Film: Broadway’s Romeo & Juliet
Cast: Orlando Bloom, Condola Rashad, Jayne Houd, Brent Carver, Chuck Cooper, Christian Camargo, Justin Guarini Roslyn Ruff, Conrad Kemp, Corey Hawkins, Geoffrey Owens
Director: David Leveau
There have been hundreds of stage, movie and Tv adaptations of William Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet, yes, hundreds in view of all the films that use the plot and characters of the original play without being strict adaptations. And I’ve seen four cinematic adaptations (including the one under review): George Cukor’s 1936 version pairing 42 year old Leslie Howard with 36 year old Norma Shearer as teen lovers; John Barrymore, who played Mercutio, was 54! Baz Luhrmann’s reboot starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes set in a fictional locale called “Verona Beach” in Florida and Franco Zeffirelli’s Oscar winning version with Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey who would later study meditation in an Indian ashram.
Shakespeare’s Romeo is around 16, but 36 year old movie star Orlando Bloom (Legolas in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings films) doesn’t look his age with up and coming stage actress Condola Rashad (The Trip to Bountiful) in his Broadway debut helmed by David Leveau’s multi-racial version of star-crossed love.
The sets are sparse, the music more often than not, Caribbean, but Leveau resists the temptation to play to the gallery as have very many other adaptors who mount that famous love scene on a balcony, when there were none in Shakespeare’s England or Italy which figures prominently in many of his plays. What grand Italian houses did have were little terraces (spelt tarrasse in Elizabethan English) that jutted out from the building and propped by decorated pillars. But I must confess to being one of the trillion travellers who flocked to the Casa di Giulietta in Verona to pose alongside her statue in the courtyard of a house flaunting a pseudo-balcony that was built in the early 20th century.
As Juliet, Rashad is not, dare I say it, beautiful to look at. But she brings a coltish energy and wide-eyed, purity of passion to her role. Bloom looks more like a sexy (but clean cut) rock star cut in retro (James Dean?) mould. But I, unalloyed Shakespeare worshipper that I am, chafed at the sight of Romeo’s buddies cast as homosexuals to underline Shakespeare’s bawdy humour. Nuff said.
Leveau’s Broadway adaptation doesn’t play up the racial angle at all (the Capulets are black, Romeo’s Montague clan white) but focuses on parental opposition (Chuck Cooper as Lord Capulet is vicious in his rage) and societal mores through Shakespeare’s wonderful poetic language (go read).
The Bard’s themes of fate, chance, time, and death are there too, as well as faith and the longing for fulfilment. The star crossed lovers live, briefly in Paradise (their love in Verona) but are cast out, he in exile (to Mantua) she in a double world: an oppressive one which will not accept their alternative one of freedom and love.
Ronita Torcato
ronitatorcato@gmail.com
