though; I guess they did for the first few previews (based on prior comments on Broadwayworld), but now no longer do? The production is now running at 2 hours 26 minutes. It certainly belongs on Broadway. Very highly recommended.



Updated On: 10/12/13 at 10:47 PM

[macnyc]

Posted: 10/13/13 at 9:02pm

I saw this Saturday night and enjoyed the production. I found more positives than negatives. Elizabeth Olsen is, as others have said, doing a splendid job. I liked Julian Cihi very much as Romeo too. I thought they had good chemistry together. Daniel Davis was outstanding as Friar Lawrence. He commanded the stage with his regal voice and bearing. My friend recognized him from The Nanny. T.R. Knight brought a lot of vitality and brio to his role as Mercutio. The fight scenes were good too.

As far as the not-so-good aspects: I didn't get Daphne Rubin-Vega as the nurse. The Spanglish didn't seem to me to be a good choice. I didn't understand half of what she was saying, and I mean the English part. Plus, her shoes with that weird heel were distracting.

Overall, I thought the costuming was ludicrous, but I think Rubin-Vega got the worst of it, with a Nurse Ratched hairstyle too! Not a good look. One guy was in a track suit, another actor in his pajamas. Juliet's mother was in a slutty outfit that teamed up pink with leopard print. The company looked as if they had wandered in from different productions and happened to meet in the middle. Even poor Juliet, in her diaphanous white dress, was saddled with black combat boots. And in the absence of any set, the costumes were pretty much all the audience had to look at.

I haven't seen a production of Romeo and Juliet in quite some time, and I'm not that familiar with the text. As we were leaving after the show, I overheard two other audience member saying that it was interesting what was cut. I guess that's why the show flowed very well, and I would say the director was successful in that regard.

The only other negative to my mind is that some of the actors seemed to have the facility and training to deal with Shakespeare's language, which I'm sure must not be easy, and others seemed to be muddling through it. Some of the actors just weren't clearly conveying the meaning of what they were saying. I would expect more consistency in a production. But overall I did enjoy it!






Updated On: 10/14/13 at 09:02 PM

[NewYorkTheater]

Posted: 10/16/13 at 11:41pm

I suspect I would have found the Classic Stage Company's production of Romeo and Juliet more engaging -- or at least would have been more tolerant of some of its choices and performances -- had this been the first Romeo and Juliet I had seen in a while. But we’ve got a buyer’s market for Romeo and Juliets these days
Romeo and Juliet Off-Broadway Review

[aaronb]

Posted: 10/16/13 at 11:42pm

I couldn't stand this.

"Ms. Alagi? claims her experiences in Bosnia informed her direction of this play: 'It is very clear after twenty years now since the civil war happened, that actually the war was the way of my parents’ generation, not my generation. So my generation felt lost and it took us years to understand why it happened … That hate and continuation of conflict keeps going.' This sounds like an interesting perspective that might have informed an interesting Romeo & Juliet. Unfortunately, the production onstage is far less deliberate, far less consistent, and not really worthy of the CSC."
My review of ROMEO & JULIET

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 12:06am

These reviews are rough so far.

I have a ticket for tomorrow. Updated On: 10/17/13 at 12:06 AM

[NewYorkTheater]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 12:07am

We seem to agree here, Aaron. We even use the same phrase, the Real Housewife of Verona (although you find this charming, and I...um...didn't.)

Updated On: 10/17/13 at 12:07 AM

[aaronb]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 12:25am

Yikes! That's never happened to me before.

[aaronb]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 12:26am

I guess we're prone to make the same silly jokes.

[macnyc]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 1:11pm

Brantley's off on a tear, and a very funny one too!

To quote:

While I know that the performers playing these young hotheads have reached — and passed — the age of consent, watching them may still make you think of high school Shakespeare. I mean the sort of sophomore class presentation in which adolescent actors rattle through Elizabethan dialogue with lots of intensity and little discernible motivation, while you worry about what you’re going to say to the students’ parents afterward. (“Boy, Jason Jr. seemed really, really mad in that fight scene.”)

http://theater.nytimes.com/2013/10/17/theater/reviews/romeo-and-juliet-with-a-twist-at-classic-stage-company.html?smid=pl-share

I completely missed that Lady Capulet was having an affair with Tybalt, and that's why her husband was so testy!

[bwaydreamer]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 2:46pm

Loved this production. Olsen was a perfect Juliet. Very natural and young and beautiful. I have been telling all my friends to go see this version.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/18/13 at 1:31am

Saw it tonight and thought it was the definition of "hit or miss." It's certainly more entertaining than the Broadway version, but it's not without its very obvious faults and missteps. The cast is a mixed bag; Olsen is strong, Cihi is amateurish, Davis is fantastic, Knight is grating, and Daphne Rubin-Vega may be acting in an entirely different production, but she's hilarious, bringing a huge dose of warmth and pep to the show. The direction is all over the place and bizarre; and the pacing is all off. The best scenes are the ones between the Nurse and Juliet. I really sensed no chemistry between Cihi and Olsen, to be quite honest. The key to a great ROMEO AND JULIET, obviously, is two fantastic leads with fiery chemistry. Neither this production nor the Broadway mounting have come even remotely close to nailing that component.

It's not a massive disaster, but it's also got just as many plunging "downs" as it does "ups." Probably a few more "downs." In my mind, neither this nor the Broadway version are ultimately worth your time or money, but if you are dying to see one of the productions, I guess this is the stronger one. Not sure why they cut the epilogue/prologue, though.

[musicalsFan]

Posted: 10/18/13 at 6:32pm

Daphne Rubin-Vega may be acting in an entirely different production
I haven't seen the show, but this made me laugh. thumbs up!

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 12:34pm

I saw this on Friday and there is no comparison between this and the wretched Broadway production.

I've been a fan of CSC for a long time and while this production was not my favorite it was still very enjoyable. They have succeeded in giving us a modern take on the play where the Broadway one failed miserably. While I thought the "set" was dreadful (it looked like a production being put on in a high school gym) I did find the staging of the party to be really spot-on. I loved all the costumes because while they were modern they still gave me a sense of who each character was.

The performances were all really great with the exception of one which I'll get to in a moment. Elizabeth Olsen was splendid. She was giving me every facet of Juliet's personality including the youthfulness, the torment and the yearning. As it's been said, Daphne Rubin-Vega might have been the highlight for me although I thought her first little tirade went on a bit too long. Daniel Davis was great although I did prefer Brent Carver. David Garrison and Kathryn Meisle were great as the Capulets.

The performance I couldn't deal with was T.R. Knight. I found him to be so manic and annoying that I was hoping for him to die. The Broadway production cut most of the Queen Mab tirade and I wish the same had been done here. I don't think it's integral to the story and just makes for a really grating monologue that seems to go nowhere.

On a side note, I've never had any issue with the audience at CSC but this was not the case on Friday. There was an older man in the back row that looked like he's just stumbled in off the streets. He proceeded to fall asleep maybe 20 minutes into the show and SNORE throughout all of Act 1. He was alone so it's not like someone dragged him there. No one around him seemed to do anything in order to wake him up and stop the madness. I was too far away to swat him but I could still hear. After intermission he stayed and I'm not sure if he slept again because I moved as far away as possible.

I really don't understand why people go to shows to fall asleep. And if you're going to fall asleep in Act 1 then for the love of god leave at intermission! People have no respect for others around them these days and it's beginning to show more and more.