If you have the chance--and if there are still tickets available-- try to see Romeo and Juliet at The ARTS at Marks Garage this week end through 23 July.  It's a great, intimate production with terrific performances across the board, especially the leads, my friend, Ari Dalbert as Romeo and Alisa Boland as Juliet.  

                           http://www.HawaiiShakes.org


From the leads through the whole ensemble, the cast works beautifully together to refresh an overly familiar play. ( I team-wrote a brilliant satire on Shakespeare's tragedy in sixth grade. A three hour, pre-pubescent satire.) Since then I've seen multiple productions  on screen and stage, from the restrained to the gimmicky. Ho Hum. A few strategic cuts make the play a comfortable just-over-two-hours, and, though costumed in generically modern dress, the production is remarkably faithful, the staging and lighting spare, flexible and expressive.

In this production the first half is a delightful comedy full of physical pratfall, adolescent gasps and shrieks.  The second half is compelling tragedy.  The direction and performances are remarkable pitting adolescent irrationality against adult irrationality.  Everyone loses. The youth of the leads makes the play all the more believable.  And, staged in three quarter round, the Shakespearean language was completely audible for these failing ears.