Christian Gray and Luke Couzens/Photo: D. Rice
RECOMMENDED
Part Gothic horror retelling, part afternoon high-school special, First Folio’s production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” has something for everyone. Clearly director Nick Sandys sees the principal point of the play as communities in conflict rather than a love story out of bounds, emphasized by the entire cast whispering the “Two households” prologue before they have an immensely physical and entertaining family feud (Sandys, a fine actor as well as a director, is best known around town as a fight choreographer).
Romeo (Will Allan) is a dweeb, Juliet (Kelsey Brennan) is a bit of a bitch, but what is wonderful is how truly teenage they both are. So often we have seen older actors play these roles or even teenage actors play them, but either way, the performance standard is adult. Not here. It’s distracting at first, but refreshing after a while. These are, after all, a 13-year old girl and a 15-year old boy, and this production dares to present them—via excellent young actors channeling their inner child—as exactly that.
No, the chemistry between the couple is nothing special and, in fact, the classic love scenes really play out more like an episode of “Glee” than literate romance. The implication is clear: hormones and emotions have the better of these two, and that merely underscores what, for Sandys, is the real drama: the outer circle of their families. This approach makes up for in passion what it misses in poetry, although the passion is of the teenage angst variety. When Friar Lawrence (Phil Timberlake) kids Romeo about his previous love, you could almost believe that this Romeo is flighty enough that he could fully invest himself in each of his loves while his own romantic iron is hot before a quick comedown. We actually buy that both Romeo and Juliet will commit suicide in the show because they are tormented by ghosts of all sorts, inside and out. Sandys dares to raise the question that the couple may have had a death wish, perhaps even a death pact, with his staging. (Dennis Polkow)
At Mayslake Peabody Estate, 31st Street & Route 83, Oak Brook, (630)986-8067. Through August 7. $25-$35.
Related Stories
Tragedy Strikes Verona: A Review of Romeo and Juliet at Chicago Shakespeare Theater Chicago Shakes delivers a vision of their namesake's most well-known tragedy anchored in today’s headlines.- Wherefore Art Thou: A Review of Juliet at Theatre Y Putting the theme of "motherhood" through the dramatic wringer, András Visky's play becomes less a distillation than a reduction.
- It Is Your Destiny: A Review of All Childish Things At First Folio Theatre Whether you're a casual fan of the franchise or you can make a convincing case for Jar Jar Binks being a Sith Lord, this is the play you're looking for.
- Burning Down the House: A Review of The Firestorm at First Folio Theatre This explosive political drama reflects the all-too-recent past as well as our current political moment.
- Simpler Times: A Review of Mary’s Wedding at First Folio Theatre First Folio Theatre's latest channels its Canadian setting and spirit by being faultlessly amenable.
- Exhausting and Exhausted: A Review of Women in Jeopardy at First Folio Theatre The humor in First Folio Theatre's "Women In Jeopardy" sadly comes at the expense of its characters' dignity.
