My overall impression
#SeeItLA – Mine is Yours has a well-cut, fast paced R&J that gets you from beginning to end with no intermission. I can’t say that I had any huge epiphanies or insights into the story by seeing it gender switched, but it was definitely intriguing to see these well-known scenes played from the perspective of the opposite gender. In particular, my favorites were the scene where Romea goes to the Friar after slaying Tybalt and then subsequently when Julian goes to the Friar for a solution to marrying Paris. Both of those played very well with the switched genders. Dane Oliver, as Julian, Mary Ellen Schneider, as Romea, Alan Blumenfeld, as nurse, and Cj Merriman, as Tybalt, all delivered impressive performances. My only complaint is that I would have preferred to have a stronger hand at the helm of this production. At times, the pacing got away from the actors and lines were delivered on top of each other. Mercutia and Benvolia especially got caught up in this and wound up coming across as petulant children. I would have liked to see them reigned in a bit.
