PicksInSix Review: ROMEO AND JULIET Chicago Shakespeare Theater
SURE TO BE A CONVERSATION STARTER.
Shakespeare’s greatest love story moves decisively into the 21st century in Barbara Gaines’s first-ever production of “Romeo and Juliet,” which opened Thursday at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier. Maintaining her place as an edgy, ahead-of-her-time visionary, Gaines advances the story to August 2020, an artistic gamble in the name of keeping it relevant and topical while providing opportunities to explore other-than-traditional aspects of the text to pierce our stony apathy toward violence in our society.
Taking risks and communicating a classic story in such a way that it may be more readily understood by the audience it serves is what we have come to expect from Chicago Shakes. This production—with its gritty, urban tone, Kerry James Marshal-infused art influence, flash-pod transitions and pinpoint fight scenes—is sure to be a conversation starter. If this is your introduction to “Romeo and Juliet,” there is little chance you will be lost in the language with the visual references of the modern setting. Then again, if you are a traditionalist, you may yearn for elements that have been eliminated—the prologue, for example—while at the same time, marvel at how the timeshift intersects so well to elevate what Gaines calls the “generational, truly tribal hatred” that is central to her adaptation.
Or you might be somewhere in the questioning middle, as was I at the outset: watching intently, wondering how the story—set in perhaps Verona, Italy, or Verona, Illinois, according to the program notes—can possibly work without running off the rails. For most of the first act, it all felt like a free-wheeling buddy story until there is a sharp dagger thrust to the gut and the action descends into the inescapable tragedy of Act II.
Daggers, deck chairs and Converse All Stars are just a few surprises. The warring families are street gangs who value their turf and their historical rivalry. And since no literal answer exists as to why the Capulets and the Montagues despise each other, Gaines perceives the tragic outcome as a statement about the relationship between love and hate and how one must exist for the other. In setting the play in the future, Gaines asks, “How can we stop this senseless violence from happening?” In that aspiration, the show succeeds in recognizing that hatred, like bigotry and racism, is an acquired trait, taught and passed on from generation to generation; inexhaustible, uncontrollable and inescapable. Only the death of star-crossed lovers provides hope, which is starkly emphasized in this production.
Which brings us to those star-crossed lovers—Edgar Miguel Sanchez and Brittany Bellizeare—who lead a top-notch company. Sanchez’s Romeo exudes the guile, confidence and vulnerability to fall for Bellizeare’s tender and timid Juliet. Forces surround the two lovers that push them together—Darlene Hope (Friar) and Betsy Aidem (Nurse)— and pull them apart—Amir Abdullah (Chief of Police Hakeem). Romeo’s kindred clan—Dale Rivera (Mr. Montague), Nate Burger (Mercutio), Cage Sebastian Pierre (Benvolio) and Byron Coolie (Balthasar)—establish their Montague brotherhood and enmity for the Capulets, who are led by James Newcomb (Mr. Capulet) and Sam Pearson (Tybalt) with Julian Parker (Paris) and Lia D. Mortensen (Mrs. Capulet).
Early on, the jovial nature of the Capulet party leads to a street confrontation—one of many no-holds-barred fight scenes superbly staged by Rick Sordelet—another nod to the creative spirit that results in a lively, introspective interpretation of the classic love story. In all things, the lovers ultimately choose to ignore the realities of their two divided families—actions that unalterably change everyone around them. What the lasting impact is on the rest of us remains to be seen, but Gaines’s parry on familiar themes allows us an alternative way into a dynamic production that will have broad appeal and a lasting impact on audiences of all ages.
PHOTOS|Liz Lauren
CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER
Presents
ROMEO AND JULIET
through December 22
Navy Pier
800 East Grand Avenue
WEBSITE
TICKETS
(312) 595-5600
LISTEN to “Daggers Rule” our CONVERSATIONS Podcast Cage Sebastian Pierre
For more reviews, visit: Theatre In Chicago