St. Louis Shakespeare Presents ROMEO AND JULIET

St. Louis' premier classical theatre since 1984. ST. LOUIS SHAKESPEARE PRESENTS ROMEO & JULIET St. Louis, MO, January 17, 2022: St. Louis Shakespeare presents William Shakespeare's ROMEO & JULIET, the final production of the Company's 34th Season. "My only love sprung from my only hate!" Directed by Blake Anthony Edwards, the production is set in today's Verona. "Shakespeare, more than any other author, has instructed the West in the catastrophes of sexuality, and has invented the formula that the sexual becomes the erotic when crossed by the shadow of death. There had to be one high song of the erotic by Shakespeare, one lyrical and tragi-comical paean celebrating an unmixed love and lamenting its inevitable destruction. Romeo and Juliet is unmatched, in Shakespeare and in the world's literature, as a vision of an uncompromising mutual love that perishes of its own idealism and intensity." -Harold Bloom, Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human When is love more keenly felt than by the young? How can love breach the boundaries of feudal animosity and politics? Shakespeare's most iconic love story unravels the mysteries of these questions and more. Set in a climate of families at odds with each other, youthful passion leads to ardor, conflict, homicide, revenge, suicide, and bereavement. The Bard takes us on a journey through the many hearts of society, reflecting both past and present. What can we learn to instruct the future? The Plot: An age-old vendetta between two powerful families erupts into bloodshed. A young lovesick Romeo Montague falls instantly in love with Juliet Capulet, who is due to marry her father's choice, the County Paris. With the help of Juliet's nurse, the women arrange for the couple to marry the next day, but Romeo's attempt to halt a street fight leads to the death of Juliet's own cousin, Tybalt, for which Romeo is banished. In a desperate attempt to be reunited with Romeo, Juliet follows the Friar's plot and fakes her own death. The message fails to reach Romeo, and believing Juliet dead, he takes his life in her tomb. Juliet wakes to find Romeo's corpse beside her and kills herself. The grieving family agree to end their feud. Director Blake Edwards says: "The modern trend with Shakespeare is to set his plays in new and interesting eras and locations. When it works, it can be magical, but I feel that all too often it comes across as a gimmick that doesn't help to illuminate the plays themselves. We are aiming to remove this production from "time" altogether, given the "timeless" nature of the story of these two young lovers. Hopefully our setting will strike audiences as either an earlier world that seems somehow contemporary, or a modern world with echoes of a bygone era. The surprises we have in store will be derived from re-imagination, rather than re-interpretation; from playing with the playwright's text, rather than with an overlain director's concept." The production features the following cast: ROMEO - Erik Peterson; JULIET - Evie Bennett; LADY MONTAGUE - Rhianna Anesa; TYBALT - Jade Collins; FRIAR LAWRENCE - Nick Freed; LADY CAPULET - Hillary Gokenbach; PETER - Matthew Kauzlarich; PRINCE - Don McClendon; BENVOLIO - Emma McDonough; NURSE - Donna Parrone; MERCUTIO - Quinn Spivey; LORD CAPULET - Robert Stevenson; PARIS - Nic Tayborn. STAGE MANAGER: Danielle Sherman, STAGE COMBAT CHOREOGRAPHER: Dennis Saldana, COSTUME DESIGNER: Amanda Handle, SCENIC DESIGNER: Cris Edwards, LIGHTING DESIGNER: JT Taylor, SOUND DESIGNER: Tori Meyer, PROPS DESIGNER: SH Boygen Performance Dates and Times: • February 10, Thurs 10:00 am (School Matinee, reservations required) • February 11, Fri 8:00 pm • February 12, Sat 8:00 pm • February 13, Sun 2:00 pm • February 17, Thurs 7:30 pm • February 18, Fri 10:00 am (School Matinee, reservations required) • February 18, Fri 8:00 pm • February 19, Sat 8:00 pm • February 20, Sun 2:00 pm Romeo and Juliet will be performed at the Reim Auditorium at the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 S Geyer Rd, Kirkwood, MO 63122. Ample free parking is available on the lots adjoining the Auditorium. The venue is wheelchair accessible. Face masks covering nose and mouth are required indoors. Tickets prices are: $20 General Admission, $18 Seniors (65 and up), $15 Students (25 and under) and Teachers with ID. Tickets: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/5332715 or call 314-361-5664.