Theatre Review: 'Capulets' Presents A Fascinating Alternate Take on 'Romeo & Juliet'

Bruce Green, Benny Wills and Brett Colbeth in "The Capulets & the Montagues" -- Photo by John Apicella.

Bruce Green, Benny Wills and Brett Colbeth in "The Capulets & the Montagues" -- Photo by John Apicella.
Most theatergoers are familiar with Romeo & Juliet, and by now the classic tragedy has been performed and adapted to death. Well, at least the Shakespeare version has. Spanish playwright Lope de Vega, a contemporary of the Bard, wrote his own version from the same source material--and it's very different. It's funny, for example. It has a happy ending, for another.

Translator Dakin Matthews has done theatre a great service by bringing this obscure but worthy play back to life, and the current production of The Capulets & the Montagues by the Andak Stage Company at the NewPlace Studio Theatre is a rare and fascinating treat.

The story begins recognizably: Romeo (Benny Wills) and Juliet (Nicol Zanzarella-Giacalone) meet cute when he crashes a Capulet party in disguise, they fall in love and are secretly married. However, neither are innocent: Romeo is impetuous and cocky, and Juliet deceives her family with ease. Conflict arrives when Romeo slays a member of the Capulet family in self-defense and is banished from Verona by the Prince (John Apicella), but the initial source of conflict is surprisingly petty: a dispute over seat cushions. As in Shakespeare, Juliet takes a potion that makes her seem dead, but when Romeo goes to retrieve her in the tomb, the scene plays as goofy farce. Oh, and instead of a couple of tragically dead teens, the story ends with multiple marriages.

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Wills plays Romeo as impetuous and charming, a glint of mischief always in his eye, but also as selfish and distrustful—he immediately turns on Juliet when he hears she may marry again after his banishment. Wills brings great skill and panache to the role. Zanzarella-Giacalone excels at revealing the depth of Juliet’s emotion in a seemingly sincere way, but she’s also terrific in a scene where she manipulates one suitor while flirting broadly with another. R. Scott Thompson shows impressive range as that unfortunate and fey suitor Octavio and the brusquely noble Paris.

John Achorn delivers great comedic bluster as Capulet, and Jerry Hoffman finds the irony in the peaceable Tybalt, whose uncontrolled rage gets the tragedy rolling. Kellie Matteson is memorably good as the slyly flirtatious Silvia and the blunt Tamar, and John Apicella offers a proper thoughtfulness and gravitas as the Prince of Verona. Etta Devine is a model of sassy impertinence as maidservant Celia, but Bruce Green is a bit uneven as the servant Marin, occasionally overplaying or underemphasizing his lines. Finally, Drew Doyle and Brett Colbeth are both effective if slightly bland in multiple roles.

Director Anne McNaughton stages the piece fluidly, moving the large cast through the small stage area with creative efficiency. In the program, Matthews says he left in several scenes that might normally have been cut out of a modern production, to let the entire play rise or fall on its actual merits, but McNaughton’s pacing mitigates against the longer run time. Matthews’ translation is clear and often very funny, with a rhyme scheme that runs like a river of cleverness throughout the play, augmenting it but never drawing attention to itself. Michael C. Cook’s courtyard set, wooden pillars and windows and a tiled alcove, evokes a multiplicity of settings, and Dean Cameron’s costumes are detailed and bring the era to life.

The Capulets & the Montagues
Andak Stage Company @ NewPlace Studio Theatre
10950 Peach Grove St., N. Hollywood
Runs Fri-Sat. 8 pm, Sat-Sun. 2 pm, thru Feb. 27
Tickets $25
(866) 811-4111 or www.Andak.org