Shakespeare Santa Cruz: Romeo and Juliet

Kathleen and I went to the opening night of Shakespeare Santa Cruz's Romeo and Juliet, directed by Kim Rubinstein. I had my reservations, and I'm not talking about our seats. Critic Samuel Pepys went a bit far when he pronounced it "a play of itself the worst that I ever heard in my life," but I was never overly attracted, either, to this couple of pigheaded youngsters determined to have it their way, no matter what. (I might not be much of a romantic...) Friday at the Beach Boardwalk Sha Na Na played "Why Must I Be a Teenager in Love". My question for the following day was, "Why must I watch two teenagers in love?" Neither Kathleen, nor I had ever seen the play performed live, and the two movies we remembered, Franco Zeffirelli's version, and "that terrible one with Leonardo di Caprio" did not answer the question to our satisfaction. So why indeed should we?
Because... we had the greatest time watching the Shakespeare Santa Cruz production!
The first part of the play is an irresistible romp. The audience was laughing, cheering, wholf-whistling British Pantomime style. We did have a blast! And by the time comedy turns into tragedy, when the play drastically changes tone and pace in the second part, the characters have so grown on you that it has become impossible to step back and judge their actions objectively. The humor in the first part establishes their humanity, their unique and likable personalities. Benvolio (Erik Hellman), and Mercutio (Stephen Bel Davies) are wonderful. Everything depends on our leading couple, of course, it would be hard to pull the play off with a chicken-breasted Romeo and mousy Juliet. Charles Pasternak as Romeo, and Caitlin FitzGerald as Juliet, not only have strong physical presence, at once solid and agile, their acting is so skillfullly light-footed that you can't help but fall in love with these goofily serious, tensely loose, excitable, promising kids.

The greatest pleasure to watch was the Montague band of testosterone driven beaus. I didn't find the Montagues family as Hungarian gypsies very plausible (although Kathleen liked the idea), but the gang around Romeo and Mercutio was very convincing! They were not the operetta, Csárdás kind of gypsies, but reminded me of the Irish anarchist hoodlums around 'pikey' Brad Pitt in Guy Ritchie's "Snatch". Or to be precise, rather sons of good families playing the part of hoodlums out of their treehouse-playhouse. One detail perfectly illustrated the point. For the longest time I thought Romeo's jeans and Benvolio's jacket were dirt-stained, until I realized that they were actually trimmed with lace and covered with embroidery. Mercutio's outfit was bordering androgenous. His moves were suspiciously flamboyant at times, his tone mockingly (or earnestly?) gay. A little too obvious for my taste, after I very much appreciated the less defined, easy physical closeness of the rest of the gang, with their arms over each other's shoulders, constantly boxing, pushing, wrestling. Their looks, their moves were utterly seductive, particularly when they morphed into slightly menacing, but deliciously angelic hooligans on their way to crash the Capulets' big party. Details, details, details, there were so many to feast on. I don't know where to begin and I don't really want to give all the little surprises away... How the show adds flesh to the bones of the text, that's exactly what makes the play come alive & exciting. As to the second part--- the sad, the tragic, the romantic part--- just let me direct your attention to the gal in the seat next to me: I heard a sniffle soon after intermission. Well, it had become a little chilly in the Glen, so at first I thought she was cold, or possibly had a cold, but the cold seemed to get worse at a downright unnatural speed, so I listened closer and realized that the girl next to me was actually sobbing, the dear thing! Enough said. Come for the laughs, stay for the heartbreak, and prepare to be moved!

The images show beginning and end. Top: Friar Laurence (Richard Farell) and Nurse (Saundra McClain) during the prologue (photo: Shmuel Thaler). Bottom: Prince Escalus (Gene Gillette) with Juliet (Caitlin FitzGerald) and Romeo (Charles Pasternak) (photo: r.r. jones)