 |
Revamped
“Romeo” The Jubilee Theatre’s production of “Romeo” is classic non-profit theater. There is a certain sweetness to the show, a retelling of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” set in pre-1900 New Orleans. The cast performs with an enjoyment and pleasure in the work — they really seem to love what they are doing.
The cast is strongly led by TCU senior LaVar Veale in the title role. Veale’s Romeo is passionate and tender, caught in the middle of a fight he doesn’t seem to understand. Veale is at his best when Romeo is at his worst, bringing a believable grief to much of the tragic character. Evette Perry-Buchanan puts forth a commanding performance as Madame Laveau, the voodoo priestess who fulfills the role of Shakespeare’s Catholic priest. Perry-Buchanan resists the urge to take her character down the pseudo-spiritual path of Miss Cleo, choosing instead to create a complicated woman who brings about the play’s tragedies through her love of the characters. Every loss in this play seems to be hers personally and Perry-Buchanan allows Laveau to become perhaps the most tragic character. Other notable performances are turned in by Sheran Goodspeed-Keyton and Deborah Prickett. Goodspeed-Keyton plays the nurse to the hilt, throwing herself equally into the character’s comic and dramatic moments. Prickett infuses Juliet with a youthful innocence, carrying through the girl’s youthful naiveté. Anyone with a little sister will find her performance familiar. The best-played moments in this show come when a combination of those four control the stage. Veale has a good chemistry with both Prickett and Perry-Buchanan, sharing equally (albeit very different) tender moments with both. And when Goodspeed-Keyton and Perry-Buchanan are on at the same time, the effect is almost overwhelming. A particularly powerful moment occurs when the family discovers Juliet unconscious. All but one of the actors (and Juliet, who is in a coma at this point) let loose with a passion. The words rise and fall, spilling out over each other. All draw attention at different points during this well-orchestrated scene. The show has its high points and its low points. The adaptation of the text doesn’t quite work, losing much of the poetry of Shakespeare in favor of easy-to-understand vernacular. Too many lines are thrown away or misinterpreted by the cast, not all of whom seem comfortable with the Shakespeare. Artistic director Rudy Eastman tries a unique convention by introducing a drummer and silent woman who enter at the deaths. This is a good idea, but should have been played with a little more — the two characters spend most of their time standing around, watching the action, rather than being a vital part of it. For the most part, ”Romeo” works. The cast brings an underlying exuberance that is hard to find. Thanks to strong performances, different motivations are found for characters that are so popular they have almost become cliché. Fans of regional, non-profit theater will especially enjoy it. “Romeo” is worth going to, if nothing else, for the unique perspective it brings to an old story. “Romeo” runs through Feb. 17 at Jubilee Theatre, 506 Main St. downtown. Showtimes are 8:15 p.m Friday and Saturday nights and 3:15 p.m. Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Tickets range from $8-20. For tickets, call the box office at (817) 338-4411. John-Mark
Day |
|||
|
TCU Daily Skiff © 2002 |
||||
