I had the pleasure of seeing a performance attended by a group of middle-schoolers. They hooted and whistled every time the lovers kissed. When Romeo was about to kill himself they shouted in anguish, NO, OH NO! And then, there were sobs. Proof that Romeo and Juliet never, ever goes out of style.
Ever 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.
However, when I recently saw the riveting production directed by Nataki Garrett at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, it was an eye-opener. I finally realized there were no easy ways to escape the lovers’ dilemma.
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. In the program notes, Garrett explains that she wanted to set the story against a backdrop of desperation instead of abundance.
And so we have Juliet’s family living in an old trailer under a bridge. Nearby, Friar Lawrence, compellingly played by Tyrone Wilson, backs a food pantry truck onto the stage, and humorously transforms it into a traveling chapel. 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.
Although 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. They truly convince us they are young teenagers burdened with raging hormones, uncontrollable emotions and mindless decisions.
