James Wilson takes a look at Romeo and Juliet from NAATCO in partnership with Two River Theater:
"For never was a story of more woe/ Than this of Juliet and her Romeo." Thus concludes one of Shakespeare's best-known and most-performed plays. In the boisterous, gag-filled production presented by NAATCO in partnership with Two River Theater, there are only glimmers of woe in this Romeo and Juliet. Indeed, whereas I often appreciate moments of comic relief while viewing a Shakespearean tragedy, in this version, which boasts a modern verse translation by Hansol Jung, I found myself longing for tragic relief so as to at least periodically feel some empathy for the star-crossed lovers. Alas, those moments are often undercut by more fooling. |
