Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” an ambitious drama at the Valley Repertory Company

ENFIELD-The Valley Repertory Company gets an “A” for effort for taking on the challenge of producing Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy “Romeo and Juliet.”

Some might call it brave, others foolhardy to take on the bard, but thanks to a talented cast and strong direction by Jeffrey Flood, they pulled it off.

Few plays showcase a director’s choice more than Shakespeare’s, because there are literally as many ways to produce them as there are directors.

In this production, Flood sets the play in present-day Verona, somewhere in the United States. It turns out to be an excellent choice. A feud exists between two families-Montagues and the Capulets. Romeo (a quixotic Logan Lopez) meets and falls in love with Juliet (an earnest Amanda Marschall). He’s a Monagues, she a Capulet. Trouble ensues.

Previously, Juliet’s father, (Christopher Duzak) wants her to marry the wealthy Paris (Ryan Coe). She’s all for it until Romeo enters the picture. Her mother (the dependable Nicole R. Giguere) and nurse (the delightful Elizabeth C. Reynolds) give her advice.

Meanwhile, Romeo’s buddy, the fiery Mercutio (played with sly streetsmarts by Emily Engel) gets into a fight and is killed by Juliet’s cousin, the angry Tybalt (a strong Dallas Hosmer.) Then Tybalt attacks Romeo and is killed by him.

Juliet and Romeo go to the Friar Lawrence (Aaron F. Schwartz) who marries them, then later, when Romeo is banished for killing Tybalt, he comes up with a scheme for Juliet to avoid marrying Paris.

The Friar gives her a potion that makes her appear dead for 48 hours. Then he arranges for the banished Romeo to learn about the plan, come to the burial chamber and take his bride away.

As most know in this most famous of plays, things don’t end so well for our “star-crossed lovers.” Romeo never learns of the friar's scheme, but only hears that Juliet is dead. He finds her there and, after killing Paris who attacks him, he takes poison and dies. She, awaking moments later, finds him dead and kills herself.

The brawling fight scenes, under fight choreographer Charles Schoenfeld, are some of the best and most believable ones that I have seen on any stage.

Other standouts are the modern day details, like the iPods Mercutio and others listen to at times. The costumes, by Denise Clapsaddle, are seemingly easy, since they are the clothes people wear today, but they are many and they all work to give the show a solid base.

The set is a simple design, complete with the famous balcony, and they work. I like the three large triangular blocks that are moved to different positions to represent different scenes, but they were a little ungainly. Perhaps if the large panels were made of canvas instead of wood, the hardworking backstage crew could have more easily manipulated them.

The challenge and the delight of a Shakespeare play is the glorious, almost miraculous language. Here, most of the time, the lines were intelligible. My recommendation if you can’t understand every word is not to fret. There’s a lot of language here and it will all become clear as the play soldiers on.

Although “Romeo and Juliet” is undoubtedly a tragedy, there is humor in it too, such as when the Nurse returns to share news with Juliet about Romeo, but complains that she is out of breath. Juliet responds with exasperation, “How art thou out of breath when thou hast breath to say to me that thou art out of breath?”

Many mistakenly judge Shakespeare’s plays as being reserved and intellectual, but he was really the playwright of the people. There are many bawdy, off-color, sexually suggestive moments that are exploited to the hilt in this show, which is true to the earthy humor of Shakespeare.

Thanks too to the fantastic program, which gives names and even times to each of the multiple scenes, and even has photos of the cast and crew along with their biographies.

With Shakespeare, though, it all comes down to the language. And in Romeo and Juliet, some of the most famous lines ever written are brought to life. As when Romeo says, “But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon.” And to Romeo, Juliet’s “Parting is such sweet sorrow. That I shall say good night till it be morrow.”

And then Juliet again, when she says to Romeo, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

But in the end, the Prince (a fine Becky Beth Benedict) couldn’t say it better, when she says, “For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”

Come and revel in a night of Shakespeare at the Valley Repertory Company’s production of “Romeo and Juliet,” playing through Saturday.

3 1/2 Stars

(4 stars is excellent; 3 stars, good; 2 stars, fair; 1 star, poor)

Theater: Valley Repertory Company

Location: 100 High Street, Enfield

Production: Written by William Shakespeare. Directed by Jeffrey Flood. Produced by Janine Flood. Stage Manager Peter Scibak. Set and lighting design by Marin McNeill. Costume design by Denise Clapsaddle. Fight choreography by Charles Schoenfeld. Dance choreography by Yvonne Lacombe.

Running time: 3 hours including one 15-minute intermission

Show Times: Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. through May 21.

Tickets: $8 - $12. Call 860-749-4665 or visit their website at http://www.valleyrep.com/

ACTOR…CHARACTER

Logan Lopez … Romeo

Amanda Marschall … Juliet

Emily Engel … Mercutio

Dallas Hosmer … Tybalt

Aaron Gilberto … Benvolio

Elizabeth C. Reynolds … Nurse

Becky Beth Benedict … Escalus Prince

Aaron L. Schwartz … Friar Lawrence

Christopher Duzak … Capulet

Nicole R. Giguere … Capulet’s wife

Ryan Coe … Paris

David Basile … Montague

Aslynn Brown … Montague’s wife, Apothecary

Jennifer Rawlings … Balthasar

Aaron Muhlmeyer … Sampson, guest, 2nd Watch

Dan Graef … Gregory, guest, 3rd watch

Jeff Lange … Citizen, DJ, Friar John

Anthony Piccione … Peter, citizen

Tori Vonkaenel … Citizen, guest, Paris’ Page

Mike Strevel … Abram, Chief Watch

Top photo: Tybalt (Dallas Hosmer) fighting Romeo (Logan Lopez) as Benvolio (Aaron Gilberto) and Sampson (Aaron Mulmeyer) look on.

photo to left:Logan Lopez as Romeo

photo to right:Logan Lopez and Amanda Marschall as Romeo and Juliet

photo credit: Lesley Arak of Lesley Arak Photography