Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse delves into the world of Shakespeare once more with its production of Romeo & Juliet running through Feb. 15 on their Monroe Stage. Director Drew Bolander’s adaptation is a traditional (almost) fully uncut production.
If you don’t know Romeo & Juliet, the simplest explanation of the plot is this: “a 13-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy fall in love at a party, but their fathers hate each other, and their relatives are killing each other in the street. They decide to get married anyway, with predictable results.”
The show’s non-traditional elements provide its best moments. Kevin Bordi and Taylor Diffenderfer make surprising choices – in the best way possible – regarding the Capulets’ feelings toward their headstrong daughter. Usually, the parents are portrayed as aloof, leaving Juliet alone in a house without familial affection. Diffenderfer’s Lady Capulet is confused by a teenage daughter with whom she doesn’t know how to communicate, and Bordi’s doting father, whose one moment of true rage brings about the exact tragedy he was trying to prevent, are painfully realistic for those of us who have parented through those trying years.
Similarly, Tina Traboulsi is an untraditional choice for Juliet. The multi-talented actress approaches the titular character with the deep training of a magnificent character actor, which gives Juliet an oft-missing agency. Her Juliet is realistic, making down-to-earth choices in moments usually played as silly whims…