Review: ROMEO & JULIET at Chorus Of Fools is an Emotionally Satisfying Production

An up-and-coming new theater company has embarked on their most ambitious project to date. Since St. Louis is a baseball town, let’s use this analogy: Chorus of Fools has stepped up to the plate and is swinging for the fences.

Their current production of Romeo & Juliet is currently running in KTK Productions’ new performance the space in the basement of North City’s Most Holy Trinity Church.

Chorus of Fools’ contemporary production of Romeo & Juliet features strong performances from the leads and most of the key supporting characters, effectively telling Shakespeare’s cautionary tale. The cast, while fluent in delivery of their memorized dialogue, vary widely in their ability to emotionally connect to and conversationally articulate The Bard’s ornate prose.

Shakespeare’s tragic tale of the “star crossed lovers” stars the charismatic duo of Zach Pierson and Tia René Williams as Romeo & Juliet. Pierson and Williams have powerful romantic chemistry as the doomed lovers.

In a pre-curtain interview, director Eric Satterfield mentioned that Pierson was taking on Shakespeare for the first time. The talented young actor impressed with a range of emotions expressing Romeo’s longing, passion, angst, anger, and despair. His measured delivery of Shakespeare’s poetic words was fluid and laden with emotion. Pierson’s star is on the rise.

William’s gives the once obedient Juliet a defiant edge. She, too, delivers the Shakespearean dialogue with precise lyricality and emotional truth. Her Juliet is convincing, raw, and sincere.

Pierson and William’s have a volatile and irresistible attraction. Their magnetic connection is undeniable. The actors courageously explore Romeo & Juliet’s all-consuming desire. Credit Satterfield’s direction, and the work of Intimacy Director Tress Kurzym’s for giving the actors a safe space to create smoldering passion.

Rowan Van Horn’s tragic Mercutio is a volatile drunk mess looking to pick a fight. He is appealing and memorable as Romeo’s ride or die friend. Van Horn’s looks and slurring delivery is reminiscent of Russell Brand’s film work in The Tempest and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Celeste Genevieve Gardner is equally impressive as the Capulet’s ill-fated defender Tybalt. Their gender bending turn as the violent catalyst is filled with the fiery intensity intensity of self-destructive pride. Both Gardner and Claire Coffey as Paris are convincing in masculine roles.

Nikki Pilato’s turn as Juliet’s Nurse was an unfortunate disappointment. She wasn’t ill prepared. Her lines were memorized, but her diction lacked strength. Her dialogue was rushed, garbled, and mostly inaudible. She leans too far into the Nurse’s comedic elements, and her delivery suffers as a result. As Juliet’s caretaker and confidant, the Nurse’s shift in advice is critical to Juliet’s despair and demise. That plot shift was completely lost in Pilato’s uneven performance.

Other members of the cast also struggled equally with their diction of the Shakespeare’s dialogue. While trying to sound conversational by using their authentic voice they did not project well enough to provide textual clarity.

Satterfield’s direction puts a modern spin on the Shakespeare classic. His sound design, and Lexie Johnson’s music direction, features Bridgeton-like tracks to give to the late 16th century play a contemporary feel.

The director conveyed his storytelling vision to his Costume Designer Tara Laurel. Her urban fashion gives Romeo, Mercutio, and Tybalt an edgy street style. She outfits Juliet as a demure ingenue in flowy soft silhouettes. The urban inspired looks are the best of Laurel’s hit-and-miss costume design. Beyond the key characters, there are far too many ill-fitting, unfortunate, and unforgivable costuming choices.

Satterfield has added a bit of charm to the prologue. He has invited guests from the local theater community to deliver the prologue at each performance. St. Louis Shakespeare Festival’s Artistic Director Tom Ridgely was the guest orator at the Friday night’s performance. Ridgely was a delight delivering the prologue from memory, providing emotional context, and foreshadowing the protagonists’ tragic outcome.    

KTK’s new performance space provides another medium size space for companies to stage shows with larger casts. Unfortunately, the stage as it is currently built is very loud. Plays with a lot of action will suffer from the noise created by actors moving on stage. It was particularly intrusive during this production with cast members wearing boots and chunky heels. It will be a concern for directors and costumers when producing future shows in this space and is something KTK will need to address.

Chorus of Fools swung for the fences taking on Romeo & Juliet. While they didn’t hit a home run, it was certainly a quality at bat. Director Eric Satterfield staged an emotionally satisfying production led by the outstanding performances of Zach Pierson, Tia René Williams, Celeste Genevieve Gardner, and Rowan Van Horn.

Romeo & Juliet continues through April 19, 2026, at KTK North, 3519 N.14th Street. Visit chorusoffools.org for more information.