Creating a show for the theatre is all about taking chances, and Huntington Outdoor Theatre took a big one this year in creating their own version of William Shakespeare’s most well-known play, Romeo & Juliet.
Since HOT only produces musicals, they had the idea of combining modern music with the classic text. Needless to say, that’s not the kind of thing Shakespeare purists are going to be happy about - but for the general audience, you end up with a show that combines the fun of musical theatre with an enduring tragic tale. Kudos to HOT for having the courage to stick their necks out!
And a special “hats off” to my pal Mark Smith, the show's musical director, who tackled the job of not only teaching the music to the cast, but figuring out what songs to use and how to incorporate them into the show. It was a herculean job, and HOT was lucky to have Mark there ready, willing and able to tackle the job! The cast sounds fantastic on those numbers, and Mark deserves a lot of credit for that. Also, he's assembled an outstanding band to provide the music for the show.
Of course, if you’re going to tackle one of the classic shows in the history of theatre, it’s always a good idea to make sure you have a really talented cast on hand - and that’s exactly what HOT did.
In the title role of Juliet is Brittany Hazeldine, an incredibly talented actress and a powerful singer - she’s wonderful in the role. (I’ve bragged about her many times for past performances, and I’ve directed her in shows before, so I admit to being prejudiced - but she really lights up the stage.)
Playing Romeo is a relative newcomer to the stage, Philip Cron, and he also does an excellent job as both an actor and a singer. Together, he and Brittany have great chemistry as the classic star-crossed lovers.
As Benvolio, Josh Meredith turns in an excellent performance, and he gets to show off his extraordinary singing and dancing skills - a terrific job!
Chuck Herndon nearly steals the show as Mercutio, the brash and very funny friend of Romeo’s. He’s also involved in an excellent swordfighting sequence with Tybalt, played with villainous flair by Wesley Boggs. Their scenes together throw off real sparks (and probably leave more than a few bruises).
Angela Hunt also gets to steal the spotlight for a few scenes as Juliet’s Nurse - she’s very funny, and pitch perfect in every way.
Stephen Vance and Joanna Bokovitz do excellent work as Juliet’s parents, the Lord and Lady Capulet, as they make the transition from loving parents to brutally harsh tyrants in the course of the play.
Shayne Gue turns in another fine performance as Juliet’s suitor, Paris, and he gets to sing “She’s Got a Way,” one of my favorite Billy Joel songs.
Kristopher Corbett has a fun turn as the (somewhat) eccentric Friar Lawrence, whose well-meant schemes bring the plot to its tragic peak.
Nathan Cron has a brief turn as the Apothecary, and gets to have a lot of fun singing “Love Potion #9.”
Ryan Jackson holds the story together as the law-enforcing Prince, who struggles to keep the peace between the warring Montague and Capulet families.
I also have to give a shout-out to Chris Crawford for his very funny turn as Balthasar - it’s not a big part, but he gets the laughs in the song, “Love Stinks.”
Kudos to the rest of the cast for their excellent supporting efforts, including Mark Radford, Thomas Rice, Hilary Roush, Keith VanDyke, Lexi Smith, Cody Verbage, Logan Moye, Chad Arthur, Casey Homonai, Alaina Krantz, Kelsey McCallister, Grace McMicken, Angela Pino, Rachel Tadlock, Sheri Tadlock and Mary Frances Wilkes.
Congratulations also for outstanding work by the directing team, including Director Helen Freeman, Choreographer Patti Freeman, Fight Choreographer Jack Cirillo, and Scenic Designer Steven Freeman (who also came up with the creative concept).
Most of the people who sit in the audience and watch a show have no idea how much time and effort goes into a production like this. It’s a tremendous commitment, and my hats are off to the actors, the directors, the tech crew and all those who put so much time and effort into the production! Take a bow, y'all!
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