Romeo and Juliet (National Asian American Theatre Company) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (87)
See it if You value creativity, excellent acting and direction. I was in tears, it was so good.
Don't see it if You cannot bear the thought of an artist recreating a classic, even if it comes out better than the original. Read more
See it if want to see a new interpretation of R&J, support AAPI artists, enjoying a different version that is still very true to the text
Don't see it if You want what we consider today to be a “classic” Shakespeare interpretation. If uncomfortable with heavy sexual innuendos
See it if You want to see Romeo and Juliet in a new and bright light. This was so much fun and serious too. I enjoyed the audience reaction too!
Don't see it if If you want to see something traditional and can’t imagine finding humor is the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet.
See it if You enjoy a very innovative depiction of this Shakespere classic. The cast was very physical and modern yet kept the classic intact.
Don't see it if You want your Shakespere classic.
See it if interested in alternate version of Romeo & Juliet. Into avante garde/experimental and edgy theater production in a cozy & creative setting.
Don't see it if impatient to sit on a 3 hour play with minimum music (not a musical). If you dislike a chnage in plot & dialogue to more hilarious version
See it if Hansol Jung and Dustin Wills make dynamic, fearless shows together! Their cast is excellent - funny, spot-on, with great music besides.
Don't see it if You wouldn’t like to see Shakespeare done in the bawdy, vulgar, brash way it was probably done while he was still alive.
See it if Enjoyable, powerful & very creative production of this classic, blended with a 2023 feel. Kudos to the entire cast. Beautiful singing.
Don't see it if Some theater goers may prefer the traditional production.
See it if Gorgeous Asian-American actors with high-energy talent play the Bard on steroids. Clever, amusing, satisfying. Thrilling fight scenes
Don't see it if This is great introductory Shakespeare -- it is so enjoyable and accessible. But it may be a bit raunchy at times for children. We loved it
Critic Reviews (9)
"...this is a sportive, vividly acted production that fails to make a convincing case for its many directorial flights and vernacular interventions. Jung and Wills have thrown much spaghetti at the 'Romeo and Juliet' wall. The result is a lot of noodling around."
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"The result is tonal whiplash from a 'Romeo and Juliet' that cannot decide whether it is a comedy or a tragedy. If we in the audience must choose, so must the creatives."
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“This new take on Romeo and Juliet immediately draws a line between Elizabethan and contemporary language, but it is a muddled and constantly shifting one…I guess if Shakespeare survived Colley Cibber and Rockabye Hamlet, this, too, shall pass. Still, there's something pointless about the effort; I much prefer wholesale reimaginations like Seize the King, Will Power's muscular retelling of Richard III, to the sort of filigree practiced here. More perplexing is the staging…a wayward collection of devices that never coalesces into a coherent point of view.”
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“In this version, which boasts a modern verse translation by Hansol Jung, I found myself longing for tragic relief so as to at least periodically feel some empathy for the star-crossed lovers. Alas, those moments are often undercut by more fooling.”
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“...Jung and Willis insert ominous touches from the start, but let the tragic developments unfold in a way that can make their sting feel, in this case, surprisingly fresh.”
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In addition to making the language truly accessible with a mix of the Shakespeare speeches we’ve come to know and love and modern verse that doesn’t take much away from the traditional experience of the vast language of Shakespeare, we are immersed in the space from the very moment we enter the theatre. We are asked to take sides…literally. A coat hanger with a makeshift sign that says “Pick Side” greets you at the entrance. Are you a Montague or are you a Capulet? The stage is a wooden circle with the audience sitting on either side.
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"Jung’s version opens as a comedy, with the audience laughing at every line, knowing the sad outcome of the tale as the play begins...Jung’s interpretation doesn’t challenge the work of Shakespeare’s classic, but enhances it by bringing her version to a new audience, and the final standing ovation was proof of her success."
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This anything-goes attitude pervades the production, most of it making little sense, and stirring the audience to laugh—and me to groan—at one lowest common denominator lazzi after the other. This is the kind of wink-wink Shakespeare, for example, where it’s considered hilarious to have the actors simulate masturbation no matter how flimsy the pretext. You can imagine the thrill the directors felt when the word “prick” raised its head in the text.
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