Part of the beauty of William Shakespeare’s work is how timeless it is. The seemingly unrealistic, dramatic, even chimerical stories with his colorful characters have been told for centuries, and yet offer lessons and hypothetical situations that could easily occur within our world. One of Shakespeare’s most beloved, and arguably overdone romances, Romeo and Juliet, is no exception to this.
Quill Theatre opened its 20th Annual Summer Shakespeare Festival season with a remount of its previous spring production of Romeo and Juliet with a partially new cast. Moving from the Leslie Cheek Theatre at the VMFA, director James Ricks took his production from an energetic, level-heavy piece into Agecroft Hall’s outdoor courtyard setup, mimicking the very space the Bard would have occupied with his traveling troupe. The theatre in the VMFA was a traditional proscenium, with the audience facing the actors on one side; at Agecroft, Ricks had to maneuver his actors around a three-sided stage, opening up to a greater challenge for projection and intimate moments with fellow actors and even the audience. However, Ricks overcame these challenges with great skill, considering his previous directorial experiences with Quill and Agecroft.
Because the actress formerly and currently portraying Juliet, Liz Earnest, had a previous conflict for opening weekend, Claire Wittman stepped in to fill the role of the titular female love interest. Wittman, who is no stranger to Shakespeare in the Virginia area, filled the shoes of Earnest with grace, youth, and delightful comedy. Juliet is a very difficult character, and Wittman did a marvelous job exemplifying the complexity that Shakespeare gave to this young character; her emotions ran the full spectrum throughout the entire show, from glee to melancholy to excitement to life-altering hurt.
Photo by Aaron Sutten
Opposite Wittman was a new Romeo, Tyler Stevens. His youthful yet swaggering Romeo gave off the excitement and energy equal to Wittman. There were times, however, that his performance was not entirely convincing and seemed offbeat. Lines were stumbled, relying upon scene partners, but considering it was opening preview night, that might have been opening jitters. Nonetheless, Stevens gave a good effort into the leading man. I will be very curious to see how Stevens grows into this role and, most importantly, adjusts to a new (rather, the original) Juliet opposite Earnest.
Romeo and Juliet has a surprisingly numerous amount of roles, and it pains me to not have the room to mention every single actor. Notable talent included the new Mercutio, played by Todd Patterson, and Melissa Johnston Price who gave an unforgettable performance of The Nurse.
Photo by Aaron Sutten
Many audiences are unaware of the sheer amount of action that takes place during Romeo and Juliet. Fights choreographed by Aaron Orensky were plentiful throughout the show, most of them masterfully executed by Josh Williams who played Tybalt, or Axle Burtness, an admirable Paris. However, some of the fights seemed clunky, even slow and therefore not believable, especially in comparison to the previous VMFA production. Stevens was fiery in his delivery during some of the fights, but his movements and confidence were slow in comparison to the graceful Tybalt.
Photo by Aaron Sutten
The stage at Agecroft is significantly smaller than the Leslie Cheek Theatre, therefore limiting the potential for set and design. The quintessential balcony scene in the show was slightly awkward given the rather low-to-the-ground balcony upstage. For the more visual audience members, the costumes saved the day thanks to the eye of costume designer Cora Delbridge. Her use of color, fabric, layers, and textures were all pleasing to the eye, helped differentiate the two families and their allies, and were period-appropriate. The authenticity of the production value provided by Quill Theatre is usually on point, but certain details were plainly artificial, including some bottles (plastic, not glass) and flowers, but the genuine pieces made up for the more modern aspects.
Perhaps the most striking part of this entire production was the relevance of its message to today. Here are two young people, bound by their love, who are questioning the rules, legacies, and traditions set in place by their predecessors. Frankly, the imposed laws are foolish in the eyes of Romeo and Juliet, and they can plainly see it. Their elders, on the other hand, do not until it is far too late. The grim comparison that comes to mind is in the form of the youth today demanding gun reform. Those in power, those that are in charge, are somehow not recognizing the repercussions of their actions- or rather, inaction- to enact reform on guns. Even with the death toll rising month by month, it is in the hands of the youth and their lost classmates, friends, and siblings to change the status quo.
I have faith in this production. Summer has just begun, and the magic that Agecroft brings to every production is starting to unfurl. Shaking off the jitters (and raindrops) that the beginning of summer releases is always daunting. It is also worth mentioning that Liz Earnest will be returning to the stage to complete her time as Juliet, and I strongly encourage audiences to see her skill onstage, especially in this role. We shall see what route Romeo and Juliet takes in its time onstage. You can catch the rest of the run until June 24 and can find ticket information here.
