{"id":246599,"date":"2013-10-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-10-11T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/ripe-and-ready\/"},"modified":"2013-10-11T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2013-10-11T07:00:00","slug":"ripe-and-ready","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/ripe-and-ready\/","title":{"rendered":"Ripe and ready"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong><\/strong>Buckley-inspired Shakespeare musical make for swift, action-filled night<\/p>\n

Por Charlene Baldridge | Cr\u00edtico de Teatro SDUN<\/p>\n

Michael Kimmel conceived and adapted William Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cRomeo and Juliet\u201d as a Broadway-type musical titled \u201cThe Last Goodbye\u201d that uses 16 songs, most written or recorded by the late Jeff Buckley, an eclectic folk-rocker who died when he was 30.<\/p>\n

\"(l<\/a>
(l to r) Talisa Friedman and Jay Armstrong (Photo by Matthew Murphy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The ardent and poetic Buckley had much in common with Shakespeare\u2019s ardent and poetic Romeo. Buckley wrote of love, longing and the pain of separation endured by humankind. Both Shakespeare\u2019s fictional wooer and the real, sensitive singer-songwriter died way too young.<\/p>\n

The Williamstown Theatre Festival produced the world premiere of Kimmel\u2019s \u201cThe Last Goodbye\u201d in 2010. The updated Old Globe production opened Sunday, Oct. 6, directed by Alex Timbers (\u201cPeter and the Starcatcher\u201d and \u201cBloody Bloody Andrew Jackson\u201d).<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, Kimmel\u2019s concept and adaptation, and Buckley\u2019s songs complement each other, though some Shakespeare purists may be put off by the piece, which conflates the action in various scenes and does away entirely with Count Paris\u2019 11th hour slaying in the tomb of the Capulets.<\/p>\n

There are numerous times when the frantic goings-on and the high-decibel music distract from Shakespeare\u2019s text. There is no denying, however, that the result of Kimmel\u2019s cuts make a swift, action-filled evening, rife with opposing, leather-clad teen gangs armed with knives and swords, and filled with unspent sexual longing and bravado.<\/p>\n

As we know, it\u2019s a recipe for disaster, even today, though the weapons have changed.<\/p>\n

Quite simply, Romeo Montague (played by ultra-appealing Jay Armstrong Johnson, blessed with a beautiful voice and a fabulous high falsetto) falls in love with Juliet Capulet (petite Talisa Friedman, whose voice is more edgy than any Juliet ever seen), the 13-year-old daughter of a rival faction in circa-unspecific Verona.<\/p>\n

Count Paris (Eric Morris) asks Capulet (Daniel Oreskes) for his daughter\u2019s hand and is told, \u201clet two more summers wither their pride \/ ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.\u201d<\/p>\n

Juliet is ripe. Romeo is ready. Friar Laurence (Stephen Bogardus) marries them and tragedy ensues when Romeo slays Juliet\u2019s cousin, Tybalt (Jeremy Woodard), in a street fight. Romeo is banished.<\/p>\n

Faced with her clueless parents\u2019 edict that she marry Paris, Juliet takes a potion that gives the appearance of death, then waits in the tomb for the potion to wear off and for Romeo to reawaken her. Romeo fails to receive Laurence\u2019s letter about Juliet\u2019s condition, thinks she\u2019s dead, and poisons himself. Juliet awakens, sees Romeo dead, and kills herself with his dagger.<\/p>\n

Tonye Patano, who received a Critics Circle Award for her role in \u201cRuined\u201d at La Jolla Playhouse, is an excellent nurse. Hale Appleman portrays Mercutio, and Brandon Gill presents a gripping Benvolio. Gill\u2019s gorgeous voice and diction add much to the closing scene, sung to Leonard Cohen\u2019s \u201cHallelujah,\u201d which Buckley recorded to great acclaim.<\/p>\n

Orchestrator, music director and arranger Kris Kukul leads a seven-piece orchestra from the keyboard. The list of orchestra members includes sequestered strings, which I did not hear at all in Ken Travis\u2019s sound design. They could have contributed poignancy. The vocal and orchestral mix is good for the most part, and I detected only one instance of ensemble off-pitch singing.<\/p>\n

Christopher Barreca\u2019s heavy scenic design, Sonya Tayeh\u2019s choreography and Kate Waters\u2019 fight direction are impressive, and Jennifer Moeller\u2019s costumes are grand, especially the masks. Justin Townsend shines a lot of lights into audience members\u2019 eyes, a modern practice this critic abhors.<\/p>\n

Shakespeare\u2019s tragedy is in here somewhere. Buckley duets are used effectively, among them \u201cAll Flowers in Time (Bend Towards the Sun)\u201d sung by the lovers, and \u201cForget Her,\u201d sung by Benvolio and Romeo.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Last Goodbye\u201d<\/strong>
\nWHERE: Old Globe Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way (Balboa Park)<\/strong>
\nWHEN: Tuesday and Wednesday at 7 p.m.; Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m. through Nov. 3<\/strong>
\nINFO: 619-234-5623<\/strong>
\nWEB: elviejoglobo.org<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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