Romeo and Juliet

August 4, 2006 performance reviewed by Pat Nichols.

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, now at the Williamstown Theater Festival, takes a modern look at love, death, family power and the angst of teenagers without destroying the essence of the play.

The play opens on a lovely stone courtyard. Pale light shines outside. Large arched gates lead outdoors to the back and a winding staircase on the left leads to a walkway above and across the courtyard.

Austin Lysy and Emmy Rossum.
photo by Joan Marcus

A loud blast of music introduces the entrance of young men engaged in a street fight, the Capulets verses the Montagues has been an on going feud that never reached a resolution. An intense battle ensues accompanied by the band’s loud music and a sense of teenage anger toward others.

The police arrive as does the Prince of Verona, Escules (Ron Cephas Jones) to end the mayhem in a strong and assertive warning to stop the fighting and killing.

Romeo (Austin Lysy) already in love with Rosaline appears and wanders around musing about life and what he values and wants.

The Capulets plan a party for the evening with the knowledge that Montagues are not allowed. When Juliet (Emmy Rossum) appears she is the epitome of a fourteen year old girl, quiet, shy, hesitant, standing behind a gate reticent to appear in public.

Unknown to Juliet her parents plan her wedding to Paris, a member of the Verona nobility.

During the party at the Capulets, Romeo, hoping to see Rosiline, instead sees Juliet and immediately falls in love with her. And she with him, neither one aware the other comes from the opposite family.

They speak of love and make a plan to marry but her family presses her to instead marry Paris.

Juliet portrays a sweet innocent 14 year old somewhere between the Shakespeare version and the current worldly 14 year olds of today, a 14 year old ready to break with the family and make her own choices in her life. Juliet is naive and used to having her decisions made by her parents.

Romeo makes his angst obvious as he wanders and claims, “I am lost” unsure about how to resolve his life.

Mercutio (Benjamin Walker) brings his role to life as he gives in to the bawdy and risqué(a common experience in Shakespeare’s works,) in a filmy sleeveless dress.

Juliet’s nurse,(Kristine Nielsen) romps through the play, full of advice for Juliet, laughing and talking, moving constantly, concerned about Juliet after caring for her and watching her grow.

Lady Capulet (Enid Graham) seems removed from the problems surrounding her but Old Capulet, her husband, (Daniel Oreskes ) remains determined to bring Paris and Juliet together.

The Montague’s do not seem involved or passionate one way or the other.

Director Will Frears keeps the action and the story tight and moving. Its large cast surely presented a problem which he handled well.

Takeshi Kata offers a set that works beautifully for all the elements of the play with little need to add or subtract other sets.

Emmy Rossum is a luminous version of Juliet, A Capulet teenager thrust into an intense relationship with Romeo Montague, the son of the family battling the Capulets.

Michael Friedman’s loud, sharp music fits the play’s course and beats with the action.

When the play ended, the audience jumped to it’s feet and applauded the performance, obviously pleased with a modern version of one of the world’s most famous pieces of literature.

Williamstown Theatre Festival | wtfestival.org
Roger Rees, Artistic Director
Box Office: '62 Center Box Office,
Route 2, Williamstown, MA 01267,
Telephone: 413-243-0745.
Online ticketing is available at wtfestival.org.