Riverside Theatre's “Romeo & Juliet" at Lower City Park -- June 13 through 29.
Friday, June 13, through Sunday, June 29
Lower City Park, 200 Park Road, Iowa City IA
For the company's annual classical production staged in Iowa City's Lower City Park, Riverside Theatre takes on perhaps the most beloved – and certainly the most famous – tragic romance of all time, with William Shakespeare's timeless Romeo & Juliet enjoying an outdoor run from June 13 through 29.
Romeo & Juliet belongs to a tradition of tragic romances stretching back to antiquity, with its plot based on an Italian tale translated into verse as The Tragical History of Romeus & Juliet by Arthur Brooke in 1562, and retold in prose in William Painter's Palace of Pleasure in 1567. Shakespeare borrowed heavily from both but expanded the plot by developing a number of supporting characters, particularly Mercutio and Paris. Believed to have been written between 1591 and 1595, the play was first published in a quarto version in 1597, and Shakespeare's use of poetic dramatic structure – including effects such as switching between comedy and tragedy to heighten tension, the expansion of minor characters, and numerous sub-plots to embellish the story – was an early demonstration of the author's dramatic skill.
One of the Bard's most frequently revisited works, Romeo & Juliet has been adapted numerous times for stage, cinema, musical, and opera venues. During the English Restoration, it was revived and heavily revised by William Davenant. David Garrick's 18th-century version also modified several scenes, removing material then considered indecent, and Georg Benda's Romeo und Julie omitted much of the action and used a happy ending. Performances in the 19th century, including Charlotte Cushman's, restored the original text and focused on greater realism, while John Gielgud's legendary 1935 version kept very close to Shakespeare's text and used Elizabethan costumes and staging to enhance the drama. In the 20th and into the 21st century, the play has been adapted in versions as diverse as George Cukor's 1936 film, Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 movie hit (which famously cast age-appropriate leads), and Baz Luhrmann's MTV-inspired Romeo + Juliet from 1996.
Riverside's producing artistic director Adam Knight returns to the directing chair for Romeo & Juliet, his other recent presentations including The Lifespan of a Fact, Scalia/Ginsburg, A Case for the Existence of God, and The Cure at Troy. Melissa L.F. Turner serves as the romantic tragedy's stage manager, with additional members of the creative team including: scenic designer Shawn Ketchum Johnson; costume designer Abigail Mansfield Coleman; lighting designer Lauren Duffie; sound designer Tyler Salow; props designer Stephen Polchert; intimacy choreographer Carrie Pozdol; fight choreographer K. Michael Moore; choreographer Meegan Colletta Huckfeldt; verse coach and dramaturg Kathleen Johnson; and assistant stage managers Olivia Jursik and Mathew Kier.
Portraying Shakespeare's titular star-crossed lovers are Mark Worth and Dale Leonheart, with other famed roles enacted by Barrington Vaxter (Mercutio), Christina Sullivan (Benvolio), Devon Stone (Paris), Hunter Meyer (Tybalt), and Joy Vandervort-Cobb (Nurse). Completing Knight's gifted cast are: Grant Blades; Jenna Eckhart; Cristina Goyeneche; Jason Crubbe; Nelina Ketchum Johnson; HwaYoun Kang; Joey Lepire; K. Michael Moore; Hannah Oldham; Alicia Philadelphia; and Jaye Piper Rosewell.
Romeo & Juliet will be performed on the Riverside Festival Stage in Iowa City's Lower City Park from June 13 through 29, with performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Admission is free, and more information is available by calling (319)887-1360 and visiting RiversideTheatre.org.
