Written by William Shakespeare and Directed by Laura Clinton & Daniel Walton
The Chain | 312 W 36th St. 4th floor, New York, NY 10018
November 13-15
The works of William Shakespeare have endured the last four centuries because of their humanness, and thereby, their ability to be adapted into almost any concept imaginable. The most recent concept being explored by Laura Clinton & Daniel Walton has a Verona that is devoid of any other colors beyond blacks, whites, and the occasional gray, that is, until our lovers meet and the world slowly comes to shocking life.
Or it would have been shocking if anyone on the stage allowed the introduction of color to affect them or change them in some way beyond telegraphed ahead of time color changes. This Millennial’s heart loves Shakespeare and the way color can startle a character. Some of my favorite stories and films have this.
Judy Garland is rendered speechless as she steps out of her sepia Kansas farmhouse into the orgy of color that is Munchkinland in The Wizard of Oz. Joan Allan is full of fear when a solo exploration in a bathtub gives her the plumpest of red lips in Pleasantville. Liam Neeson is gripped with wonder when he sees a red jacket on a little girl in Schindler’s List. The wonder that is color fills a person with emotion; it’s why when there are videos of colorblind people putting on the glasses to help them see, we cry right along with them.
The addition of color in this production of Romeo & Juliet leaves the ensemble as unmoved as though they had been told there was macaroni for lunch today. Romeo’s pants are an electric blue! Fine. Juliet’s babydoll dress is a hot pink! Okay. When the Nurse’s kerchief becomes red, the moment is ignored by her and Juliet. I kept waiting for the fabric walls to change from a drab gray to anything else, but sadly the moment never came.
There were a handful of bright spots in the play, beyond the lights. When Juliet (Carolyn Oursler), Lady Capulet (Laura Santo), and the Nurse (Julia Marie Black) all came together at the top of the play to discuss birthdays and womanhood, the camaraderie between the women was wonderful, and I was glad to see actors finally talking to each other instead of non-specifically mush-mouthing their way through the Middle English. Lord Capulet’s (Alex Rafala) speeches, while very long, were handled well, and I knew we were in good hands. Friar Lawrence (Milton Daniel Lopez) reached for a gravitas that was a tad beyond the young actor’s age, but he gave a yeoman’s attempt and was one of the clearest actors in the production.
Ultimately, a concept is nice. Follow-through is better.
Click HERE for tickets.
Review by Trey Radu-Blackburn
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on November 13, 2026. All rights reserved.