THEATRE CALGARY’S ONLINE VERSION OF ROMEO & JULIET INVENTIVE, FUN
From concept to execution, Theatre Calgary’s Shakespeare by the Bow’s online version of Romeo & Juliet is commendably inventive.
Because of all the current lockdown restrictions, Theatre Calgary was unable to rehearse Shakespeare’s beloved romantic tragedy in a traditional manner or to present it at the open air space on Prince’s Island. To cancel it would have meant to break a 32-year tradition of presenting a summer Shakespeare show.
Theatre Calgary’s artistic director Stafford Arima, in conjunction with The Shakespeare Company and Hit & Myth Productions, came up with the idea of rehearsing and presenting this year’s Romeo & Juliet and still adhere to all lockdown protocols. The eight cast members, working with director Haysam Kadri, rehearsed the show from their individual locations in Calgary and Edmonton and it is being livestreamed free every Wednesday and Saturday at 7 p.m. until July 18.
The complexity of this process is mind boggling and, for the most part, the premiere on June 27 unfolded without any major technical problems, which is admirable in itself.
Kadri and Jenna Turk edited Shakespeare’s script to a minimalist 55 minutes, which means the basic plot is intact but many of the characters, speeches and scenes have been edited.
Kadri and Turk have set their Romeo & Juliet in contemporary Calgary with references to the COVID pandemic, the city lockdown and the wearing of personal protective masks. The characters send each other text messages and often Facetime with each other which makes for some very innovative and fun new conventions.
Kurt Firla has created a hilarious animation sequence to accompany the opening fight scene when Juliet’s cousin Tybalt (Chelsea Woodard) confronts several members of the Montague clan, which beautifully sets the high-energy, high-spirited tone of the show.
On opening night Mayor Naheed Nenshi delivered the opening prologue. I assume this will fall to a different guest star at each remaining performance.
Zach Running Coyote and
Anna Dalgleish, who play the star-crossed lovers, are a couple in real life so they get to interact with each other for the famous meeting, balcony, parting and death scenes but they must interact with all the other actors through split screens and phones.
There are obvious gimmicks that are both effective and fun as when Juliet talks to her nurse (Kaeley Jade Wiebe), as they both stare through an open door in their respective spaces.
Many of the scenes are played for more humour than normal as when Romeo, Mercutio (Billy
Brown) and Benvolio (Siddharth Kumar) are getting ready to attend the Capulet party. Their grooming procedures are hilarious, with Kumar in particular clowning in grand fashion.
All the actors in this Romeo & Juliet are emerging artists, which means Juliet and her mother (Melanie Bahniuk) are obviously the same age. So Bahniuk goes for a heightened performance to compensate. It’s effective but it never allows her to hit genuine emotions. The same is true for Kiana Wu as a version of Friar Lawrence, the character who counsels Romeo and gives Juliet the sleeping potion.
Running Coyote and Dalgleish are more successful in their scenes together for obvious reasons and are particularly convincing and effective in their initial meeting and the parting scene.
Accessing the remaining Saturday and Wednesday performances of this virtual Romeo & Juliet is easy and free. Just go to theatrecalgary.com and click on the large message board.