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Comedy mixes strangely with 'Romeo and Juliet'
(by Herb Hammer - April 18, 2012)
THEATER, BY HERB HAMMER
Comedy mixes strangely with 'Romeo and Juliet'
The Montagues and the Capulets are at it again, continuing their long-lasting feud while creating havoc and death. "Romeo and Juliet," on stage at the Hanna Theatre, continues the messy feuding in bullish fashion.
The Great Lakes Theater production keeps this, the first of Shakespeare's slew of works, flashing in a furious manner. Director Charles Fee and his exceptional cast draw you into this ancient, often-adapted tale. And though we all know how this heartfelt conclusion saddens, this production tries desperately to make it all worthwhile.
But Mr. Fee tries a bit too hard. Dressing his cast in a variety of modern costumes takes much away from the Shakespearian language. And all the good-old-boy slapstick in Act 1 rarely fits into the plot.
The rough-and-tumble action in Act 1 becomes serious in Act 2, when the acrobatic sword play causes two important deaths.
It is Betsy Mugavero's Juliet that makes it all worthwhile. Miss Mugavero is a fragile yet lively Juliet who, by the way, gets all the best lines in the script.
But mostly Mr. Fee has jumbled the masterpiece, moving his play along in fits and starts, mixing comedy and tragedy on Gage Williams' puzzling set. The play is performed in front of and often behind what appears to be Greek or possibly Turkish ruins in the process of being repaired. This structure, fronted by a construction scaffold, is also used as Juliet's balcony.
Make no mistake, Mr. Fee has been able to make the feuding families believable, while Romeo, a Montague, and Juliet, a Capulet, hide their love and devotion from family and friends.
Mr. Fee fails to produce a convincing conclusion, thanks partially to the way the work is structured.
The dapper young Romeo, dressed throughout in a snappy sport coat, finding what appears to be a dead Juliet, pulls a handy vile of poison from his pocket and commits suicide. Juliet awakens and, finally, using Romeo's dagger, plunges it into her stomach. As they both lie dead, the families arrive, condemning the continuation of the feud.
Though "Romeo and Juliet" was written around 1590, there have been many modern-day adaptations. The popular "West Side Story" is one and leaves no doubt about its origin.
Most audiences will forgive this clumsy version of "Romeo and Juliet" and, in spite of its 2 1/2-hour playing time plus 15 minutes of intermission, will feel a connection to the classic material.
For me, this play would work far better in authentic Shakespearian costumes without the comic moments that bring no laughs.
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