I’m always late to the party—so it is predictable for me to
see a show days before it's closing. But Romeo
and Juliet, which ends on Sunday, deserves an audience. The first
Broadway revival of Shakespeare’s tragedy in 36 years features Orlando Bloom (of
The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean fame) and
Condola Rashad (Tony nominations for A
Trip to Bountiful and Stick Fly)
as the star-crossed lovers. While the costumes and scenery often mimic a
modern-day West Side Story theme—with
Romeo and his cohorts clad in ripped dungarees and high-tops, and Roman heads
as part of the graffiti scrawled on cement walls—the classic words continue to
haunt in a edited version that lasts two hours and 20 minutes.
Rashad sparkles as Juliet and aptly depicts the luminescence
of the young in love, while Bloom underlines Romeo’s idealistic romanticism with
the very real awkwardness and uncertainty first meetings and the initial
flickers of love face. Rashad is especially enchanting and plays Juliet not as
a simple girl but one who is frank and honest—and full of courage in the
pursuit of something of her own. The casting of an African American Juliet with
a Caucasian Romeo helps explain the animosity between the families, but doesn’t
register as part of their romance. Supporting characters offer spirited turns—with
Christian Camargo infusing Mercutio with the badassnes of Johnny Rotten and Justin
Guarini (who survived his American Idol notoriety) a well-mannered but boring
Paris, the epitome of a parent’s idea of the perfect fiancé.
David Leveaux’s production is full of rich details—the
release of a bird, like an uneasy premonition, that flies out over an abandoned
beach, where chairs lie discarded on their sides; a dispirited Romeo who
recklessly drives his motorcycle on the stage; a lavish masked bacchanal of
fire and spirited dancing where Romeo and Juliet catch each other’s eye with
half-smiles. Despite a second act that seems to yield into tragedy too quickly,
this Romeo and Juliet is parting too
soon.
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