June 25, 2007
Will Parting Be Such Sweet Sorrow For This Year's Romeo And Juliet?
This season Shakespeare in the Park started off with Romeo and Juliet, a play that surprisingly hasn't seen the outdoor Delacorte Theatre since 1968, when Martin Sheen played Romeo to Susan McArthur's Juliet. On July 8th the run will end, and A Midsummer Night's Dream will finish up the season. With notoriously long ticket lines to gain the free pass to a show, many miss out on these performances due to lack of time alone. So how is this season (under Michael Greif's direction) going so far? The reviews are mixed.
AMNY says, "The cast, unfortunately, shows no signs of ensemble chemistry. Frankly, no one seems to be in the same production, particularly Austin Pendleton, whose Friar Lawrence is totally lost amidst the under-directed mess. And Camryn Manheim, who could have easily been a great Nurse, is forced to snort her lines to grab attention. Lauren Ambrose's Juliet is far too mature and understated to be convincing. Though it is not necessary for an actress playing Juliet to actually be thirteen years old (Ambrose is 29), she must credibly convey the character's tender innocence and consuming need to be with her Romeo."
The NY Times, on the other hand, disagrees on most of their points. Describing Lauren Ambrose as "a Juliet truly to die for," and interpreting what AMNY sees at shortcomings, as a clever use of symbolism ("the excellent Camryn Manheim talks fast and bawdily because it’s a way of pushing through the darkness in life.").
Over at Newsday the focus is on the set, which includes a large body of water: "It is all very pretty, if Verona were Venice or if one could appreciate the drama without wondering, constantly, why the Capulets and the Montagues are living in a flood zone."
Has anyone seen the production and had a good/bad experience? For those attending upcoming shows, Playbill has an informative article on what might cancel the nights performance (recently there was an issue with rain, so at the very least bring an umbrella for rain delays!). And if you make a $150 donation to the Public Theater, you can bypass the line (though depending on what reviews you believe, that may or may not be worth it).
Lauren Ambrose in Romeo and Juliet. Photo by Michal Daniel.
|
I have seen it twice and loved it. I rather enjoyed the set, which is utilized in an inventive manner.
I would agree with the criticism regarding Lauren Ambrose, who is underwhelming, but I thought it was an excellent production nonetheless.
The night I went it was bitterly cold, I can only imagine what the actors were going through. The water was a distraction, not an asset to the show (IMHO), though the movable set itself was effective. The raccoon that ran around the back of the set was a bit of a distraction, too.
I liked Ambrose; she started out a little weak, but ended up giving a fine performance. Isaac was excellent, and I liked Manheim's take on the Nurse. Pendleton struggled with his lines; Welch as Mercutio bugged me to no end. All in all, though, I enjoyed the production except for the watery grave.
We went Friday night past. It was cold, but we had dressed for it. There were many empty seats.
I agree that the water set was a distraction. The actors on the other hand were a pleasure to watch. I thought both Issac and Ambrose were great.Mannheim's nurse was new to me and right-on. I only wish I'd scored an orange.
I saw it opening weekend. It was amazing. The whole thing, in every aspect, was extremely satisfying, including the light intermittent drizzle, the toads singing, the birds swooping. This is how I like to take in theatre. I'll see Midsummer Night's Dream in August too. Can't wait.
Best date night in New York.
I enjoyed it quite a bit. Nonetheless, I wondered about Romeo. He seemed like a surfer dude to me, especially in the beginning. Anyone else have this feeling?
Granted I saw a very early preview, but I have to agree with the detractors on this one. The set is very beautiful, but extremely unwieldly and noisy. An interesting design idea, but it in no way serves the storytelling, and in some moments hijacks the entire production. The noisy turntable did not help matters.
Performances were "getting there" but didn't really have much potential. I'd be surprised if what I saw was much different from opening night, performance-wise.
My favorite review is not referenced here, and that is John Simon's on bloomberg, where he refers to Oscar Isaac's Romeo as a "hairy shrimp of a Romeo."
This was an excellent show. Lauren Ambrose was great and the set is phenomenal. Juliet's father took the cake for actor though, stealing nearly everyone of his scenes.
I liked the actor who played Romeo but have to agree with the commenter who said he was kind of like a "surfer" my impression though especially when he was running around on stage with his buddies was that he was a lot like Vince from Entourage, even looking a lot like the actor.
Overall, excellent, it's free, and one of the most unique stagings of a Shakespeare piece I've seen.
I had tickets for last night (Thursday, June 28). The production was canceled due to weather after we waited for an hour. The audience was largely frustrated with the decision - Summerstage was going on nearby with its electrical equipment, etc. There was no lightning or thunder and just a light drizzle.