author: Chris Pence

A Rose By Any Other Name: Romeo & Juliette at Laurel Mill Playhouse

“Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene.”¹ It’s the classic tale of love and loss, hate and betrayal, ancient grudges to new mutiny, “[w]here civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life.”¹ Jacqueline Youm breathes new life into the tale as old as time itself with Romeo & Juliette, a new adaptation of perhaps William Shakespeare’s best-known tragedy, Romeo & Juliet.

First produced in 1597, Romeo & Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s most popular pieces, following the story of two lovers from separate households who brave hatred and scorn so that they may finally find love and bring peace to their feuding households. A staple of classical theatre, Romeo & Juliet has been adapted into countless films, plays, musicals, and operas.

“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.”² Adapted and directed by Jacqueline Youm, with assistance from Angela Whittaker & Imaan Khan, Romeo & Juliette brings the age-old tale to new audiences, mixing the modern with traditional to bring the 16^th century story into current times. Produced by Maureen Rogers, with assistance from Valerie Caniglia, the performance invites audience interaction, encouraging the audience to laugh, cry, and react as though they were truly part of the action, with the chuckles, oohs, and sobs serving to heighten the emotion. Following Shakespeare’s original text, as well as the intermingling of modern English, and French, Youm’s cast uses modern delivery to help decipher the events of the play, while still preserving the prose that made it so memorable. Friar Laurence’s outburst of “Holy sh… Saint Francis” during Romeo’s confession shows the cleric’s true feelings toward the relationship, offering the audience a knowing giggle and a contemporary glance into the friar’s mind. This delivery also allows the audience to notice innuendos the Bard slipped into the script, emphasizing the characters’ lust. Throughout the first half of the show, Youm’s interpretation allows the audience opportunity to laugh, heightening the drama to come during the second. A running gag of characters reacting comically to bad wine in the first half of the show serves as an amusing but foreboding reminder of the fates of the two lovers. Vocal Coach Angela Whittaker makes use of American, upper-class British, and Cockney accents, revealing the universal nature of the universal love story that has exceeded time, geography, and culture. From the standpoint of a theatregoer and Shakespeare lover, it’s easy to tell that The Bard would greatly approve of Youm’s adaptation, seeing how his story has been adapted to meet the needs of a modern audience. Said Shakespeare, “This above all: to thine own self be true.”³

“All the world’s a stage, / And all the men and women merely players,”⁴ thus they need a stage on which to set their scene. Scenic Designer Katy Ann Carr uses a minimalistic approach, with a few small set pieces to portray a Tuscan villa. Managed by Lori Bruun with assistance from Summer Skerritt, the stage features minimal furniture that serves to create the setting, diverting focus to action and language. The bed on which Romeo and Juliette consummate their marriage also serves as their deathbed, a haunting reminder of the relationship between love and mortality. Lighting the stage, Jacqueline Youm and Lori Bruun use strong, solid colors to depict the characters’ emotions. A deep blue to show both lust and sorrow, a bright red to show love and anger, and a firm green to balance the characters’ confusion and frustration.

“If music be the food of love, play on.”² Music Director & Composer Andrew Mauer adds depth to the story, using modern and classical music to pay homage to early productions of the show, during which a quartet was almost always present. Using the original text, Mauer sculpts songs that give movement to the prose as though it were a musical. Serving as a Greek chorus, a trio of performers known as the Symphony deliver narration not unlike Hadestown. Mauer’s background music also drives the passion of the production, offering soft contemplative music as Romeo & Juliette consummate, and sorrowful sonatas during which the lovers determine their final outcomes.

“These violent delights have violent ends / And in their triumph die, like fire and powder, / Which as they kiss consume.”¹ Serving triple duty as Dance, Fight, & Intimacy Coordinator, Celine Jones-Cameron combines modern choreography with traditional, skillfully reminding the audience of the setting. Fight scenes are much more violent and intense than most current productions, heightening the drama. Jones-Cameron’s direction during more intimate scenes elicited hoots and catcalls from the audience, making them question whether Romeo & Juliette were truly acting, or if they needed a minute alone to “finish the scene,” as it were.

“The apparel oft proclaims the man”³ Marge McGugan’s costuming serves to modernize the tragedy, with modern day suits and dresses that could be worn to any current event. Small masks cover the guests’ faces during the ball, revealing that the guests already know who is attending. A most poignant moment in McGugan’s design is the final scene, during which Romeo & Juliette lie together in death, clad in white. Paris also dies while wearing white, showing the three characters’ innocence. As the rest of the cast joins to mourn their losses and restore their communities, they also enter in white, finally washed free of the sins of their hatred.

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he to day that sheds his blood with me, shall be my brother.”⁵ Leading off the cast are Romeo’s two closest confidants, Mercutio Escalus (Cameron Isaac) and Benvolio Asclepius Montague (Derick John-King). Isaac and John-King play Mercutio and Benvolio much like modern day frat boys, supporting their brother Romeo while also offering fraternal criticisms and jibes at his expense. Chasing after Romeo, slapping his behind, and teasing him for his attractions, the guys show true brotherhood and love for one another, in hilarious fashion. With John-King as his hype man, Isaac delivers a skillful rap of Shakespeare’s original text, cementing the story in the present, as well as Mercutio’s dedication to live or die by Romeo’s side.

“Lord, what fools these mortals be!”⁶ Serving as mentor and friend to the young men is Friar Laurence Bartholomew Francis delas Casas (Corey J. Ahearn), the true neutral of the story. Ahearn’s Friar offers warmth and advice to the guys, as well as entertainingly exaggerated exasperation when he sees them ignore it in favor of their own poorly devised ideas. His reactions to the audience bring a sense of “Can you believe these guys,” that most productions tend to ignore. When all goes wrong, Ahearn’s Friar blames himself more than anyone for the tragedy, lamenting that he should have found a way to reunite the two families before disaster took their children. Ahearn also lends his musical talents to the show, performing live on guitar and mandolin.

“Though she be but little, she is fierce!”⁶ Juliette’s confidant and mentor The Nurse Adelaide Ophelia Bellamy (Shiesha McNeil) can be described as nothing less than fierce. A sassy, gossipy flirt, McNeil shows the Nurse as Julliette’s sassy girlfriend, with a strut that would make any nobleman say “Ye Gods.” Her comedic timing is impeccable, and her devotion to Juliette is unmatched by any other than Romeo himself. When she discovered that Juliette has met with disaster, her disposition turns to sorrow, signaling that hope truly has been lost.

“In time we hate that which we often fear.”⁷ Tybalt Jeremiah Capulet (Semaj Kelly) is a pillar of both strength and anger. Juliette’s brother, his unflinching hatred for the Montague family runs as deep as his love for his sister. While other characters bring new levity to Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Kelly plays Tybalt as straight as a line, a man at war with his former mates. Kelly’s Tybalt stands as a stark reminder of the loathing between the families amongst the lighthearted jibes of his other castmates.

“By the pricking of my thumbs, / Something wicked this way comes.”⁸ Much like Kelly’s Tybalt, Joseph Smith-Matthews’ Count Paris Escalus offers little cheerfulness to the tale, rejoicing only once when he learns that he is to be betrothed to fair Juliette. Smith-Matthews puts the “creep” in “creepy,” showing Paris as a threatening, domineering figure that views Juliette as nothing more than property to be sold. Smith-Matthews also helps to fill out the ensemble by portraying Gregory and Sweeney.

“Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”⁹ The heads of the two houses of Capulet and Montague drive the disdain that leads the doomed lovers into the shadows. LMP matriarch Maureen Rogers fits right into place as Lady Elisabeth Cecilia Montague, Romeo’s mother. Her love for her son is matched only by her hatred for the Capulets. Juliette’s parents, however, seem less concerned about their daughter’s needs than their own. Lady Lilith Catherine Capulet (Helen Cheng Mao) and Lord Harold Gregory Capulet (Paul Norfolk) are all business when discussing Juliette’s betrothment to Paris, clearly sharing his view that she is little more than property. When Juliette reveals her love for Romeo, Norfolk’s Lord Capulet flies into a fit of rage, angrier at his daughter for messing up his business deal with Paris than for her deception in falling in love with a member of the opposing household.

“My tongue will tell the anger of my heart, or else my heart concealing it will break.”¹⁰ Matthew J Murray’s Romeo Matteo Montague is a staggering gamut of emotion, from his endless dedication to his friends, to his rage at his household, to his desperation to satisfy his infinite love for Juliette. Murray’s smooth tone beautifully sets the mood as he croons an R&B love ballad while first seeing Juliette. His passion for Juliette knows no bounds, and his fury at the thought of losing her rivals no other Romeo.

“Doubt thou the stars are fire; / Doubt that the sun doth move; / Doubt truth to be a liar; But never doubt I love.”³ Director Jacqueline Youm stands tall as a redwood with her performance of Juliette Elizabeth Paradis Capulet. Her confidence in the role is exemplary, giving Juliette more personality than just the typical lovelorn damsel in distress. Her chemistry with Murray’s Romeo is a blazing fire, their commitment to one another undeniable. During the couple’s final evening together, Youm and Murray share a silent but impressive scene as the two lovers debate their future together, then come together as one to consummate their marriage in the waning hours of their relationship.

Rounding out the cast are Angela Whittaker, Apryl Motley, Asia Kerr, Mark Regini, and Seth Rose, who serve as the ensemble to the great tragedy. They join together to tell the tale through dance, a Greek chorus, and a plethora of other characters without whom the story couldn’t be told. Not since the time of Shakespeare himself has an ensemble played such a vital role in narrating the heartbreak that is “Romeo & Juliet.”

Engaging and inventive, heartbreaking and sweet, Laurel Mill Playhouse’s Romeo & Juliette is a stunning rendering of William Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, reminding us that hatred is little more than fear of the unknown, and that “[l]ove and reconciliation always win” (Jacqueline Youm).

Running Time: 3 hours and 15 minutes with one intermission

Romeo & Juliette plays through April 6^th 2025 at Laurel Mill Playhouse—in the heart of historic Laurel at 508 Main Street in Laurel, MD. Tickets should be purchased in advance (though walk-ins are welcome!) and are available by calling the box office at 301-617-9906 online.

¹ Romeo & Juliet                ²Twelfth Night                   ³Hamlet                ⁴As You Like It                   ⁵Henry V

⁶A Midsummer Night’s Dream    ⁷Antony & Cleopatra                       ⁸Macbeth              ⁹The Tempest    

¹⁰The Taming of the Shrew