Review: The Renaissance is Reborn in & JULIET at DCPA

Shakespeare is alive and well at DCPA, at least as it pertains to the latest National Tour to come to Denver, & Juliet.

This is a show I have been waiting to see after hours of listening to the soundtrack by pop music aficionado Max Martin. It was delightful to experience the songs come to life in the context of the show. The design elements are spectacular with Paloma Young's costume design work alongside J. Jared Janas's hair and make-up design elements. Their work, to coin a phrase, is Renaissance Reborn - the perfect balance of historical elements and pop culture references. The scenic design by Soutra Gilmour is stunning, only to be complemented by Howard Hudson's lighting design. The seamless transitions point to the fact that creativity extends to more than just the visual artistry. 

The cast as an ensemble brought the house down with some equally impressive individual performances. As Juliet's Maid, Angelique, Naima Alakham seems more of an older sister-type to Juliet as opposed to a more motherly figure, which to be honest I quite enjoyed. Alakham's vocals were also a perfect fit for the role. And let me also point out that Alakham is listed as an understudy for the role - she is out here doing the Lord's work. Mateus Leite Cardoso as Frankie is adorably sweet and awkward. He does a great job of playing the boy testing himself, perhaps for the very first time, in order to find his footing. Cardoso is also equipped with a voice that is tender - and powerful. Nick Drake as May is a wonder to be told. A new character created especially for the story's own retelling of Romeo & Juliet, Drake, like their fellow castmates, lends their incredible voice to the show's libretto. But it was the softer moments of Drake's performance, the playfulness within the nuance, that captured me most. 

As the world-renowned playwright, Corey Mach as Shakespeare is imperfectly arrogant - and I mean that in the best way. He is rude, yet suave. Mach delivers Shakespeare in a way you might have expected the real life Shakespeare to act - God, that man hated women. All that is to say, Mach is great in the role. As both Frankie's dad and Angelique's love interest, Paul-Jordan Jansen as Lance is wonderful as the lovable father. The role needs someone who can both be funny and also caring. Jansen exudes those qualities from his first entrance.

I just love a show with multiple leading ladies. Our first of two is Teal Wicks who plays Anne Hathaway, wife of William Shakespeare. Wicks, I think, has the opportunity to have both the most fun out of all of the characters, and also to be the most vulnerable. She is the catalyst for the entire thing but I'm not sure she even truly understands her own motives until they're deep in the thick of it. Wicks certainly achieves both goals. Her chemistry with Mach also makes Shakespeare (the character) less insufferable. As the titular character, Juliet, I have only one word for Rachel Simone Webb: pride. I've never met her and yet through her performance I felt like I had known her since childhood. The pride I feel for her in this role is akin to the pride I would feel if it were one of my own best friends. Vocally, Webb shines from start to finish in a way that seems so effortless that it's actually rather annoying - but again, I mean that in the best way.