Monique Jonas (Photo by Johan Persson)
Reviewed by Julia Stier
Center Theatre Group and New/Adventures
Through February 25
…in fair Verona Institute, where we lay our scene…
Matthew Bourne has done what he does best – taken a classic tale and dropped it in the middle of a brand new setting and set of circumstances in order to offer up a fresh new look at the familiar.
This time around, he has reworked Romeo and Juliet, but instead of the star-crossed lovers having to overcome family feuds, the titular characters find themselves locked up in the Veronica Institute – a sterile, controlling, place that, while never clearly defined, appears to be a mental institution.
When the Verona Institute throws a dance for its inmates, the newly committed Romeo (Paris Fitzpatrick) falls for his fellow patient, Juliet (Monique Jonas).
Bourne’s rendition of Romeo and Juliet, with music by Prokofiev, not only preserves the core elements of the tragic love story, but amplifies them as well. The patients of the Verona Institute appear to be a passionate bunch, but lack the autonomy to explore their physical needs and curiosities. Men and women are kept in separate quarters, and their only interactions are heavily chaperoned. Much like what our lovers from old-time Verona faced, this censorship of sexuality can’t help but lead to a violent end.
If you’re a fan of the Bard’s story, it can be hard not to try to do mental gymnastics as you watch. I found myself attempting to place every character onstage with their Shakespearean counterpart, and to match the ballet beat-for-beat with the original play. It was exhausting. However, once I told the analytical part of my brain to just sit back and enjoy the performance, familiar characters emerged in unexpected ways: Tybalt (Adam Galbraith) remains ever possessive of Juliet, but this time as an abusive guard rather than as a cousin; Mercutio (Cameron Flynn) is less a best friend to Romeo and more of a mischievous fellow patient; and the Nurse and Friar Lawrence are combined into one character, Rev. Bernadette Laurence (Daisy May Kemp).
Bourne evokes a sense of rebellion through the use of modern ballet. Don’t expect to see any prim and proper pointe shoes here. Instead, flexed feet and fluid bodies give a sense of repressed bodies seeking a reprieve.
Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown LA; Tues.-Sat., 8 pm, Sat., 2 pm, Sun., 1:30 & 6: 30 pm, Thurs., Feb. 22, 2 pm, no perf. Wed. Feb. 5 and Sun., Feb. 25, 6:30 pm; thru Feb. 25. https://www.CenterTheatreGroup.org. Running time: two hours including a twenty-minute intermission.
