My overall impression
This was a really interesting portrayal of Romeo and Juliet. Let’s face it- Romeo is basically a teenage girl, so the idea of him being portrayed by a woman is not that far off. What was surprising was the relationship between the Montague clan- Benvolia, Mercutia, and Romea. This trio of ladies having fun, drinking, being crass, and genuinely sharing love for one another was really well done. The relationship of Capulet being an overbearing and abusive mother to a sensitive son was also surprising and makes you really think about the original text and why we accept that when it’s both a mother and father to a daughter. I was sad to see Tybalt’s character cut so small, but what can you do with only 90 min? This show would be worth exploring in a full length version to really flush out the remaining characters outside of our ill fated lovers. Although it is a well rounded ensemble, cast standouts were Alan Blumenfeld as the Nurse and Taylor Jackson Ross as Mercutia. The sound design and fight choreography were wonderful and worth noting.
