#haikureview: Romeo + Juliet (have you heard of it?)
I went to the opening night of Grace Herman-Holland’s new interpretation of Romeo + Juliet, at MITU580 in Gowanus, Brooklyn. I do not regret a moment of it.
But I have to tell you about my favorite part:
The love.
New imaginings of old art are basically my favorite things, so there is no way you are going to disappoint me when you turn Shakespeare’s most famous romantic tragedy into an adorable early aughts-vibe prom. The young and joyful talent bounding through the audience, beckoning us to play with them, laughing at their alt-rock covers of nostalgic pop-rock tunes… it was charming to say the least.
I also must give a nod to the way the team activated the space — sparse decor provided just enough context, and small checkerboard elevated stage islands allowed a giddy audience to follow the scenes as the actors galloped around us shouting about their teen drama, fighting with their families, and slowly killing everyone and themselves.
But wait! I still have to tell you about the LOVE. I couldn’t even begin to tell you how many ways I’ve seen this play done, and yet somehow… the actual love between R + J has always felt strangely detached. I can honestly tell you: the rapt gazes, the breathless promises, the steamy kisses and desperate gestures of Samuel Im and Sarah Corbyn Woolf as the titular roles, were so genuine, so doomed, I couldn’t take my eyes off of them.
young love: it is real
real as the hoops we jump through
hearts bloodied and bare
I cannot emphasize this enough! I am even using an exclamation point, that’s how strongly I feel about these actors and their adoring, insecure, completely committed, insane passion for one another. It made me want to be a star-crossed lover my very self. If you’ve lost your faith in love, these two will restore it for you.
The other performance that must also receive special praise is was that of Mercutio, played by a very cool Meaghan J. Johnson. Cracking up essentially the entire time, Mercutio was truly a trip hop best friend sidekick for the ages. I would probably kill my girlfriend’s cousin too, if MJ was my Mercutio.
I’d love to go on more, but why don’t you just watch my chat with the Director, Grace Herman-Holland, on my talk show here, or heck, just snag a ticket for the show here. It’s only playing this weekend, and it’s too cold and drizzly to do anything else anyway.
Much love,
