Tonight I returned to the outdoor Elizabethan Theatre to see one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, Romeo and Juliet. I guess by categorizing it as a favorite, I set the bar higher for my expectations. This production had some weaknesses for me that kept me from fully engaging, particularly in the first half. In the second half, where the tragedy really starts to build it got better.
The two things that bothered me were 1) it seemed that a lot of the peripheral characters really had the comic aspects ramped-up, making them more silly than I remember the play being, and 2) I didn’t feel a lot of chemistry between the Romeo and Juliet actors. It also seemed the relationship between Romeo and Juliet developed with even less build up than usual (which is usually fast). Interestingly, as I read some reviews after the fact, the reviewers had exactly the opposite reaction feeling the chemistry was great and the some of the other actors parts were unique stand-outs. So the first half failed to land for me. After the intermission it improved as the focus was on the R&J story line. I was, however, bugged by the portrail of Romeo as a blubbering baby after he learns of his banishment. I know a bit of this is part of the story, but this seemed extreme and wimpy … but maybe the point being made was that he was still immature, which leads to the finale. Despite my misgivings, the end still gets me and always chokes me up, even as I felt somewhat distanced from this production up to that point.
Trailer
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