Almost any director mounting a Shakespeare play—especially one as well-known as Romeo and Juliet—will strive to present Shakespeare’s story through a unique vision. Certainly, this is the case with Melia Bensussen’ s production of the famous tragedy, running at Hartford Stage through May 18 th . Ms. Bensussen’s choices create mixed results, illustrating both the joy of seeing this familiar play rendered unfamiliar, and the frustration of confronting directorial decisions that are at best baffling, and at worst incomprehensible.
Bensussen’s most fascinating and evocative move is to set the action in mid-19th century Mexico, and to include, specifically, the motifs and paradoxes of Día de los Muertos. As she notes in the program, the Capulets’ party here celebrates the Day of the Dead. On the stage, we see death in the form of grisly skull-like masks, along with life, in the form of vivid costumes bedecked with flowers (Costume Design by Fabian Fidel Agular). Since Bensussen grew up in Mexico City, her desire to infuse the play with these elements is authentic, passionate, and personal.
At first sight, the set, a true spectacle, takes one’s breath away. Abstract shaped structures, thrust upward from the floor towards the ceiling and rendered in tones of gold, brown, green, and black, suggest the mountains and volcanoes surrounding Mexico City. Set against an
immense back wall of the same colors, these shapes also create a sense of human futility and foreshadow the violence to come (Set Design by Christopher and Julian Swader).
In contrast to this evocative topography, the realistic shapes onstage are more perplexing than suggestive. Three enormous arches serve little purpose other than to enable actors to make occasional entrances and exits. And the all-important balcony scene is played on a platform jutting out from a wall and supported by a structure that oddly slopes away to the ground. The slope interferes with the idea of an overhanging balcony, and it also keeps Romeo at a distance. As for Juliet, she has been directed to play the entire scene facing towards the garden and Romeo —which means that many audience members see her only in profile.
The set provides all the necessary space for the outdoor scenes, and particularly the sword fights in the streets. However, indoor scenes such as those between Juliet and her nurse; Romeo and Juliet with Friar Lawrence in his cell; and Juliet with her parents in her bedroom– lose either their intimacy, their fire, or both. One would think that lighting could effectively focus our attention on such scenes, but for the most part the lighting for indoors and outdoors seems similar (Lighting Design by Dan Kotlowitz).
Bensussen’s choice to cast female actors in the roles of the Prince and Mercutio is the most problematic element of this production. We can get used to the commanding Emily Bosco as the Prince. She wears a woman’s costume, but somehow her acting nearly convinces us that she is the ruling head of Verona. However, Alejandra Escalante, who plays Mercutio as a woman (she refers to herself as “she”), dresses like a man and engages in all the sword fighting and manic wordplay that we expect from this character. But Bensussen’s decision creates obstacles that neither Escalante nor the audience can overcome, and we are left wondering about the director’s reasoning, rather than thinking, as we should, about Mercutio and the actor’s performance.
Naturally, the actors playing Romeo and Juliet must all but carry any production. Here, too, Bensussen’s choices are odd. Romeo must be a youth who inspires Juliet’s infatuation at first sight, and who earn the Nurse’s description as handsome beyond words. Too, this lover is a hotheaded fighter who instantly seeks revenge when his friend is killed. Niall Cunningham has some strong moments, especially towards the end; however, he cannot live up to the text’s demands.
As Juliet, Carmen Berkeley fares somewhat better: she is lovely and has energy and humor where it is called for. But the two have no chemistry, which is, of course, essential here.
Special mention must go to Annmarie Kelly, who captures the Nurse’s qualities beautifully without making her a caricature. Strong, too, are Juliet’s mother (Eva Kaminsky), who is terrifying when crossed; and Benvolio (Juan Arturo), who is both tender towards his cousin, Romeo, and at the same time clearly a man of courage and stature.
Bensussen’s technical team is, mostly, terrific. Along with Fabian Fidel Aguilar’s costumes, Tommy Kurzman’s Wig, Hair, and Makeup Design delineate each character and place us in mid-19th century Mexico. Here there are dances not only at the Capulet’s party, but also at
the production’s beginning, and Dale A. Merrill’s Choreography is appropriately formal. Ted Hewlett, Fight Director, creates exciting and realistic sword fights, while Voice and Text Coach, Julie Foh, has helped the actors speak these beautiful but often tongue-twisting lines.
Whenever I see a Shakespeare production, even one as familiar as Romeo and Juliet, I learn something, so long as the director’s concept enlarges my thinking about the script. To some degree this is true of Bensussen’s production, but ultimately, her casting choices obstruct both the action and the gorgeous intricacy of Shakespeare’s language.
Romeo and Juliet runs through May 18, 2025 at Hartford Stage, 50 Church St., Hartford, CT. For tickets and more information, please call 860-527-5151 or visit www.hartfordstage.org.
