THE HANGOVER REPORT – Hansol Jung’s strangely playful ROMEO & JULIET both updates and stays in the play’s milieu

Mia Katigbak and Dorcas Leung NAATCO and Two River Theater Company production of Hansol Jung’s adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet” at the Lynn F. Angelson Theater (photo by Julieta Cervantes).

Last week at Off-Broadway’s Lynn F. Angelson Theater (most familiar to theatergoers as the home of Classic Stage Company), I attended a performance of Hansol Jung’s self-described “modern verse translation” of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. The strangely playful, refreshingly all-Asian American cast production arrives in New York courtesy of the National Asian American Theatre Company (more commonly referred to simply as “NAATCO”) and the New Jersey-based Two River Company (where the production was previously mounted).

Jung has put in a great deal of effort to lighten the mood of Shakespeare’s tragedy by simultaneously updating and staying in the play’s milieu – to fascinating if ultimately uneven effect. Most impressively, the playwright seamlessly expands on the Bard’s original text by appending it with her own skillfully-penned verses, thereby bringing added specificity and texture to the existing narrative. Less successful, however, are the numerous attempts to introduce slapstick comedy and superfluous music (credited to composer Brian Quijada) to a work that famously careens towards an inevitably tragic conclusion (e.g., a newly added comedic segment involving the Prince song “Purple Rain” seems particularly out of place).

As directed by Dustin Wills and Ms. Jung (the team that brought us the award-winning Wolf Play), there’s a great deal of “play” in this play. Even if some of the pacing feels off – particularly, the staging dwells just a tad too long at certain moments of the play – there were many directorial touches that captivated me with their unique theatricality. Led by the great stalwart stage actress Mia Katigbak (who brings her wonderfully distinct presence to the roles of the Nurse and the Prince of Verona), the cast features a number of notable young actors, most notably beguiling young actor Daniel Liu as a servant and Lady Capulet. As the star-crossed lovers, Major Curda and Dorcas Leung brought clarity and requisite youthful passion to the iconic roles.

RECOMMENDED

ROMEO AND JULIET
Off-Broadway, Play
The National Asian American Theatre Company and Two River Theater Company at Lynn F. Angelson Theater
2 hours, 40 minutes (with one intermission)
Through June 3

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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