BakerShake shakes up a classic tale [A-]

By Allie Schaich     3/18/14 4:31pm

It’s no easy task to put on a production of a play as well known as William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Many great renditions of the play have been performed since its original debut in the late 1500s, and Baker College’s BakerShake certainly meets the high standards.

It’s no easy task to put on a production of a play as well known as William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Many great renditions of the play have been performed since its original debut in the late 1500s, and Baker College’s BakerShake certainly meets the high standards. Directed by Ron Kimbro (Sid Richardson ‘95) and produced by Baker sophomore Logan Crowl, the play features vibrant emotion, brilliant comic relief, intricate costume design and a talented cast of supporting characters that keep the audience’s eyes glued to the stage. While the performance is a bit lengthy — “two hours traffic of our stage,” as Shakespeare himself intended — the majority of the show is entertaining and exciting.

The cast and crew make creative use of the small stage, which dominates a corner of Baker’s commons; the size of the stage allows the actors to comfortably fill the space and establish a powerful presence. The costumes demonstrate the slightly more modern — in comparison with typically historical Verona — Italian Renaissance-esque setting and help to place the audience a few hundred years back in time. The lighting on set is simple yet tasteful; it mainly helps to showcase the main characters on the stage.  

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Wiess College sophomore Vicky Comesanas’ portrayal of Juliet is full of passion, sneaky brilliance and a little bit of sass. Throughout the play, Comesanas does an excellent job of representing Juliet as an outspoken young woman. She refuses to succumb to the Capulet family’s attempts to keep her away from the Montague clan and force her into a loveless marriage with Paris, played by Baker senior Daniel Echeverri. Juliet’s relationship and interactions with her Nurse, McMurtry College senior Molly Richardson, are wonderfully entertaining. Despite Nurse’s orders from the Capulet family to rein Juliet in from her devotion to Romeo, it is easy to see that, under the surface, she cares deeply for Juliet and wishes her desires could be fulfilled.

From his first appearance, McMurtry sophomore Juan Sebastian Cruz depicts Romeo as bold and domineering. However, some of his lines are delivered in a rushed manner, which prevents viewers from accurately interpreting the Shakespearean jargon used throughout the performance. In addition, while Cruz is great at controlling the stage and captivating the attention of the audience, his manner of expressing emotion seems repetitive. While his passion for the role is evident, his performance would have been better received had there been a stronger delineation between his emotional

reactions.

While the protagonists of a play will always be important, one of the most interesting aspects about BakerShake’s Romeo and Juliet is the personalities of the supporting cast. In contrast with tradition, both Tybalt, played by Will Rice College freshman Yasna Haghdoost, and Mercutio, played by Baker sophomore Katherine Gunn, are cast as females, which gives the play a slightly sassier tone than a typical production, due to both the actresses’ portrayal of the characters and the change in gender. Benvolio, played by Baker freshman Jon-Kyle Bailey, and Mercutio’s feisty conversations not only accurately portray the events as written in the original play, but also establish a more relaxed and entertaining tone for the scenes in which they appear.

Friar Lawrence, played by Hanszen College senior TC Weinlandt, and one of the Capulet servants, Peter, played by McMurtry senior Daniel Burns, demonstrate appropriately strong personalities. Lawrence has excellent chemistry in his interactions with all of the characters, particularly with Romeo and Juliet. Peter provides an excellent example of a ridiculously silly, hilarious servant to Lady Capulet, played by McMurtry senior Allison Burns. Peter’s lines, body movements and facial expressions elicit laughter from the audience each time he makes a joke or does something outrageous. 

This fresh, comical version of a classic tale of love and tragedy captivates the attention of the audience and portrays the story in a creative way. Performances take place in the Baker Commons at 8:00 p.m., March 14-15 and 20-22. Admission is $5 for Rice students, $7 for faculty and staff and $10 for the general public.

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