The set design by Nina Ball is stunning, but since Juliet’s parents are described in the play as rich and powerful, it doesn’t make sense that they would live in squalor.Īlthough constantly entertaining and well acted, the production is at times ragged and unbelievable in its adaptation, but the portrayal of the lovers by Jeremy Gallardo and Jada Alston Owens is peerless. Nearby, Friar Lawrence, compellingly played by Tyrone Wilson, backs a food pantry truck onto the stage, and humorously transforms it into a traveling chapel. In the program notes, Garrett explains that she wanted to set the story against a backdrop of desperation instead of abundance.Īnd so we have Juliet’s family living in an old trailer under a bridge. This version is set in difficult modern times and uses an adapted script that melds a bit of hip-hop with Shakespeare’s original dialogue. I finally realized there were no easy ways to escape the lovers’ dilemma. However, when I recently saw the riveting production directed by Nataki Garrett at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, it was an eye-opener. Proof that Romeo and Juliet never, ever goes out of style.Įver since I first saw Romeo and Juliet in my youth, and after attending countless productions, I loved the play but I judged the young lovers as short-sighted dumbos. When Romeo was about to kill himself they shouted in anguish, NO, OH NO! And then, there were sobs. They hooted and whistled every time the lovers kissed. I had the pleasure of seeing a performance attended by a group of middle-schoolers.
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