Review: ROMEO AND JULIET at Shakespeare & Company

Shakespeare & Company presents ROMEO AND JULIET directed by Kevin G. Coleman and Jonathan Epstein.  Epstein, who noted he and Coleman have collectively directed more than 20 productions of ROMEO AND JULIET, said this production explores the pursuit of delight within a difficult and warring world.  “Shakespeare is a master of integrating delight and this play is the archetype of that,” he said. “So, we’re asking: In a world where the common language is about conflict and strife, how can delight make room for itself?”

The production also marks the first outdoor mainstage production of the year at Shakespeare & Company, and the first since it was named one of the Top 10 Outdoor Performance venues in the U.S. by Newsweek. Epstein said he’s excited to see this season’s ROMEO AND JULET take shape on the amphitheater stage.

The cast includes Juan Luis Acevedo as Lord Capulet, Jonathan Epstein as Friar, Rory Hammond as Lady Capulet, Luke Haskell as Peter / Lord Montague, John Leggett as Prince, Madeleine Rose Maggio as Nurse, Ashley McCauley Moore as Juliet / Abraham, Erin O’Connor as Benvolio, Timothy Oh as Tybalt, Catlin Rose as Romeo, Rickey Watson Jr. as Mercutio, and J. Austyn Williamson as Paris.  In addition to the the above, many of the players perform multiple roles credited as "others".  The cast is uniformly strong with Epstein, Maggio, Leggett, Moore, Oh, Rose, and Watson, Jr. worthy of particular note.

The Production Team includes Scenic Design by Jonathan Epstein and Erika Johnson, Costume Design by Christina Beam, Original Music by Daniel Levy, Fight Choreography by Jason Tate, Dance Choreography by Ashley McCauley Moore, Stage Manager is Hope Rose Kelly assisted by Kathleen H. Soltan and Dennis Ebert Jr.  The dancing during the party at the Capulet home where Romeo and Juliet meet provides a delightfully fun and entertaining scene that may seem to some as though inspired more by the WEST SIDE STORY interpretation of the iconic work than the original.

According to Epstein “you could wait a lifetime to see a ROMEO AND JULET capable of filling a space this size with this much intimacy and passion,” he said, noting that he’s also eager to see audience reactions to the production and its interpretations. “This cast as a whole is committed to both the sanctity and the whimsy of telling a story like this, and of all of the productions of this play that I’ve been involved in, this couple [Caitlin Rose, Romeo, and Ashley McCauley Moore, Juliet] takes delight in each other more than any other Romeo and Juliet I’ve ever seen,” he said.

Shakespeare & Company Artistic Director Allyn Burrows agreed that this production of ROMEO AND JULET celebrates joy but also calls attention to timely subjects.  “Once again, we are reminded by this timeless classic, replete with soaring poetry, that divisions wrought by ‘adults’ wreak havoc on the lives of youth,” he said. “While the lessons continue to be ignored, the beauty of the story cannot be.”