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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. Romeo and Juliet Also see Susan's review of This
Posner's double vision is immediately obvious in Laree Lentz's costumes, a mashup of Elizabethan and contemporary styles. But the star-crossed lovers are undeniably modern in their outlook: melancholy Romeo (Michael Goldsmith) wears cargo pants and disaffected Juliet (Erin Weaver) first appears wearing dark-framed hipster glasses and a knitted cap over her two-tone hair. They are suitably youthful in appearance and attitude, for example in the gymnastic flourishes of the balcony scene on Meghan Raham's minimalist climbing-gym set. This production also brings a fresh perspective to some of the supporting characters. Unlike many productions that allow the Montague and Capulet parents to stay above the battles between their households, here Lord Capulet (Brian Dykstra) browbeats a servant and Lady Montague (Michele Osherow) takes actions that foreshadow her son's death. More crucially, in his first appearance Friar Lawrence (Eric Hissom) seems rather too fond of the soothing herbs he grows in his garden. This intoxication may influence his naïve belief that the lovers' union will mend their families' feud. In more traditional performances, Sherri L. Edelen sparkles as Juliet's earthy Nurse, Brad Koed romps through the role of Mercutio (at one point appearing among the audience in the theater's balcony), and Rex Daugherty is a steely and dangerous Tybalt. Posner has trimmed the script in some places, leading to the puzzling omission of the scene where the Nurse discovers the (apparently) dead Juliet. Also, because Hissom plays the Prince as well as Friar Lawrence, he cannot reappear in the final scene to provide the summation; the production ends in silence, the characters who died during the play reappearing on the balcony. Folger Theatre
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