In the fifth scene of “Romeo and Juliet,” mere moments after Shakespeare’s young lovers lay eyes on each other for the very first time, they share a private moment, tucked away from the commotion of the Capulet ball.
Eyes lock. Hands touch — first only by the fingertips, before slowly coming together as one. Then comes a sweet, fleeting kiss.
In director Marie Farsi’s new revival, now running outdoors at the High Park Amphitheatre, this moment is rendered so gracefully, so tenderly, that you almost believe that their love has the ability to halt time in its tracks. For those few minutes, gone is the rancour that chokes the streets of Verona. Gone is the enmity between the Montagues and the Capulets. Gone are the shackles of familial obligations.
As the play’s eponymous couple, Praneet Akilla and Lili Beaudoin possess scintillating chemistry, marked by a love that’s young, heady and wholly naive. He speaks in a quivering voice, sputtering words out of his mouth in a rhythm that feels like an outward manifestation of his fluttering heart. She, meanwhile, carves mountains and valleys out of her lines, each phrase seemingly caressed with intense desire.
When they’re alone together on stage, Farsi’s production blossoms. But the further removed the play gets from its titular pair of lovers (and from Akilla and Beaudoin), this Canadian Stage revival begins to fray.
Farsi’s abridged version of the classic romantic tragedy does a commendable job of cutting the play down to an intermissionless 105 minutes, without sacrificing the integrity of the plot. (She does this, in part, by beefing up the role of Friar John, played by Matthew G. Brown, and having him act as the show’s narrator, recapping some of the excised scenes.) Yet her decision to set the action in 1930s Italy doesn’t completely work, even if it certainly had the potential to be an inspired choice.
Interwar Italy was marked by the rise of fascism, along with societal and political instability. Violence and tension simmered beneath the surface. At any instant, it could all erupt into the fore.
Farsi’s surprisingly tame production, however, never explores these ideas. Instead, she opts for a more clichéd portrayal of interwar Italy: her script has odd references to things like espressos; Olivia Wheeler’s compositions are largely comprised of upbeat ditties; and Sim Suzer’s costumes, though colourful (especially for Juliet and the Nurse, the latter played by Michaela Washburn), look better suited for a Ferrero Rocher advertisement depicting a fantasized version of Italy from a bygone era.
When they’re separated, Beaudoin and Akilla also occasionally falter. She lets some unnecessary gesticulation detract from an otherwise strong performance, while he seems to throw away key speeches in favour of cheap laughs.
It’s the duelling scenes, however, that fall short most significantly. Poorly paced and lacking in tension, they even elicited giggles from the audience at Thursday’s opening night performance (which was disrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters at the top of the show).
As Juliet’s cousin, Ziska Louis mugs through his role, turning Tybalt into an exaggerated caricature. Conversely, Joella Crichton and Meilie Ng (as Lady Capulet and Romeo’s friend Benvolio, respectively) are both rather flat, offering little emotional variation in the delivery of their lines.
Three other performances, however, come close to the level of the central duo. Mike Shara is terrifying as Lord Capulet, capturing some of the violence that is otherwise missing from this production. As Friar Lawrence, particularly in his scenes with Romeo, Diego Matamoros is like a shepherd offering a firm, guiding hand to his flock.
Dan Mousseau, as bad boy Mercutio, eschews being overly likeable for a performance that’s moody, even giddy in its emotional swings. His Queen Mab speech, oscillating between a singsong delivery and dips down into his vocal fry, is mesmerizing. (Made all the more magical on opening night, when it was accompanied by an unexpected burst of cold air and a light, misty drizzle.)
But nothing in Farsi’s production can quite rival Beaudoin and Akilla’s scenes together. Romeo and Juliet are at the heart of Shakespeare’s play. Especially so in this production, where their breathless young love invigorates this oft-told tale.
