TOOELE — Watching live Shakespeare in the park each summer has been a fun tradition, and Romeo and Juliet performed by Tooele Valley Theatre did not disappoint! The sunset was glorious and the clouds were merciful and only dripped on us briefly. It was a beautiful warm evening, and my seat cushion made a big difference this year on the cement seats at the park’s outdoor amphitheater.
I loved the setup, with instrumental music playing and ivy curled around the set’s archways. The painting was well detailed, with moss painted between the stones in the wall. I was impressed by the ornate iron balcony railing, set up for the famous scene between the lovers. If you’re unfamiliar with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, it’s about two warring families living in the same town, and two young people fall in love from these opposing families, creating even more tension between them, and ending up in many deaths. This is one of the famous tragedies, though the play felt lively, funny, and exciting in between the sorrowful moments. I appreciated the change in dynamic throughout, which kept the play from becoming too difficult to follow. Since the language is old, it can be hard to understand, but they did a great job at conveying each line and emotion well.
Ada Lauren Taylor directed this show, and I appreciated the use of rhythm throughout, so that it was enjoyable to hear each line of iambic pentameter. I loved the choice to have actors sometimes sing their line, as if it were part of a song they were saying, which added humor and made the characters seem more realistic. Even though I didn’t always understand the words they were saying, I could get the gist of it based on their tone of voice and use of body language and hand motions. This was all very well directed by Taylor. I liked how parts that were written for men could easily be played by any gender, and just slightly changed to be true to the story line.
Left to right: Kai Freeman as Romeo and Emelie Shinn as Benvolio. Photo by Jacob Lyman.
Romeo, played by Kai Freeman, had an amazing stage presence. The sighs of love and intensity of anger were both true to the role and made the show so interesting to watch. I loved the dynamic between Freeman and Kennedi Drake, who played Juliet. Their balcony scene was so adorable, with Freeman clinging to the bottom of the railing in passion, and Drake giddily trying to say goodnight, but also not leaving because she was so infatuated. These two young characters set up a beautiful romance with their dreamy, love-struck state. At the beginning of the play, Drake was soft-spoken and shy, but grew into her role as Juliet freed herself from the misogynistic culture, taking matters into her own hands to secure the marriage she wanted. Her intensity and determination that developed toward the end were inspiring. It opened my eyes to the great value this play has had throughout the centuries for enlightening women to their own bodily sovereignty.
There were so many skilled performers in this play. Sofia Paredes-Kenrick, who played the male role, Mercutio, was one of my favorites. Her barking like a dog at the other characters to scare them off was hilarious. Her intensely flirtatious and confident attitude in bantering with the other characters gave her a strong stage presence. Mercutio is a friend of Romeo and works hard to get him to be sensible about Juliet. However, when things go wrong and he is harmed, he has some unforgiving lines to his friend. Paredes-Kenrick played these with such emotion, drastically different from the previous, playful and comical lines, that I was extremely impressed.
Megan Bishop, playing the role of Nurse to Juliet, had a strong and believable character arc, and surprised me with her range of ability to make the language so easy to understand, and so hilarious in moments. Blake Warner, playing Capulet, has been a fun actor to see perform in the past, and in this play, he did extremely well in his role. His final lines of ending conflict between the families were so powerful, and perfect lines for today’s culture of red vs. blue or vegan vs. carnivore or whatever people are fighting over. Close friends and families seem to be putting ideals over relationships these days, and this show had such a beautiful message of forgiveness and love at the end that I was grateful.
The night out was enjoyable, and this was a great place to come to see skilled performances and beautiful scenery in an outdoor setting. I loved the ambiance and the entertainment. I’ve heard they plan to be a part of the crew this year at the Tooele Renaissance Fair and I am so excited to come see them there and interact with the characters. I also hope they continue to make these Shakespere plays come to life every summer in Tooele!
