THE HANGOVER REPORT – All their tragic: Youthful ensemble storytelling drives Broadway’s starry, laid back ROMEO AND JULIET

Rachel Zegler and Kit Connor in “Romeo and Juliet” at Circle in the Square Theatre (photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman).

Last night, the starry new production of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet opened on Broadway at the Circle in the Square Theatre. Not to be confused with Jamie Lloyd’s unfortunate staging across the pond starring Tom Holland earlier this year, this separate yet equally anticipated production is directed by Sam Gold (Fun Home) and features Kit Connor (television’s Heartstopper) and Rachel Zegler (Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story film) — two very popular young actors who will likely draw fresh blood into the theater — as the doomed titular lovers.

First and foremost, Connor and Zegler give safe, thoroughly professional performances as Romeo and Juliet. Individually, they’re perfectly likable and attractive actors, although their chemistry does register on the tamer side. Far more interesting are their idiosyncratic cast mates, who step in to provide the production with much needed danger and youthful volatility. Indeed, this tight knit ensemble takes it upon themselves as a unit to scrappily drive the narrative forward, carrying both Connor and Zegler in their collective bosom on the journey towards the play’s inevitable tragic conclusion. In this respect, Gold’s staging takes a cue from the folks over at Bedlam, the Off-Broadway theater company that’s made an art form out of creative ensemble-led storytelling. Chief among this terrifically motley crew is the chameleonic and forceful Gabby Beans — in my book one of the finest actors of her generation — as the play’s Chorus, Mercutio, Friar Lawrence, as well as the Prince (Beans would have made for an especially fascinating Juliet).

Suffice to say, Gold’s almost distractingly laid back production is a quirky curiosity, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing — especially for those who’ve sat through their fair share of “R&Js”. It’s also an exceedingly youthful production by design, which connects the entire company to the play’s central tragedy, simply by association. In turn brash and lighthearted, the Gold’s staging zig zags through a busy first act, thankfully settling into a mesmerizing storytelling groove in the second act. Throughout, moody electronic music — courtesy of Jack Antonoff — pulsates through the production.

RECOMMENDED

ROMEO AND JULIET
Broadway, Play
Circle in the Square Theatre
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through February 16

Categories: Broadway, Theater

Leave a Reply