Romeo and Juliet (review)

The Acting Company partnered with the Guthrie Theatre last year and is partnering with Pace University this year to create virtually the same touring production of Romeo and Juliet, but with some changes in the cast. The production was set in 1912, providing romantic distance in an era still close enough to our own to allow easy identification with the characters. The unit set was a large, two-story brick façade with a black wroughtiron and natural wood staircase descending from a short upper walkway to the stage floor. Slightly right of center, a large, elegant, white-painted doorway provided the primary entrance and exit space. Ornamental brick work across the top suggested wealth while also resembling a fortress.

This historical era allowed the director to remind the audience about technological innovations of the early twentieth century that we now take for granted. For the Capulet party, for example, a line of electric light bulbs was installed on the staircase and lit up suddenly, to the revelers' delight. They soon started flickering out, however, which instigated Capulet's "More light." But technology was used symbolically as well as practically. The instability of these early electric lights emphasized Juliet's inner disturbance, the lights going out of her life as they flickered again when she discovered Romeo's identity. Capulet also set off fireworks for his guests, and a particularly spectacular explosion underscored Romeo and Juliet's second kiss.

Metropulos's choice of setting also allowed her to reveal disturbing undercurrents beneath our rosy image of the Titanic era. Looking at the beautiful costumes, for instance, it's easy to forget the strictures connected particularly to women's dress, dress codes driven by men's desire to gaze on chaste but hourglass-shaped forms. Juliet was in a corset and slip when her mother raised the subject of marriage. She became anxious, her breathing labored, almost as if she was edging toward a panic attack. She needed to loosen her corset to keep from passing out. When it was announced that the guests were arriving, she sequestered herself in a more private place to re-fasten her corset and prepare her bodily image for public consumption. Such directorial choices created a strong historical context for the action and encouraged the audience to consider what has changed from 100 years ago and what has stayed the same.

But perhaps one of the most interesting payoffs achieved through the period setting came from the use of walking sticks. While appearing elegant and refined, the younger men used them almost habitually as phallic symbols. Erection and masturbation jokes abounded. The walking sticks were also used as weapons, particularly in the opening brawl, which definitely included moments of playfulness and humor. Fight captain Isaac Hirotsu Woofter noted in my phone interview with him that it ended up making the fights more tragic because the young men didn't really want to fight and were scared. However, they knew the families they served expected them to be loyal and defend their honor publicly, so they acted accordingly. If left to their own devices, they probably would have avoided coming to blows, their reluctance itself a challenge to commonly accepted but frequently destructive ideals of honor and heroism.

Particularly in public, violence was the domain of men. Willing or not, they should be ready to fight, which was certainly improper for women of this era. Peter, however, was "Perrin" in this production and played by a woman. She incited the initial brawl...