NEXTstage Rep’s Romeo and Juliet  (Viewer Review) 

One play, in Little Theatre where we lay our scene, 

a handful of theatre students took the stage, 

in which certain changes had been seen, 

Where character and actor blend into one

was then the hour and a half traffic of their stage.

Centenary University opened its production of William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet in the Little Theater on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. The production was directed by Stephen Davis, theatre professor, and produced by NEXTstage Repertory. 

I expected the production to be a traditional performance, with the actors reciting the original play word for word. But, the two hour play was not even styled in “old-time” clothing associated with the traditional play (as I thought it would be). 

Evidently, the production was not what I was expecting... 

Changes Made to Shakespeare’s Original Play

Shakespeare’s play, at the liberty of any director, will naturally have some cuts and changes made to the script. And, boy, did NEXTstage Rep change it.

The most prominent change (for those that know the play like the back of their hand): Where was the prologue? 

The iconic 14-lined prologue that tells the audience everything that is to happen within the next two hours of the show was left out. Instead, the play promptly began with Act I, Scene I. 

Another change was the director’s interpretation of Juliet’s reference to Tybalt’s ghost in (Act IV, Scene III).  

The lines read: ‘O look, methinks I see my cousin’s ghost/Seeking out Romeo that did spit his body/Upon a rapier’s point! Stay, Tybalt, stay!’ 

In most adaptations of the play, Juliet speaks the last line almost harshly, shouting at her cousin to stay back and not seek out her husband.

Juliet was, instead, kind and tender towards Tybalt’s ghost, speaking softly, slowly, and sweetly to him. 

Having Tybalt’s ghost appear on the stage was an interesting directional choice. As Juliet is delivering those lines, at the mention of Romeo’s name, Tybalt starts to look for him. 

This shows that he is still angry about Romeo, but when Juliet puts her arm on him to prevent him from searching for Romeo, he calms down. 

Also, having him carry Juliet to her bed while she’s in her death-like sleep goes to show that there was always another side to Tybalt’s character. This is seldom seen that he does indeed care for his cousin despite his portrayal as a constantly raging young man. It was a refreshing decision.

One final change: Romeo surrendered his pendant. I believe this identified him as the son of Lord Montague which he gave to his page before entering the church where Juliet rests. 

This is a nice directional choice, showing he intends to surrender his life and he has reached the point of no return.

Lighting

The lighting of the play was adequate. There was blue lighting for the evening when Romeo ponders the stars and dreams. At first, seeing the blue lighting fairly often against the white backdrop confused me. On the second watch, I found it refreshing. The blue light against the backdrop made the aura appear dream-like. 

Two significant spotlight moments also stood out more than any other. First, was spotlight on the Prince’s final delivery, which were also the final lines of the play. I found this lighting appropriate. 

The second followed that scene with a quick final spotlight on Lord Montague and Lord and Lady Capulet grieving over their children’s bodies. This was the most beautiful spotlight.

Sound

Moreover, there were very few sound issues. The actors and actresses were well-heard. Sounds and music were appropriate, as well. The music fit the tone of the play at the Capulet party. The dancing was cute and matched with the production and the music being played. 

However, modern clothing in combination with “old-time” music and dance clashed. 

The other issue I had with the sound was with Lady Capulet.  After speaking with some of the cast members, I was told the cast did not use mics since they were in Little Theatre which like its name, is little. The actors’ voices carried from the stage well without shouting. But, Lady Capulet needed to be just a tad louder in volume for her voice to reach the back of the room.

Acting and Emotion

Characters are only as enjoyable and believable as the actors make them. 

Mercutio and Benvolio 

Mercutio (James Brandes) is very expressive in his delivery of lines; this worked well with his Queen Mab speech. Both Benvolio (Madison Rhine) and Mercutio delivered their lines well. 

Benvolio and Mercutio’s gestures; however, were funny to a fault. The acting in these parts was a bit overdone. The playful “jerking off” was a tad aggressive and too abundant. 

Lord Capulet 

Lord Capulet (Jerry Caviston) scolding Tybalt connected him to the scene more. In most adaptations, he speaks to the side during most of their dialogue. 

Plus, Davis’s omission of some of this conversation was acceptable, saving only what needed to be said between the two and performed in a way to gather laughter from the audience. 

Lord Capulet was also strong with his sense of character and his actions beautifully matched the dialogue delivered. 

Romeo

Danny Paternina (Romeo) as a freshman in a lead role, pleasantly surprised me and the role was well bestowed. However, at times, it did feel like he was only reading lines.

Regardless, dear Romeo, there were still moments I applaud. His readiness to be with Juliet was well received. Romeo literally threw his whole body, leaping, on to the stage when Juliet called him back again. Hysterical! 

Additionally, Paternina sufficiently depicted Romeo’s character. Romeo goes from a mature and respectable youth in the beginning (that even Lord Capulet spoke well for a moment), to an immature and violent teenager. 

One moment on stage that gave me mixed feelings was Tybalt’s death. The anger and emotion was FELT, but it was excessive and almost out of character. 

Romeo’s violent killing of Tybalt in such a savage manner shows how erratic he is (the complete opposite of the peaceful man that he is at the beginning of the show). But, the way in which he killed Tybalt; however, was, in my opinion, a little too fierce, even for Romeo.

Friar Laurence 

Friar Laurence (Mark Squindo) was good at delivering his lines. I could hear the concern, frustration, and despair in his voice. His skill especially stood out as he comforted a desperate Juliet. Friar Laurence attempting to calm Juliet was well done as she emotionally held the “dagger” to her neck (Act IV, Scene I). His calm yet fearful voice, as he chose his words carefully, was to be applauded.

Juliet 

The real star of the show (no pun intended) was Juliet (Kayla Yepez). She was the embodiment of Juliet with her playful, animated, and vibrant aura. She also perfectly depicted what I feel is seldom seen in this character: the seriousness and maturity gained towards the conclusion of the play as her grief ages her. 

Juliet’s expressions were perfect! I could actually see on her face watery eyes and frustration while crying over Tybalt’s death and Romeo’s banishment. 

Juliet’s death scene – also well done. For a person that absolutely can’t stand this play, I felt my eyes tearing up alongside her. 

My Favorite Character

My favorite character overall was Tybalt. 

Tybalt’s (Christopher Rice) facial expressions were perfectly matched to his character. Looks of frustration and even his contempt for Romeo were perfectly visible through voice and body. Not to mention, his fight scenes with Mercutio and Romeo were both well executed. 

Additionally, after my third watch of the show – yes, I saw it three times – I took note of Tybalt’s behavior when he returned after stabbing Mercutio. Upon hearing Mercutio is dead from an angry and distressed Romeo, Tybalt drops down on one knee to pray for Mercutio before Romeo hastily lashes out. 

Seeing Rice’s depiction of Tybalt’s paying respect towards Mercutio and regret for his actions was truly admirable. This addition to Shakespeare’s play made this character more likeable than before. 

With Rice’s performance, I found myself enjoying a play I previously hated.

Set Design

The set design was perfect for the sizing of the stage. It was also visually intriguing how one set piece could become so much more. 

The balcony, for example, was Juliet’s bed, her coffin, and part of it was used by Romeo to bludgeon Tybalt! 

The lifting of Juliet’s bed turned coffin, with the sliding of the poles into the bed frame, to carry her off was a great and creative stage direction. The angling of this set piece so the audience could see her lying in the “coffin” was smart, too. 

I like that Tybalt’s coffin also lies on the stage. The audience gets to see him lying there in close proximity to Juliet. This highlights his importance, not just to her, but to the play itself. This emphasizes that they are family, so they rest in similar housing. 

Finally, the holy water and flowered wall was an appropriate set piece that aided in various moods of the play from humorous to seriousness. 

Costuming

When it came to costuming, I was surprised to see the whole cast in modern clothing except Juliet. Juliet’s dress is fitting as she is often wearing red or warm colours to show her lively, youthful spirit. 

But, why is she the only one in “oldtime” clothing?

Where the costuming succeeded was the different coloured shirts to distinguish the two families: Montagues in green and Capulets in orange. 

But, everyone was wearing black button-up shirts over those colours which was distracting. I wish the green shirts were, perhaps, as bright as the orange so they could easily be noticed. 

The Montagues

Cleverly, Romeo and Benvolio covered the green shirts so the earlier gent (Peter), when inviting them to the party at Capulet house, wouldn’t know they are Montagues.

All the Montagues wear green, though this is an ironic choice for Romeo, as green is a calm colour. He begins as a peaceful person but becomes more chaotic as the play goes on. 

Consequently, it would have been intriguing to see the shade of green in his shirt grow darker until it was almost black to match his character arch.

The Capulets

Meanwhile, the Capulets are in warm colors, such as red and orange. Orange is a cautious colour, which we can see in Tybalt’s continuous cautious gaze and alertness. Vibrant red can mean doom is the color of blood, foreshadowing Juliet’s later shedding of life and vibrance. 

The Friars and Apothecary

The friars wear brown clothing solidifying their holy standing. Their other costume additions include a cross necklace and a rosary. 

Apothecary’s costume is appropriate and believable, but it wasn’t completely modern like the other costumes.

Prince and Mercutio

The Prince, played by Brandes, and his associates wore white and purple. I wondered why there was no crown for the Prince to distinguish him as a figure of authority in the play.

Mercutio, also played by Brandes, wore a green shirt which was conflicting to me. Although he’s a friend of a Montague (Romeo), he is not actually a Montague. 

Therefore, his costume should have been a different color? Maybe, white? Oh wait, he couldn’t have worn white because the OTHER character he plays wears that color! Oh no, maybe we needed more actors. 

Casting

Speaking of, the casting was well done and multiple roles played by the same person is a common staple in the theatre world. But, I would have preferred just a few more distinctions to define those characters for audience members unfamiliar with the play.

Pacing

The overall pacing of the play felt somewhat rushed. Some of the lines were spoken too quickly so the weight of them was lacking. The pacing was much better in the last and final show. The actors took their time and delivered their lines wonderfully.

In Closing…

The production directed by Stephen Davis, minus a few hiccups, was for this Romeo & Juliet anti-fan overall an enjoyable watch. 

…

A glooming peace with it this evening brings

The moon for shame will not show her face

Go hence, to revisit these things

Some shall be joyous, and some burdened 

For never was there a lovelier show

Than this of Centenary’s Juliet and her Romeo