ROMEO AND JULIET: TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE to Open at Atwater Village Theatre

William Shakespeare's classic tale of lovers caught between their families and their love gets a new twist when Open Fist Theatre Company presents Romeo and Juliet: Time Enough for Love. Conceived and directed by Christian Lebano, performances run November 13 through December 19 at Atwater Village Theatre. There will be three low-priced previews on November 8, 11 and 12.

What happens when Romeo and Juliet fall in love at 75 instead of 14? With Shakespeare's original language intact, Lebano transforms Shakespeare's Verona into Verona Village, a South Florida retirement community for active seniors. Alan Blumenfeld (with more than 300 film and television credits, including recurring roles on Heroes, Gilmore Girls and Felicity) and his real-life wife, stage veteran Katherine James, star as the star-crossed lovers, forced to navigate romance, family interference and social expectations later in life — revealing how Shakespeare's words can resonate differently when spoken by older adults.

In this age-reversed production, Capulet, played by Sam Cowan, is Juliet's son rather than her father, while his much younger trophy wife, Lady (Natalia Jofre), is Juliet's daughter-in-law, and Montague (Samantha Bennett) is Romeo's daughter. Rather than a prince, the production features Ms. Prince (Melanie Rockwell), director of Verona Village. Emma Fassler is the Nurse, and James Fowler is Father Lawrence, the community chaplain. Residents of Verona Village and its assisted-living sister facility, Mantua Manor, include Mercutio (Hutchins Foster), Benvolio (Stephen Rockwell), Tybalt (Barbara Schofield), Paris (Paul Ganus), Abram (Allana Barton), Sampson (Richard Van Slyke) and Gregory (Daniel Lench). A host of aides and security guards are played by Luke Bolle, Matthew Goodrich, Gabrielle Grant, Elijah Reyes, Sebastian Senatore and Maliyah Tejada.

As Lebano points out, “We react quite differently when we see Lady Capulet talking with the Nurse about her elderly mother-in-law than when she's a mother talking about her young daughter—even though she's saying the same words. It's really quite a revelation.”

At a time when stories about aging often sideline romance, this adaptation insists that passion, rebellion, desire and heartbreak do not disappear with age. Instead, this production invites audiences to reconsider who gets to be seen as romantic leads, and whose love stories continue to matter.

Romeo and Juliet: Time Enough for Love features scenic design by Lebano and Destiny Kast, lighting design by Dan Weingarten, sound design by Christopher Moscatiello and costume design by Vicki Conrad. The choreographer is Melissa Schade, assisted by Elle Engelman, and fight choreography is by Charles Currier. Original music is composed by Sean Paxton. The assistant director is Richard Van Slyke and the production stage manager is John Dimitri. Lebano produces for Open Fist Theatre Company alongside associate producers Estelle Campbell and Bethany Koulias.

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