‘Romeo and Juliet / Romeo y Julieta’

By Alix Cohen

There’s much to recommend The Public Theater’s first production of this Shakespeare classic in 40 years. Firstly, its cast contains stand-outs:

Star-crossed lovers, Romeo (Daniel Bravo Hernandez) and Juliet (Ra’Mya Latiah Aikens- just graduated in 2025!) are well matched.Chemistry is palpable. Language has conversational cadence, yet maintains respect for Shakespeare’s idiom.The actors convince us of impulsive, obsessive, idealistic love – with heat. Aikens is disarmingly fresh; Hernandez virile and bold.

Veteran Deidre O’Connell must be having a grand time as Juliet’s blousy, feisty, devoted Nurse. “If he speak anything of me, I will take him down!” Even from far seats, we know there’s a twinkle in the character’s jaded eye. O’Connell’s often droll timing is eloquent. Inebriation (she carries a flask) emerges nuanced.

As Lord Capulet, Glenn Fleshler is another artist who knows his way around the Bard. Language is respected and character specific. Fleshler appears born to the blood, proud and unquestionably entitled. Graceful in movement, volcanic in anger, wrenching in grief, the actor delivers.

Caleb Joshua Eberhardt’s Mercutio is good-natured and loyal, up for boyish highjinks yet, when necessary, wisely grounded by circumstances. His portrayal is physically dynamic, emotionally believable; a pleasure to watch. Enunciated language flows trippingly off the tongue. The Maab speech is marvelous.

Friar Lawrence’s thoughtful, clever qualities arrive credible by way of understated actor Frances Jue. A dash of frustration would be welcome. Rachel Crowl deserves recognition for a dark, calculating quality in her brief turn as Apothecary.

Director Saheem Ali opens this interpretation with a tableau vivant. His cast assembles around a gold statue of the lovers replete with wings, rising from a trap. Friar Lawrence sings the preface in English and Spanish, with vocal back-up.
Nifty moments:

When Juliet falls in love-at-first-sight with party-crasher Romeo and inquires as to his identity, her Nurse asks the audience. When Romeo leaps, darts, and ducks all over the audience, “he hath hid himself among these –trees”, Mercutio and Benvolio (a solid Zack Lopez Roa) go looking for him with flashlights.

Discovering she’s overheard during balcony musings, Juliet shrieks and momentarily disappears. She climbs up and down stairs several times, excited, shy and panting, to converse with her lover-to-be. Romeo’s extravagant flattery provokes charming physical reaction.

Use of guns instead of swords fits the ethos of the piece. A playful tussle between Malvolio and Romeo teeters on sexual. I don’t know whether it should be credited to the choreographer or fight director, but it’s wonderful to watch.
The Apothecary retrieves a small bottle of poison from beneath a wrenched up cross on a tomb. Reconciliation includes a mass hugging which humanizes the outcome.

Lighting the tomb on which the lovers lay cheapens the moment. Trays of candles all over the stage suffice.

Let’s talk about the bilingual- English and Spanish aspect of this production:

Shakespeare’s language – vivid imagery, metaphor, poetic techniques, and idiom, is central to his work. Use of rhythm, wordplay, and memorable oration helps audiences to connect with themes and characters centuries later.

This program opens with a speech about The Public Theater making culture available to everyone. Watching a play in which long, often pivotal passages of dialogue are in a foreign language, however, shuts out a sizeable portion of those in attendance

While the Bard has been frequently translated for entire productions, a hybrid concept makes it possible to miss important plot points, character motivations, humor, or emotional nuance. Even if context helps convey the general meaning, effort required to infer dialogue can distract from the performance itself.

As the rest of an audience audibly reacts- especially laughing- a non-bilingual person feels at sea. The production risks creating uneven experiences, where comprehension depends largely on prior language knowledge rather than on the artistic work alone. In other words- where are the super-titles?!

I had an illuminating conversation with a couple of Greek actresses sitting behind me. Two points were made.
1. Because they’re extremely familiar with text, not just story, it’s sufficient to watch movement, expression, and react to cadence. The percentage of audience to which this applies is minimal.
2. Because English is to them a second language, they’re accustomed to mining other clues for meaning. This might apply to native Spanish speakers. Unless you’re bilingual, however, avoidable frustration is likely.

A vibrant, entertaining evening of Shakespeare- that could be so much more so.

Scenic Design (Maruti Evans)- a desolate, colorless graveyard- is so gloomy, it fights against the hope and joy of the play. Giant, looming statues of a Madonna and Death – the fates? – parked behind the slatted wall- do little to enhance.
A stage trap is effectively used.

Topical allusions include: Hand painted signs like “Defund the Wall” and the scrawling of “Abolish ICE” which evoke cheers, but are a stretch where the plot is concerned. There’s no war, no active usurper. This is a feud; Banners are printed with white stars on black (hung left) and black and white horizontal stripes (hung right) – a suffering country? Again, a stretch.

Christopher Akerlind’s Lighting is nuanced and precise, even when chasing a character through audience. Towering shadows are splendid.

Costumes (Oana Botez) distinguish between families and excel at fancy dress, mixing contemporary with ersatz period attire. Soldiers’ muted African print separates oddly work. Black leather suits Tybalt.

The Apothecary who, in dialogue, is referred to as poor, defies logic attired in a jeweled robe. And I don’t understand the cowboy boots- even worn by Juliet with her pajamas.

Michael Thurber’s Original (Motown-ish song) Music is neither courtly nor Spanish in feel, leaving us hanging, while incidental music feels appropriate.
As always, Thomas Schall manifests believable fighting.

Photos by Joan Marcus

The night I attended, a couple rose from the audience- artists? in hand painted clothes, to be married by
Father Lawrence of The Universal Life Church.

The Public Theater presents
Romeo and Juliet/ Romeo y Julieta by William Shakespeare
Spanish Translations by Alfredo Michel Modeness
Choreography- Mayte Natalio
Directed by Saheem Ali
Through Sunday June 28, 2026

The Delacorte Theater, Central Park

Tickets:

Digital Lottery: Enter the daily digital lottery via the TodayTix App for a chance to claim last-minute seats.

In-Person Lines: Free ticket vouchers are distributed at 12:00 PM (Noon) on performance days at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. You should plan to arrive early to wait in line.

Borough Distribution: Vouchers are given out at pop-up locations across all five NYC boroughs on specific dates.

https://publictheater.org