Berkshire on Stage

by Simon Brighenti, Special to Berkshire on Stage

“Unexpected” is not a word you might expect in a review of a play written over 300-years ago which has been performed in one form or other thousands if not millions of times. But there are many moments in this Shakespeare & Company production of “Romeo and Juliet” for which the audience may not be prepared.

Co-Directors Kevin G. Coleman and Jonathan Epstein have taken the most famous and familiar work in Shakespeare’s canon, shaken it up, and put it back together as an eminently accessible surpassing whole. There is humor (including bawdy wordplay), vigorous choreographed stage movement, a funky musical interlude – anachronistic but well fitting with the characters-and some occasional antic full-cast comedic shenanigans perhaps more expected from Benny Hill rather than the Bard. Even moments of interplay between the performers and the front row theatregoers take place, as is usual with S&Co. But it all works. The audience loves it.

Of course, the main tragedy involving the star-crossed lovers Romeo (an expressive and athletic Caitlin Rose) and Juliet (Ashley McCauley Moore depicting true emotion and a superb confidence) is full tilt out there. The supporting cast is excellent; Madeleine Rose Maggio brings the part of the Nurse to a boisterous yet loving life, a talented Rory Hammond’s Lady Capulet evidences a tenderness but resolve in ensuring her daughter does not age out of her opportunity for a proper marriage, and Juan Luis Acevedo inhabits the role of a proud Italian paterfamilias with a swagger and vigor.

Swordplay involving Romeo, Tybalt and Mercutio is well staged and unfolds in dramatic fashion. It is not easy to present “stage combat” in a manner that is authentic to the period, realistic and which does not distract from the accompanying dialogue and exposition. Timing and pacing are everything; nationally renowned fight choreographer Jason Tate handles the task deftly.

The staging is spare but effective; the setting of Shakes & Co. Amphitheatre in one of the most picturesque bucolic areas of the region if not the country, bringing a sylvan serenity to any performance. The uniqueness of the venue offers the audience somewhat of a “peek behind the curtain”; after doing their bit, the performers can be discerned on the ambient hillside running hither and yon to hit their next mark.

The music, to an extent playing the part of the ominous weather so prominent in much of Shakespeare, includes original themes by Daniel Levy, the talented composer, musician, and singer known for scoring more than 40 regional productions. Levy’s lush score adds an appropriately somber and portentous enhancement at the appropriate moments with a few familiar snippets sprinkled in.

As with any outdoor performance space, the weather is always a potential factor. And even as dusk settles in on a warm summer day, the temperature can drop quickly. Bug spray is always a good idea.

To paraphrase the Bard, this is a Romeo and Juliet with a beauty too rich to be missed.   

“Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare, directed by Kevin G. Coleman and Jonathan Epstein, with music by Daniel Levy, runs July 18 through August 10 outdoors at the Arthur S. Waldstein Amphitheatre at Shakespeare & Company, Kemble Street in Lenox, MA. CAST: Juan Luis Acevedo, Rory Hammond, Luke Haskel, John Leggett, Madeleine Rose Maggio, Ashley McCauley Moore, Erin O’Connor, Timothy Oh, Caitlin Rose, Rickey Watson Jr., J. Austyn Williamson. CREATIVE TEAM: Costume Designer Christina Beam, Set Designer Erika Johnson, Stage Manager Hope Rose Kelly, Sound Designer Daniel Levy, Assistant Stage Manangers Dennis Ebert, Jr., and Kathleen H. Soltan, Fight Choreographer Jason Paul Tate.

Preview performances will be held July 15, 16, and 17 with Opening Night on Friday, July 18. Food trucks will be on campus with light dinners for purchase on select evenings prior to the performance, including Saturdays July 19, 26, and August 4.

Tickets range from $22 to $95; $5 Card to Culture tickets for EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare participants are available for in-person purchase or by calling the Box Office. For more information, visit shakespeare.org, or call the Box Office at 413.637.3353.