Shakespeare’s great romance Romeo and Juliet begins performances at the Festival Theatre today, featuring Jonathan Mason and Vanessa Sears in the title roles. At the helm is director Sam White, returning to Stratford from Detroit for her third season.
“Any production of Romeo and Juliet has to evoke some hope for the tragedy to matter in the end,” says White in a news release. “I think folks will be delighted to see a play that has some optimism but that is also quite heartbreaking.”
Often called the greatest love story of all time, Romeo and Juliet has captivated audiences and artists for centuries and provided the inspiration for hundreds of films, ballets, operas, novels and the iconic Broadway musical West Side Story. This production, which features lavish design from the early Italian Renaissance, is a wonderful introduction to Shakespeare and a welcome return to a beloved story.
Romeo and Juliet features Graham Abbey as Capulet, Jessica B. Hill as Lady Capulet, Andrew Iles as Mercutio, Glynis Ranney as Nurse and Scott Wentworth as Friar Laurence, with Hilary Adams, David Collins, Howard Dai as Gregory, Nick Dolan as Prince Escalus, Thomas Duplessie as Peter, Austin Eckert as Paris, Steven Hao as Benvolio, Graham Hargrove, Ziye Hu, Jenna-Lee Hyde, Jasmine Jones-Ball, John Kirkpatrick as Balthasar and Friar John, Derek Kwan, Tarique Lewis as Sampson, Marissa Orjalo, Antonette Rudder as Lady Montague, Michael Spencer-Davis as Montague and Ol’ Cousin Capulet, Emilio Vieira as Tybalt, Rylan Wilkie and Angus Yam.
The creative team includes set and costume designer Sue LePage, lighting designer Louise Guinand, composer and sound designer Debashis Sinha, fight and intimacy director Anita Nittoly, and choreographer Adrienne Gould.
The 2024 season also features Twelfth Night, Something Rotten!, London Assurance, La Cage aux Folles, Wendy and Peter Pan, Salesman in China, Cymbeline, Hedda Gabler, The Diviners, The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? and Get That Hope. For more information, visit stratfordfestival.ca. Romeo and Juliet officially opens on June 1 and runs until October 26 at the Festival Theatre. Tickets are available at stratfordfestival.ca or by calling 1-800-567-1600.
