ORLANDO — There are some magnetic performances in the Orlando Shakes production of Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy Romeo And Juliet, including Suzanne O’Donnell, funny and ultimately devastated as Juliet’s devoted nurse, and the Shakes’ own artistic director Jim Helsinger who stands out as the kindly Friar Laurence. Their work here is a sensible reminder that Shakespearean theater can be a happy reward for veteran actors who know how to bring strong emotional depth and rich, refined vocals to the Bard’s legendary roles.

But one thing I really appreciated about the Shakes’ Romeo And Juliet: the vibrant way it felt like Gen Z was rushing on stage to declare a new generation had arrived. Nadia Ra’shaun’s coquettish Juliet comes across as childlike at first, an excitable teen who just got tickets to the upcoming Billie Eilish ticket at the Verona colosseum. Her Juliet looks ready for sleepovers with the other cool cats in her class.

The same excitement and energy is delivered by Brendan O’Leary’s high-strung, impulsive and undeniably passionate Romeo. Neither actor feels like a 30something doing a “Here’s my finest teen” thing. Ra’shaun and O’Leary help make this a particularly high-emotion Romeo And Juliet, and a richly rewarding one.

Romeo And Juliet is being performed at Shakes now through Sunday, Feb. 8, and I saw a lot of patrons coming in with extra helpings of tissue. Believe me, it wasn’t because of flu season.

How Is Orlando Shakes’ Production of Romeo And Juliet?

I have a lot of appreciation and respect for how the show’s director, Monica Long Tamborello, approached such a familiar piece. While the show runs for 2 1/2 hours, it never drags and certainly remains spirited the entire time. Tamborello captures not only the foreboding sense of looming tragedy, but a particularly engaging amount of humor, especially in the first act. Sure, we know Romeo and Juliet are star-crossed lovers from feuding families, but the youthful cast members have a considerable amount of wit and street-smarts that become part of their roles.

While the Orlando Shakes production crew build a gorgeous set and some visually stunning costumes to evoke 14th century Verona, the production has a contemporary feel thanks to the fast pacing, lively and enthusiastic performances, and the captivating way that Ra’shaun and O’Leary capture a love-at-first-sight, passionate romance of our young lovers. No matter how many times you may have read the play or watched it being performed as a high school or local theater production, the Shakes version can make you forget for a moment that this is, in fact, one of the Bard’s tragedies.

This is particularly true of the famous balcony scene, the moment when Juliet laments, “O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?” from her window, questioning why her beloved would have to be someone from her family’s mortal enemies the Montagues. One of the highlights of the show, Ra’shaun and O’Leary beautifully capture not just the exhilaration of first love but the almost manic desire to find a way to make it last, to overcome the challenge of their family’s long running feud. With delightful comedic timing, everything from O’Leary danging from the balcony to Ra’shaun repeatedly going inside her bedroom and then rushing back out — One more thing! — is played to perfection.

Romeo and Juliet remains not only one of the Shakespeare plays that get performed the most, but also one of the most frequently staged plays in the world, an audience-pleasing catnip that’s simply irresistible to professional, amateur, and school theaters. Literally hundreds of productions of this tragedy get staged globally every year, particularly around Valentine’s Day, and the Orlando Shakes’ exciting version certainly makes it very easy to see why.

The show’s themes are universal and easy to relate to. Burning love, as Elvis once noted, is tough to resist, and the plays heartbreaking ending still packs an emotional punch — in this case, you can literally feel the intense sorrow sweeping through the theater thanks to the two leads actors and their heart-wrenching performances.

The large ensemble cast truly brings this classic to vibrant life; performers such as John Gardiner as the fiery and enraged Lord Capulet and Walter Kmiec as Romeo’s witty and charismatic friend Mercutio do some terrific work here. It’s a marvelous production all around, but especially good thanks to two leads who capture the profound, intense, and highly emotional way that teens fall head over heels in love.

Where Can I See Romeo And Juliet?

Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet is being performed at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, 812 E. Rollins St. in Loch Haven Park, now through Sunday, Feb. 8. The play is 2 and a half hours long with a 15 minute intermission. The first act is an one hour and 15 minutes long, while the second act runs for an hour.

To purchase tickets, call the box office at (407) 447-1700.

Michael Freeman is an Orlando journalist, playwright, and author of the book A Christmas Eve Story. Contact him at Freelineorlando@gmail.com.

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