The Folger’s ‘Romeo + Juliet’ Has Great Wow-Factor
Packed with strong performances, The Folger's "Romeo + Juliet" is a buzzy, smart interpretation of this oft-told tale.
A super-cute, tech-savvy update of William Shakespeare’s most famous lovers’ tragedy, The Folger’s Romeo + Juliet has a nice wow-factor. Not only is it literally just the ticket for a Shakespeare-curious Gen Z’er, but it still largely delivers for the diehards in need of a classical fix.
In fact, setting the star-crossed teenagers in the very thick of the present day is multi-level inspired. It’s exceedingly fun to watch director Raymond O. Caldwell and his team so creatively integrate all manner of modern life and its attendant frenzies into the story, but it also brings a much-needed logic.
The impetuous, life-imperiling behavior of the young lovers makes far more sense when seen in the context of rich, neglected kids living today’s over-stimulated, high-drama life of drink, drugs, screens, and fleeting connections.
And it isn’t in any way gimmicky. The bells and whistles may be snazzy, but Caldwell skillfully keeps the narrative clear and, almost always, makes the right kind of space for the play’s more powerful moments. Put simply, there may be dance clubs, Insta accounts, and some adaptation, but nothing gets in the way of the Shakespeare.
Caldwell also does an interesting job of drawing performances that reflect just how young these characters are — Juliet is basically a tween, and Romeo not much older — but the director does so without ever veering into the Disney Channel inferno.
A large measure of this integrity comes from some very strong performances, especially Cole Taylor’s powerfully good Romeo. A complete natural, Taylor delivers his young man fully alive and emoting through the language like he was born for it.
He captures just the right kind of gentle charm: this Romeo may be all about carousing around the castle alleys, but he suggests a truly tender heart, and it’s this softness that creates such an appealing chemistry with Juliet. (If Taylor loses some of his subtlety as the drama accelerates and is occasionally harder to hear, this was for director Caldwell to spot and manage.)
As Juliet, Caro Reyes Rivera is well-matched to this Romeo and eminently believable as the girl who would catch his eye and heart. It’s a satisfying interpretation: she may be genuinely, innocently head-over-heels, but she also exudes the confidence and recklessness of the privileged kid, one who has had too much of everything and not enough of what matters.
Rivera’s injection of a certain residual childishness works well even if it is occasionally overplayed and her facility with the language a tad uneven. This aside, Rivera has extraordinary presence and a full-bodied voice, putting her head and shoulders above so many of today’s reedy ingénues. In fact, she has so much natural gravitas, Caldwell would do well to nix her tendency to fiddle with her dress to show more leg. She’ll never need that kind of crutch.
As Juliet’s Nurse, Luz Nicolas offers a pleasingly eccentric edge that turns a supporting role into a comic highlight. Strong performances are provided by Brandon Carter as Friar Lawrence, who brings much dimension and a contemporary vibe, and John Floyd as an entertainingly immediate Benvolio. Both are exceptionally at home with their Shakespeare.
In the novel trouser roles of Mercutio and Tybalt, Giovanna Alcantara Drummond and Alina Collins Maldonado issue some well-paced swagger, even if the frequent flashing of switchblades can get a bit too West Side Story at times. A little harder to read is Todd Scofield’s Lord Capulet, presented as an all-around brutish rich guy. He feels rather stock and undefined, leaving his reactions to events somewhat less convincing.
Although Caldwell’s suggestion that Capulet is running against Lady Montague for political office certainly works to enhance the family rivalry, the speechifying may feel a little tired for those currently inundated with the real thing. Far more inventive and meaningful is the choice to give the Capulet women their own distinctive heritage, which works especially well with the brittle splendor of Fran Tapia’s Lady Capulet.
And despite the overall strength of Caldwell’s vision — nicely rendered in the scenic designs of Jonathan Dahm Roberston and Kelly Colburn’s projections — there is something that slightly unravels in the final moments. The visual tapestry showing the aftermath of the tragedy may work in theory, but played out, it feels somewhat grafted onto what has otherwise been some very confident storytelling. It also has the unfortunate effect of deflating the final words of the Prince, which are normally a capstone.
Still, Romeo + Juliet is a buzzy, smart interpretation of this oft-told tale and a seriously fun way into Shakespeare.
Romeo + Juliet (★★★★☆) runs through Nov. 10 at The Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $20-$84. An LGBTQ+ Affinity Night is Wednesday, Oct. 30, with a pre-show event at 6 p.m. Use code LGBTQ+AFFINITY when ordering. Call 202-544-7077 or visit www.folger.edu.
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