R&J, a gender-reversed Romeo and Juliet

R&J was a fascinating take on the story we all know so well! It was so refreshing to see powerful female characters that are normally sparse in classical works, and the acting was superb. The production itself asked interesting questions about gender politics and dynamics that inspired a great post-show conversation. Several particularly memorable moments of the story took on new life through memorable staging, lighting, and meaningful use of flexible props. Strongly recommended!... full review

Superior acting, elegant set design, thought-provoking role reversals -- GO SEE THIS! It is fantastic. So beautifully executed.... full review

Mine is Yours' production of R&J was wonderfully paced, nuanced by the actors, and a refreshing opportunity to see Shakespeare's characters interact without gender restrictions. By switching the gender roles, the company found more of a middle ground of gender equality. Rather than having men play at what it means to be woman and women play at what it means to be a man, the company of actors played each character as a person. This highlighted the fact that anyone, man or woman, can feel and experience everything in every character's journey regardless of sex. Wonderful performances!... full review

I had a chance to see R & J and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story and the language were crystal clear and there were some fantastic performances, especially from Katherine James, Alan Blumenfeld and Mary Ellen Schneider. The play was directed beautifully by Abby Craden. The gender bending concept was fascinating and truly thought-provoking. It was amazing to see a play that one is very familiar with, through a whole new lens. It was great and great fun!... full review

R&J was a fascinating take on a story I've seen 100 times, but found myself with a renewed curiosity on this one. I've seen cross-dressed Shakespeare before, but the concept of actually switching all of the genders (including reversed pronouns) was novel to me. Mary Ellen Schneider plays "Romea" with power yet femininity, and Dane Oliver plays "Julian" with the guilessness of a young boy, but still an undeniable masculinity. These machinations force a very interesting reexamination of the gender politics of the play, especially in the relationship between Julian and the now Lady Capulet. The palpable chemistry between Schneider and Oliver drives the story very nicely, making the love scenes quite provocative (aided in no small part by the co... full review

Mine is Yours’ gender-reversed production of Romeo and Juliet is heartfelt and entrancing. The relationship between the two main characters is so tender and endearing that even watching the actors gaze across the stage at each other in utter silence is captivating. What struck me about the performance was not so much the gender identity of the characters as their humanity. The gender reversal frees the passions, dilemmas, and relationships of the characters from their ties to masculinity or femininity and instead highlights their undeniable humanity. Strong ensemble work and moments of beautifully staged physical work between scenes add to the impact of the production. A must-see!... full review

BEST balcony scene ever, BEST death scene ever, Best " one night together" ever, Best chemistry between R & J ever. The gender reversal is amazing to see and hear. DON'T miss this production. You'll thank me. ... full review

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 explorin... full review

Love LOve LOVED IT!!! Twas a breath of fresh Shakepearean air. YAY! Let me start out by saying that I am very picky w/my Shakespeare. And Romeo & Juliet has NEVER been one of my favorites. The young lovers always come across so whiney -- but NOT here! THANK YOU! Performing the Bard since I was 6 & diving into his works as soon as I was old enough to read-- tis very hard to find a quality production of Shakespeare in this town. Usually either the actors don't understand what they are saying OR the director who cut it down doesn't understand it & cuts pieces of the story that are necessary. Fortunately, THIS production does NONE of those things! The gender reversal made sooooo many things resonate sooo much more! And the connection betwee... full review

I was very impressed with this memorable take on the Shakespeare classic. Having caught the original run back in November of last year, I found this edit to move the play along more swiftly, but still allow for beautiful and quiet moments between the eponymous lovebirds with Mary Ellen Schneider shining again as Romea and Dane Oliver stepping in and impressing as Julian. Their chemistry with one another is truly terrific, as is the rest of the cast (a few whom do double-duty in this eight-person show). With a unique stripped-down set design and a beautiful soundtrack, this production stretches gender stereotypes to a delightful extent and I couldn't recommend this production any more highly!... full review