A new company is bringing us a new twist on two classic love stories. Shakespeare's tragedy
Romeo and Juliet and the French fairy tale turned Disney movie
Beauty and the Beast don't seem to have much in common, but this double feature by /novel/ draws surprising and satisfying parallels between the two stories. And the best part is that if you see them both, after the tragedy of
Romeo & Juliet the doomed lovers are reincarnated as
Beauty & the Beast in a story that's all about transformation and truly seeing each other, with a chance for a happy ending. Both stories are told with a minimalist and modern style that may look familiar; this production marks the #TCTheater return of
New Epic Theater's visionary Artistic Director Joseph Stodola, now based in Brooklyn and credited as Joseph Williams. Like all of New Epic's work, these two plays are gorgeous and tragic, but with a little bit of joy as Beauty finds her Beast prince. This is a short run and I caught it on its final weekend, so only three performances of the pair of plays remain. You can see them individually, but I recommend seeing both because this is definitely a situation where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Each piece stands on its own, but seen together creates a much deeper experience.
Click here for info and tickets (note: if you're seeing both plays, you can purchase them individually, or as a package that includes drinks and bites during the 30-minute intermission between plays).
A seven-person ensemble (most of whom I've not seen on stage before) performs both plays, the pairing of characters creating some really interesting parallels. Ann Elizabeth Mekala and Nick Furlong play both couples; Ann is a beautifully understated Juliet, with a bit more strength as Belle. Nick is convincing as the tragically-in-love Romeo, with an incredibly physical performance as the Beast. The only help he gets from costuming is a few thin wiry horns and a bit of sallow make-up, the rest of the transformation comes from the way he carries his body - hunched over with shoulder blades protruding in an animalistic way, crouching on tables, hands clenched and used for support. The relationship established in R&J continues into B&B, with even some lines repeated, drawing clear parallels between the two love stories with very different outcomes. As noted in the program, "they offer contrasting visions of love's power: one that destroys and one that redeems."
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Juliet (Ann Elizabeth Mekala) and her Romeo
(Nick Furlong, photo courtesy of /novel/) |
Malcolm Lee plays both the father-like Friar Lawrence and Belle's father, performing similar functions in the story including narration. Greg Berman plays not two but three roles - two very different performances in R&J as the tough Tybalt and mild-mannered Paris, and the hunter in B&B as a combination of the two. Greg is also a stand-up comedian and provides some of the few laughs in this serious piece, but is also quite menacing at time. Ariel Donahue plays Juliet's mother (a role combined with that of Juliet's father in this condensed version), a brutal characterization with little sympathy for Juliet's happiness, but her role as one of the servants in B&B is much lighter and almost whimsical. Joe Charley and Zack Nelson play Romeo's buddies Mercutio and Benvolio (with a love story of their own that makes Mercutio's slaying more poignant), as well as the Beast's servants and confidantes.
Director/designer Joseph Williams adapted both plays. The 90-minute R&J combines some characters and condenses some storylines, perhaps the most brutally effective cut is ending the play at Juliet's death, with no postlude to process it. B&B is just 60 minutes, but beautifully conveys the story that is more or less familiar to those of us who only know the Disney version. I loved the use of some of Shakespeare's dialogue in B&B, thoughtfully and specifically used in a way that fits the story. The tone of the two plays is quite similar, dark and serious, with a bit more lightness in B&B, but not so much that I didn't fear that the Disney happy ending was not how this fairy tale would end, making it all the more satisfying when it was.
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| both plays open with this circle (photo courtesy of /novel/) |
Both plays are performed on the same chic, modern, spare set - couch and lamp on one side, brass bed on the other that doubles as the balcony, one stunning chandelier hanging overhead - with actors wearing more-or-less the same chic modern costumes in shades of black, gray, white, or neutral tones. Juliet is in a simple white dress, with a cozy grey sweater added for Belle. Romeo is in a tan-colored suit with pieces added and removed as needed. The ensemble is dressed in gray, Tybalt in a black leather jacket and Paris in a grey turtleneck sweater. The bold lighting design creates some gorgeous images and contrasts, the omnipresent sound design evoking lots of feelings. The actors are miked to be heard over the sound which also creates an interesting effect. (Wardrobe by Andrew Curry, light and sound design by Lucid Thomas and Joe Cella, music by Anna Dager and Hanna Ekstrom.)
I happened to see this on Valentine's Day, because that's when I had an opening in my schedule, but it turned out to be the perfect way to spend this artificially constructed day to celebrate love, by experiencing two centuries-old love stories in a fresh, new way, their pairing providing greater insight into both.
