
Great staging, Great acting, Must see, Original, Refreshing
The Wheelhouse Theatre presents a terrific ensemble company whose surprising — and surprisingly funny and fresh — staging of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet presents some of the clearest and most layered iambics you'll ever hear.
The intimate but comfortable space adds much, the cast very much present and in-the-moment, obviously enjoying its work, and sharing that joy.
Performed in 90 minutes with no intermission, the staging and editing are remarkable, providing a quick, seamless pace and a script that not only cuts to the essence of this old warhorse, but manages to find the subtextual humor in the tragedy, and even makes time for a few fast self-referential but not self-conscious Shakespearean in-jokes.
The cast is a true ensemble, each actor playing multiple roles, working intricately off and with each other, yet each having strong individual moments.
While each generation creates or finds its own classics, its own interpretations, it's rare to see something new in Shakespeare and, rarer still, a something new that isn't affected, self-important or full of itself; this Wheelhouse production is none of those things. It's to be highly recommended.
— June 23,2016 - 1st preview.