Romeo and Juliet Reviews
Broadway World- Recommended
"...A timeless story never gets old especially when the telling is done in such an exemplary manner. Theatricum's ROMEO AND JULIET is a masterpiece masterfully told and a thought-provoking reinvention of Shakespeare's classic that should be at the top of your destination list this summer."
LA Splash- Highly Recommended
"...Skilled director Ellen Geer does a spot-on job of conveying this classic play with a freshness and genuineness that is very special. She has moved beyond the usual and into the realm of the vibrant and exciting. She understands the power of first love and leads her actors in a direction that is both charming and tragic. The entire cast sweeps the cobwebs from this Shakespearean classic and makes it exciting and understandable to the audience. Each talented cast member makes his particular role an important one; each actor conveys just the right message. This theater company grasps what Shakespeare is really about and does it with skill and unusual perception. ROMEO AND JULIET is a production which should not be missed."
CurtainUp- Recommended
"...As is often the case with works of Shakespeare at the Theatricum, Geer's production employs a large cast and uses the entire woodland performance space to meaningful effect. Fight choreographer Aaron Hendry vividly sets the tone during the opening brawl and brings some gritty street violence into the tragic fights between Tybalt (Taylor Jackson Ross), Mercutio (Rav Val Denegro) and Romeo. The Purim rap led by Mark Samet's Mendel (to original music by Marshall McDaniel) is another highlight, infusing this production with an element of cool that Romeo and Juliet rarely contains."
Theatre Notes- Recommended
"...For this production, places have changed, names have changed and times have changed. The story is now set in present day East Jerusalem; Romeo is Muslim and Juliet is Jewish. Tybalt, Mercutio, Montague (Israel López Reyes) and Capulet retain their names, but Prince Escalus is now the Prime Minister (Jonathan Bray), Friar Lawrence is Mufti Zaman (Steven B. Green), and the eager-to-marry Paris, now called Peretz (Gray Shierholt), has Hasidic forelocks and the traditional hat and long coat. These changes do no damage to the eternal story of sudden, impulsive love turned to disaster by the enmity of warring families. The words retain their power to move an audience. I think Shakespeare would applaud and say, "Where's my royalty check.""
Peoples World- Highly Recommended
"...Ellen Geer has truly offered her public a revelatory interpretation with superb performances without exception. It's too bad this is just a play: If only the final peace concluded between the "Capulets" and "Montagues" had held, the world might have been spared one of the most intractable dilemmas of all time."