Reaching above and beyond his myriad of directorial skills, Director John Gallagher set out to capture a 21st century audience with Shakespeare's timeless 16th century romance, Romeo and Juliet, by way of modern day humor.
What can be a daunting and somewhat morose love story became an engaging, warm, deep, emotionally challenging and fun experience. The difficulty with this story is not only the setting and time period, but the language of the time that, to the untrained ear, can be extremely difficult to follow. But with amazing ease and creative license, the actors were able to deliver their difficult lines with panache and such intense body language, that it would have been impossible not to understand the full meaning of their lines.
Fast paced and clear, the actors pegged their lines with clarity and skill. But when it came to the scene stealers, that award must go to Sean M. Lewis (Mercutio). This is where Director John Gallagher’s vision of reaching through the ‘high speed technology’ generation came into play with a gigantic bang. Sean stole each scene with his wildly expressive body language, embracing Shakespeare’s underlying bawdy story line with gusto and apparent total enjoyment.
Another noted actor was Suza Lambert Bowser (Nurse). The sexy, shapely, blond bombshell nurse with a sharp wit and a Texas twang was probably not what Shakespeare envisioned when he wrote the part of nurse, yet Suza was amazingly perfect for the part; ¼ caretaker, ¼ drama queen, ¼ vamp, and ¼ Suza….equaled one great performance.
Murphy’s Creek Theater’s, Romeo and Juliet, is performed at the secluded and enchanting outdoor amphitheater at Munari Vineyards in Murphys.
Bring a blanket, bring a friend; enjoy the setting, the wine and Shakespeare’s timeless love story…with a twist.
For show times and dates visit http://www.murphyscreektheatre.org/
No comments:
Post a Comment