[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of The Kingsmen’s production of Rome and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, and directed by Elizabeth Swain at The Kingsmen Park.
The Kingsmen are a wonderful company and it goes without saying that if you are a company that produces plays exclusively from the Shakespearean cannon, Romeo and Juliet would eventually be staged. However, I can imagine that there may be some slight trepidation when is comes to this particular play, so well loved and well produced as it is.
This beautiful production of Romeo and Juliet is traditionally staged, with gorgeous period costumes and wonderful original music, creating the perfect atmosphere of love and tragedy under the sweet oaks of the Kingsmen Park in Thousand Oaks.
Shakespeare at its best can be utterly transportive. Romeo and Juliet takes us back in time to Verona, Italy and the mindless squabbling of the rich and idle. This play is of course Shakespeare’s most famous and most produced, but I think the subtleties of the twists and turns and the political nature of the story are sometimes overlooked by both actor and director. It’s not just about two star-crossed lovers. There is a good deal of nuance and depth to many other characters and I was pleased to see Mercutio so boldly played…he does have some of the best speeches after all.
Romeo is just wonderful. A bit bratty and spoiled, but dashing and romantic and always in and out of love. Juliet is lovely. As a girl in that time and in that society she had little to say about her future, married off at 14 to whomever her father chose. But she holds her own and seems truly daring and fearless. Both these characters are really quite modern when you think of it. Both unsatisfied with their lot. Both pushing boundaries and dreaming of something better.
It’s always all in the casting isn’t it? And this play has been cast to perfection. Everyone was brilliant, every role no matter the size given exquisite care. You can’t beat the setting…Shakespeare is always better outside I think. And the frogs in the stream running through the park were singing their hearts out again…which is the icing on this absolutely delightful cake.
So how can you resist Kingsmen’s Romeo and Juliett? Don’t we need some beauty and grace and collective artful fantasy of a love story and a tragedy to shake out all the worldly cobwebs. I know I do.
So take a drive out to Thousand Oaks and sit in the cool night air under the stars and the oaks and fall in love again with this most beautiful play. The Kingsmen have really proved themselves scholars with this wonderful production. I love a traditional Shakespearean play and this version hits every note! Bravo!!!!!!
When:
July 12 to 28
All performances are at 8 p.m., Friday through Sunday.
Where:
The Kingsmen Park
60 W. Olsen Rd., Thousand Oaks