A plague on all our houses . . .
A Shakespeare In The Wild production
review by Louis Lopardi, March 24, 2003
The story of Romeo And Juliet, whether in fact true or simply a medieval morality story, serves as a warning to all who meddle with good intentions. But more, it is a story of retribution, divine or otherwise, for our petty and warring natures. We must remember it is the (highly symbolic) Plague, or rather the fear of it, which indirectly caused this best laid plan of Friar Laurence to go awry.
This was largely a very well-spoken treatment. A well-trained cast had the early Shakespearian verse in hand, and erred only in the breakneck speed of some dialogue - by far the safer artistic course. Even pronunciations were quite well in hand, more so with this non-union cast than in many recent Equity productions. Doubtless much credit for this should go to Shane Ann Younts, Voice Consultant, and Director Debra Ronsvalle. The perfect costuming was also by Debra Ronsvalle. Lighting by the Director and Christine Nicole, Stage Manager, was effective, especially in the evocative shadings of the banquet and balcony scenes. The heavy dueling sequences by Fight Director Dan Zisson were brilliantly planned and fairly well executed, given the vagaries of a small (and often changing!) performance space - in this case the dank, dangerous and foul Kraine Theatre. Two actors shared the prologue - a rather self-conscious bit of staging. But faith in the director was restored by much to come in this youthful, high-energy rendition.
Larry Weeks, who had both stature and credibility as Pandarus in a recent Troillus, didn't share those qualities enough with Lord Capulet, playing him too much the low class buffoon rather than irate Lord. There was nothing particularly regal about any of the royal principals in fact, although Patricia Lavin brought a tight dignity to Lady Capulet. It was again probably a safe course; class distinctions are the hardest thing for young American actors to grasp. And the play is after all supposedly about hot-headed Italians (but, we should remember, fourteenth-century ones).
Yet the final tableau of Romeo And Juliet demands some grandeur and stature - grandeur to eloquently state the terse summation of the tragedy, and stature to elevate our shattered emotions after all the carnage. In this production as in many, none of the principals remaining alive could be said to actually command a stage, shine as they may have in earlier ensemble moments. There were however stars still glowing among the recently exposed and deceased; the brightest of these being Leeland Kae Allen.
As Juliet, Ms. Allen commanded the stage and our attention with a precisely measured control of her character, her supporting actors, even her space. It is not enough that she can speak the text with a natural ease, bringing meaning through simple honesty to, for example, the philosophical "name" speech on the balcony; she has the intensity and modulation for close work in cinema, and the vocal control and support for live theatre in any venue. The control dropped but only for a moment in the emotionally draining crypt scene at the end. Nonetheless, this is a Juliet for our time. It helped that she actually looked the part: her profile was like a Vermeer come to life, aided no doubt by the perfect hair styling (uncredited). Although the transition itself was a bit abrupt, Ms. Allen convincingly made the transformation from saucy teen to resigned fatalist - a change unfortunately often seen in reality on today's mean streets.
As her Romeo, Christopher Kromer did not quite keep pace with her evanescent emotions, at least in the balcony scene. Ever better as the play progressed into increasingly darker territory, he was tightly brilliant in the later Friar Laurence banishment scene, despite some peculiar stress in "Thou canst not speak of that thou dost not feel." Why then the earlier problem? It was possibly the strained attempt at portraying moonstruck love, which read as a kind of sappiness instead. This scene with the Friar progressed, with the entrance of the Nurse, to the best directed of the evening. The stage was balanced with power-plays and it was electric.
The well-intentioned Friar Laurence was played by Bob Armstrong, whose formal and well-paced speech brought a noticeable ray of light into the play. He made the man real and his bizarre schemes believable. Harvey Johnson gave us a truly eccentric Mercutio. While big on physicality, he still made fireworks out of the Queen Mab speech. Gail Kay Bell played Juliet's Nurse with fire and fortitude. Her intensity was if anything a bit too much for the small stage. There are roles in Anouilh and Shaw just waiting for her. Brandon Corey Knox played Romeo's friend Benvolio with utter simplicity and honesty, hampered occasionally only by diction. Timothy McDonough made a creditable Tybalt. Consistent and well focused always, his death scene was exceptional.
Another joy in these productions is in finding memorable bits among the lesser parts and character roles. Brad Makarowski played the Prince but was better, displaying solid physical acting, in a character turn as the "true" Apothecary. Likewise, Michael McGuire played Balthasar but truly created a role out of the servant Peter, where his deft physical acting and total command of body language gave us a servant to remember. He need only learn voice-support to become a formidable acting force.