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Multi-Award Winning Stage and Screen Actor John Leguizamo Wrote and Stars in The Other Americas at Arena Stage
The Other Americans
Arena Stage
Jordan Wright
November 6, 2024
Special to The Zebra
 Bradley James Tejeda (Eddie), Luna Lauren Velez (Patti), Rosa Arredondo (Norma), Rebecca Jimenez (Toni), and John Leguizamo (Nelson) (Photo/T. Charles Erickson Photography.) Reflecting style elements of “I Love Lucy”, “American Family”, “Primo”, “One Day at a Time”, “Chico and the Man”, “Ugly Betty”, “Modern Family”, “George Lopez” and other well-loved TV sitcoms based on the Latino experience in America, The Other Americans tells a story about a humorous and dysfunctional Columbian American family struggling to achieve the ‘American Dream’ while at the same time keeping their family from falling apart. Yet, unlike many feel-good, living-in-America TV shows, this searing play reveals a far darker theme than other. It revolves around a suicidal son and a family in crisis.
Playwright, John Leguizamo is a multi-award-winning actor and playwright who has garnered more than his share of Tony, Emmy, Drama Desk, Obie and Outer Critics Circle awards. As well-known for stand-up as for his film work, often portraying gritty characters on the fringes of society, Leguizamo both wrote and stars in this world premiere family dramedy that showcases his live performance skills and film experience. In the role of Nelson, he gives us a father and jokester whose outsized ego systematically tears apart the family he most loves.
 Luna Lauren Velez (Patti) and John Leguizamo (Nelson) (Photo/T. Charles Erickson Photography.) It begins with light banter between Nelson, Eddie, Veronica and Patti. Patti is preparing a large Latino style meal to celebrate Nicky’s return home. While they await Nicky’s return, the couple tease each other playfully, bust a move to Latin and disco music and blame each other relentlessly for Nicky’s mental breakdown. We begin to see Nelson’s drinking problem, his demeaning treatment of Eddie and his domineering attitude towards Patti. Nelson owns a string of laundromats inherited from his father and the family is living a comfortable life with a just-built swimming pool in hopes of convincing competitive swimmer Nicky to stay at home.
When Nicky returns any hope of family unity collapses quickly as both Nelson and Patti act out their frustrations towards him and each other for his refusal to accept their plans for his future. Nelson pressures him to go into the laundromat biz, while Patti insists he live at home and return to his college education. However, in a flash of self-determination, Nicky declares his intent to move in with the elusive Mitzi and become a choreographer. This becomes yet another rift in an already high-stress environment, making clear clear that no one’s agency is valued in this emotionally unstable household.
 Rebecca Jimenez (Toni), Rosa Arredondo (Norma), and Sarah Nina Hayon (Veronica) Along with the intense drama of a family in financial and emotional trauma are elements of comic relief. The lines are cleverly written and deftly acted, yet this story is about a family who descends into a nobody-wins, all-out competition of sabotage and self-destruction and it’s not until the second act when Nicky’s illness is revealed. Cue a story of racism and violence.
As despicable a character as he has written for himself, Leguizamo’s performance as Nelson is extraordinary. His capacity for warp-speed morphing from caring father to domineering husband to chief manipulator and one-man insult factory is a master class in and of itself. But it can only be successful with the counterbalance of co-star Velez’s stellar performance as Patti who matches his fire, as well as Trey Santiago-Hudson’s searing star turn as Nicky.
 Rebecca Jimenez (Toni) and Trey Santiago-Hudson (Nicky) (Photo/T. Charles Erickson Photography.) Thanks to the brilliance of famed director Ruben Santiago-Hudson this broadly complex American tragedy comes to life only to echo the destructive human conflicts that seem never to be resolved. What serves to temper the drama is Patti’s actual cooking, done onstage with accompanying aromas thanks to Arnulfo Maldonado’s brilliant set design of a functioning kitchen + living room + bedroom + outdoor swimming pool – all enhanced by Simon Adrian’s and Kayla Prough’s props.
Destined to be an American classic.
 John Leguizamo (Nelson) and Luna Lauren Velez (Patti) (Photo/T. Charles Erickson Photography.) Associate Director Timothy Johnson; Dramaturg Jack Moore; Costumes by Kara Harmon; Lighting Design by Jen Schriever; Sound Design by Justin Ellington; Original Music by Ricky Gonzalez; Hair Design by LaShawn Melton; Fight Director, Thomas Schall; and Intimacy Coordinator, Ann C. James.
Through November 24th at Arena Stage on the Fichandler Stage, 1101 Sixth Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024. For tickets and information call the box office at 202 488-3300 or visit www.ArenaStage.org.
Kennedy Center’s All Star Cast Shines in Fidelio – Beethoven’s Only Opera Merges Love, War and Tenderness
Fidelio
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Jordan Wright
October 28, 2024
 Derek Welton (Pizarro), David Leigh (Rocco), Sinéad Campbell Wallace (Leonore), Jamez McCorkle (Florestan) (Photo/Cory Weaver) Hear ye! Hear ye! Ludvig Van Beethoven’s Fidelio is revived at the Kennedy Center! The only opera the composer ever wrote took him decades to finish and was poorly received when it premiered in Vienna in 1805. Since then, it has undergone the efforts of three librettists, overture substitutions and ten difficult years of struggles until ultimately becoming the sweeping opera we know today.
Written during the extreme censorship period after the French Revolution in the aftermath of the Reign of Terror, Beethoven was forced to work in secret and at the very same time he had begun to lose his hearing. It is a radical departure from the dire politics of the period and a time in which any discussion of peace, enduring love, and ultimate freedom from those in power would have meant imprisonment. In this climate, the composer who held firmly to the belief that love conquers all and love endures all things including torture, imprisonment and starvation, toiled.
 Sinéad Campbell Wallace and Jamez McCorkle (Photo/Cory Weaver) Based on a true story, Florestan (James McCorkle) is a revolutionary leader jailed in a Spanish prison for his political views. To free him, his faithful wife, Lenore (Sinéad Campbell Wallace) disguises herself as a man, Fidelio. Lenore as Fidelio comes to work for Rocco (David Leigh) the prison warden whose daughter, Marzelline (Tiffany Choe) has fallen madly in love with Fidelio thinking he’s a man, and spurned her avid suitor, Jaquino (Sahel Salam). Don Pizarro (Derek Welton) is the cruel governor of the prison who imprisoned Florestan. Deeming him to be a threat to his power, Pizarro plans to kill him. The French called this a “rescue opera” evolving from the term “opéra comique”. Because, yes! There are some very funny bits, especially in the mistaken identity of Fidelio as a man.
Erhard Rom’s set design on a two-tiered stage features backdrops by Projection Designers S. Katy Tucker and Kylee Loera who use black & white newsreels of marching troops and battles with headlines – “Ban on Public Assembly”, “Florestan Arrested” and “Free Florestan” – reflecting the tenor of public protests anywhere in the world. In fact, we are not entirely certain where this is taking place though it is highly relatable to oppressive governments both past and present. The vintage film clips reflect shades of Nazi Germany, Peron’s war on the people of Argentina or the Soviet Era under Stalin. Two (live!) German Shepherds suggest Germany, but it could be any repressive government then or now.
 Washington National Opera’s production of Fidelio (Photo/Cory Weaver) The drama revs up when Rocco asks Fidelio to help him dig Florestan’s grave before Don Pizarro’s imminent arrival with plans to murder Florestan. This is the moment when Lenore sees her husband in his cold, dark, dank cell chained to the wall and suffering from starvation. The duets are so beautiful and tender and the situation so dire and urgent that you will easily be swept up in the heart-breaking emotion of it all.
We don’t see megastar Denyce Graves as the kindly Prime Minister until the end when the prisoners are freed, but that doesn’t make it any less of a role. In fact, she was so excited to perform in this opera she revealed, “It will be my first time singing Beethoven, and Fidelio was the first opera I ever saw as a child, which happened to be the Washington National Opera!”
The 37-person Washington National Opera Chorus is lavishly underpinned by 11 supernumeraries and the entire Washington National Opera Orchestra to give this debut an extraordinarily full-throated back up.
If you’re a fan of Beethoven, you won’t want to miss seeing this presentation of his only opera.
 Tiffany Choe (Marzelline) and Sahel Salam (Jaquino) (Photo/Cory Weaver) Conductor Robert Spano; Costume Designer Anita Yavich; Lighting Designer Jane Cox; Dramaturg Kelly Rourke; Assistant Director Amy Hutchison. With Chaźmen Williams Ali as 1st Prisoner and Jim Williams as 2nd Prisoner/Prime Minister’s Assistant.
Through November 4th at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20566. For tickets and information call te box office at 202 467-4600 or visit www.Kennedy-Center.org.
Best of the Best Jekyll & Hyde the Musical Thrills and Chills at The Little Theatre of Alexandria
Jekyll & Hyde
The Musical
The Little Theatre of Alexandria
Jordan Wright
October 22, 2024
Special to The Zebra
 (L to R): Shelby Young, Michael McGovern “In each of us there are two natures,” asserts Dr. Henry Jekyll who before long will take his claim of psychological duality to the depths of diabolical depravity surrounded by his fellow Victorians. Within a society so prim, proper and structured some of the most horrific crimes were committed and fantasized about.
Jekyll & Hyde, the musical, is based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s original Gothic horror novella. Set in 1888, Year One of the twelve gruesome Whitechapel murders in London’s East End and the start of Jack the Ripper’s staggering crime spree, it becomes the framework for Dr. Jekyll’s forays into the sordid side of London where he finds himself celebrating his engagement at the Red Rat cabaret with his trusted attorney, Gabriel John Utterson. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Ostracized for his dangerous theories by the Board of Governors of the local hospital and given no latitude to pursue his experiments, the young doctor retreats to his home laboratory to prove he can rid society of the evils of all mankind. Using himself as the subject experiment, Jekyll begins his transformation into the murderous monster he will become as Mr. Edward Hyde.
 (L to R): Michael McGovern, James Best, Mylo Cluff, Andrew Cosner, Nathaniel McCay, Amanda Jones, Cristian Bustillos (Photo/Mark Armstrong) Underpinned by a lavish score, this jaw-dropping production, framed by an astounding 40 musical numbers, offers up a terrific cast. Led by a treasure of a performer in Michael E. McGovern (where has he been hiding?) as both Jekyll and Hyde, this show delivers on all levels from stellar cast to inventive set design to intricate staging on a two-tiered stage. With a 24-member cast and 12-piece orchestra playing multiple instruments, high praise goes to Director Jennifer Hardin, Choreographer Stefan Sittig, Fight Captain Nathaniel McCay and Music Director Mark V. Deal. It takes a village to stage this mammoth musical and do it justice and this production team has achieved it magnificently.
Complementing McGovern is Shelby Young as Emma, Jekyll’s fiancée. Emma is the perfect Jekyll’s descent into madness in her charm, beauty and grace. With her gorgeous soprano voice, Young fulfills this role to perfection. Her rival for Jekyll’s affections is Lucy Harris, played by Lexi Mellott. Mellott has terrific timing plus outstanding vocal and dance chops wowing the audience in her seductive cabaret number “Bring on the Men” backed by the Red Rat chorus line. Hyde’s unctuous obsession with the captivating gamin is compelling.
You will thrill to Emma’s heart-wrenching number, “Once Upon a Dream”, Jekyll’s “I Need to Know”, “This is the Moment” and “Alive” as well as Lucy’s poignant “A New Life” and her duet with Hyde in a danse macabre “Dangerous Game”.
 Michael McGovern (Photo/Mark Armstrong) Watching McGovern transform into Mr. Hyde, the incalculably villainous monster, is both riveting and frightening. Over the past decade I have reviewed some amazing, WATCH award-winning musicals at LTA, but this one stands among the top ten on my “Best of the Best” list.
If you like Sweeney Todd, Chicago, Phantom of the Opera and Cabaret, imagine those iconic musicals combined in one show and you’ve got the picture. Here sweet romance, grisly murders, a hot jazz club and high and low society coexist in one rip-roaring musical.
Highly recommended. An absolute must-see show!
 (L to R): Cristina Casais, Shannon Hardy, Dani Lock, Melanie Campbell With Matt Yinger as Gabriel John Utterson; Brian Ash as Sir Danvers Carew; Michael Blinde as Jekyll’s Father/Inmate/Priest/Ensemble; Nathaniel McCay as Simon Stride; Amanda Jones as Lady Beaconsfield; Andrew Cosner as The Bishop of Basingstoke; Mylo Cluff as Lord Savage; Cristian Bustillos as General Lord Glossop; James Best as Sir Archibald Proops; Melanie Campbell, Cristina Casais, Shannon Hardy and Dani Lock as Red Rat Girl/Ensemble; Robin Lewis as Nellie, a prostitute; Jae Damauier as Spider, a pimp; Dino Vergura as Bisset Apothecary/Featured Ensemble; and Sharon Eddy, Josh Katz, Jillian Rubino and Garrett Walsh in the ensemble.
Conceived for the stage by Steve Cuden & Frank Wildhorn; Book and Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse; Music by Frank Wildhorn; Orchestration by Kim Scharnberg; Arrangements by Jason Howland; Produced by Luana Bossolo & Sheri Ratick Stroud; Directed by Jennifer Hardin; Music Direction by Mark V. Deal; Choreography by Stefan Sittig; Set Design by Lawrence “Skip” Gresko; Lighting Design by JK Lighting; Sound Design by David Correia; Period Costume Design by Jean Schlichting and Kit Sibley; Stage Combat/Intimacy Co-Directors Brianna Goode and Stefan Sittig; Special Effects and Multimedia Design by David Moretti; Dialect Coach Alden Michels; Hair Design/Makeup Design by Robin Maline and Lanae Sterrett.
Through November 9th at The Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. For tickets and information call the box office at 703 683-5778 or visit www.TheLittleTheatre.com
What’s Onstage in the DMV for November
Jordan Wright
October 16, 2024
Special to The Zebra
 Via Washington National Opera Macbeth
Where: Washington National Opera
When: Nov 15th – 23rd
Find more information at: www.Kennedy-Center.org
Leopoldstadt
Where: Shakespeare Theatre Company
When: Nov 30th – Dec 29th
Find more information at: www.ShakespeareTheatre.org
Alice in Wonderland – Alicia en el País de la Maravillas
Where: Creative Cauldron
When: Nov 8th – Nov 24th
Find more information at: www.CreativeCauldron.org
I’ll Take You There: Stax Records CO
Where: Signature Theatre
When: Nov 12th – 24th
Find more information at: www.SigTheatre.org
 A Funny Thing Happened on The Way to the Forum (Via/Signature Theatre) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Where: Signature Theatre
When: through Jan 12th 2025
Find more information at: www.SigTheatre.org
More Dogs
George Mason University’s School of Theater
When: Nov 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th
Find more information at: www.CVPA.calendar.GMU.edu
Dance Like There’s Black People Watching (The Second City)
Where: Woolly Mammoth
When: Nov 6th – Dec 22nd
Find more information at: www.WoollyMammoth.net
 Catherine Flye and Bob McDonald (Via MetroStage) Memories of a Child’s Christmas in Wales
Where: MetroStage at The Lyceum
When: Dec 16th and Dec 17th
Find more information at: www.MetroStage.org
Murmuration’s Summertime and Brú Theatre’s Ar Ais Aris
Where: Solas Nua
When: Nov 1st – Nov 13th
Find more information at: www.SolasNua.org
The Art of Care
Where: Mosaic Theater Company
When: Oct 31st – Nov 24th
Find more information at: www.MosaicTheater.org
Disney’s Frozen
Where: Olney Theatre Center
When: through Jan 5th 2025
Find more information at: www.OlneyTheatre.org
 Kimberly Gilbert and Craig Wallace in A Christmas Carol (2023). Photo by Scott Suchman A Christmas Carol
Where: Ford’s Theatre
When: Nov 21st – Dec 31st
Find more information at: www.fords.org
A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas
Where: Olney Theatre Center
When: Nov 29th – Dec 29 –
Find more information at: www.OlneyTheatre.org
Same Time, Next Year
Where: Compass Rose Theatre
When: through Nov 17th
Find more information at: www.CompassRoseDC.com
Prayer for the French Republic
Where: Theatre J
When: through Nov 24th
Find more information at: www.TheaterJ.org
 Via/The National Six The Musical
Where: Broadway at the National
When: Nov 12th – Dec 1st
Find more information at: www.TheNationalDC.com
The Other Americans
Where: Arena Stage
When: through Nov 17th
Find more information at: www.ArenaStage.org
Champions of Magic
Where: Kennedy Center
When: Nov 19th – Dec 1st
Find more information at: www.Kennedy-Center.org
Summer 1976
Where: Studio Theatre
When: Nov 13th – Dec 22nd
Find more information at: www.StudioTheatre.org
 Via Nu Sass Production A Bright Room Called Day
Where: Nu Sass Productions
When: through Nov 16th
Find more information at: www.OnTheStage.Tickets/Nu-Sass-Productions
A Hanukkah Carol or Gelt Trip! The Musical
Where: Round House Theatre
When: Nov 20th – Dec 22nd
Find more information at: www.RoundHouseTheatre.org
MJ The Musical
Where: The Hippodrome Theatre
When: Nov 12th – 17th
Find more information at: www.TicketMaster.com/artist/3007828
The Rules for Writing Christmas Cards
Where: The Gaithersburg Arts Barn
When: Nov 29th – Dec 15th
Find more information at: www.CI.Ovationtix.com
The Sound of Music
Where: Toby’s Dinner Theatre
When: Nov 15th – Jan 12th
Find more information at: www.TobysDinnerTheatre.com
Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile
Where: Arena Stage
When: Nov 23rd – Dec 29th
Find more information at: www.ArenaStage.org
Shaw’s Shorts
Where: Washington Stage Guild
When: Nov 21st – Dec 15th
Find more information at: www.StageGuild.org/performances
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Is Loaded with Mega-Broadway Stars in an Uproarious Comedy at the Kennedy Center
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Jordan Wright
October 15, 2024
 The cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Photo/Matthew Murphy) For those whose middle school memories harken to a time of crushing insecurities and the dread of not fitting in, have I got a musical for you! The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will remind you that nothing has changed in the challenging world of teenage angst. Adorably lovable dorks, dweebs, do-gooders, nerds and overachievers will be your new BFFs in this uproarious production featuring the oddball world of spelling bee competitions. (Note to parents of aspiring qualifiers. The annual Scripps National Spelling Bee is held right here in Washington, DC.)
That the characters in this delightful musical are not exactly unique in the world of middle school kids doesn’t get in the way of composer William Finn and conceptualizer Rebecca Feldman tapping into universal kiddie neuroses. We really do feel their pain, squirming and agonizing over obscure words like capybara or hasenpfeffer. “Can you use that in a sentence?” they query the pronouncer.
 Beanie Feldstein and the cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Photo/Matthew Murphy) The twist is that actual audience members are brought on stage to join the “bee”. Opening night had the celebrity chef, Carla Hall, who played along good-heartedly till her elimination with the word ‘pineapple’ described by Vice Principal Panch as “a popular safe word for couples.” Another volunteer spelled a difficult word correctly, surprising everyone. Panch asked her to miss a word so “we can move this along.” Gales of laughter from the wildly enthusiastic audience who seemed prepped for the 2025 Project jokes and the drag-queens-reading-to-kids-in-libraries references.
Along with the six quirky students and their super-cool, jive-talking “Comfort Counselor”, Mitch Mahoney (Alex Joseph Grayson), the kids share the stage with Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Taran Killam) “It’s annoying what micro-dosing of Ketamine can do,” he quips. Secretary Rona Lisa Peretti (Bonnie Milligan), a former bee winner, keeps the antsy students well in hand while Panch reminds the audience that, “The best way to alleviate stress about an upcoming election is to see a musical comedy.” This reviewer totally agrees.
 Bonnie Milligan and Taran Killam_Photo by Matthew Murphy (Photo/Matthew Murphy) You’ll meet Chip Tolentino (Phillippe Arroyo) whose budding adolescent crush will dredge up all the awkwardness of early testosterone unpredictability in “Chip’s Lament” and Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre (Beanie Feldstein), a goofy pig-tailed conformist who boasts a pair of bossy gay dads. Her fail-safe technique: To pre-spell words on her arm.
Then there’s the pretty and terminally insecure, Olive Ostrovsky (Nina White), whose abandonment by her ashram-trotting mother and distant father, bonds her to the dictionary. Olive talks into her hand to puzzle out the words, while the user-friendly, Leaf Coneybear (Noah Galvin) taps into eleventh-hour visions as his memory aids. Leaf is home-schooled and makes his own capes. Meanwhile, I’m having visions of writer Charles Shultz “Peanuts” characters writ large.
 Nina White in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Photo/Matthew Murphy) For the sestalingual Marcy Park (Leana Rae Concepcion), rocking her Catholic school uniform, it’s all tediously beneath her. The hyper-accomplished, classical piano playing nerd informs us, “I’m sick and tired of being the best!”
You’ll meet the adorably gawky, spells-out-words-with-his-foot, William Barfée (Kevin McHale), “It’s pronounced Bar-fey,” he corrects Panch, employing the Gallic accent aigu. He’s the personification of teenage bluff and bluster plus a shoo-in representative for the “Lollipop Guild”. At some point in the proceedings his peanut allergies get the best of him until he’s given the word “antihistamine”. “Luck of the draw,” he stammers before acing it.
 Noah Galvin and the company of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Photo/Matthew Murphy) The cast is loaded with big Broadway stars inhabiting their character’s kooky childlike personas. These pros sing their faces off through sixteen riotous numbers backed by the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. Cue in on Nina White who tears the roof off with the heart-breaking “The I Love You Song”.
Directed and choreographed by Danny Mefford; Music Direction by Robert Sinha; Costume Design by Emily Rebholz; Lighting Design by David Weiner; Scenic Design by Paul Tate dePoo III; Sound Design by Haley Parcher.
Hurry! It’s a short run and it’s nearly sold out.
Through October 20th at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20566. For tickets and information call the box office at 202 467-4600 or visit www.Kennedy-Center.org.
Caught Up in the Metaverse During an Election Year Warring Families Underpin This Brilliantly Reimagined Story of Romeo and Juliet at the Folger
Romeo and Juliet
Folger Theatre
Jordan Wright
October 13, 2024
 Cole Taylor as Romeo and Caro Reyes Rivera as Juliet (Photo/Erika Nizborski) Teenagers. What are you gonna to do? Do they listen? No. Do they get themselves in sticky situations? Count on it. In director Raymond Caldwell’s Romeo and Juliet, the lovers are living in the modern age – videos, Instagram, IPhones, laptops, texts, DMs, IMs, Facetime and the myriad of technologies that affect their every communication. In this fraught teenage metaverse, the story of their romance and relations between their feuding families plays out during an election year. And, uh oh, when the cellphone signal goes out at a crucial juncture, there are misunderstandings and missed calls, miscommunications and missed opportunities.
The clever backdrop features a dozen CCTV video screens filled with cross-talking characters delivering the latest news with the urgency of now. There’s an election afoot pitting the Capulets against the Montagues reflecting the power struggle between the two warring families. Sound familiar? Switch out the dates and the names and it could be today’s news. Caldwell urges audiences “to grapple with how wealth, class, substance abuse, mass media consumption, politics and tribalism shape our capacity for love and exacerbate violence.”
 Fran Tapia as Lady Capulet, Caro Reyes Rivera as Juliet, and Luz Nicolas as Nurse (Photo/Erika Nizborski) In this highly energized production jampacked with fast-moving pieces, the lovers meet at a political fundraising gala put on by Romeo’s father, Lord Montague (Todd Scofield). On the dance floor Romeo (Cole Taylor) is captivated by Juliet’s (Caro Reyes Rivera) hot disco moves and avidly pursues her. Though the theme is serious, and the fate of the lovers is… well, we already know that, still there are a lot of surprises framed by comedic mishaps and missteps lurking around every dangerous corner. While social media updates spool on video screens Romeo chugs from a flask checking out Juliet’s latest Facebook pics and Juliet snorts what can only be assumed to be cocaine. Kids using substances. What’s new? Paparazzi bear down on the scene underpinned by electronic music. Warriors clad in modern warfare gear engage in fierce knife fights of which there are several intense, utterly terrifying engagements impressively designed by Fight Choreographer, Robb Hunter.
Juliet, her mother, Lady Capulet (Fran Tapia) and the Nurse (Luz Nicolas who is outstanding) speak Spanish amongst each other, so if you don’t, though many in the audience did because they laughed faster than the rest of us, rolling translations are on the video screens. Think modern Latino telenovelas and you’ve got the idea.
 Alina Collins Maldonado as Tybalt, Fran Tapia as Lady Capulet, Todd Scofield as Lord Capulet, Luz Nicolas as Nurse, Deidra LaWan Starnes as Prince, John Floyd as Benvolio, Renee Elizabeth Wilson as Lady Montague, and Tony Nam as Lord Montague (Photo/Erika Nizborski) Scenes between the lovers are steamy. Times have changed in this telling and it’s full throttle for the amorous teens. I can’t begin to tell you what a fantastic cast has been assembled for this version. I was totally captivated by this fresh interpretation of the young romantics, their real-world problems coupled with the interference of their parents and friends – those who meant well and those who didn’t. Dramaturg Carla Della Gatta puts it this way, “This production is about the state of our lives – from inherited political ideologies and racial, homophobic, and cultural biases within a diverse community to linguistic differences between the first and second-generation immigrants to the mainland.”
A brilliantly fresh and innovative production. Highly recommended!
 Alina Collins Maldonado as Tybalt, Fran Tapia as Lady Capulet, Todd Scofield as Lord Capulet, Deidra LaWan Starnes as Prince, and Luz Nicolas as Nurse (Photo/Erika Nizborski) With Gabriel Alejandro as Paris; Brandon Carter as Friar Lawrence; Giovanna Alcântara Drummond as Mercutio; John Floyd as Benvolio; Alina Collins Maldonado as Tybalt; Tony Nam as Lord Montague; Deidra LaWan Starnes as Prince/Chorus; and Renee Elizabeth Wilson as Lady Montague.
Choreographed by Tiffany Quinn; Lighting Design by Alberto Segarra; Scenic Design by Jonathan Dahm Robertson; Sound Design and Composer Matthew M. Nielson; Costume Design by Jeannette Christensen; Projection Design by Kelly Colburn; Adaptor Caleen Sinnette Jennings; Resident Intimacy Director Kaja Dunn.
Through November 10th at Folger Shakespeare Theatre 201 East Capitol Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003. For tickets and information call the box office at 202 544-7007 or visit www.Folger.edu/theatre
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