Stephanie Lambourn and Serena Phillip Photo by Dan Norman

The gist of the story is the doomed love between Romeo, scion of the Montague clan, and Juliet, only daughter of Lord and Lady Capulet, heads of their clan. The two families are engaged in an ancient feud, each treating the other as a scourge upon their city, Verona. When young Juliet, not quite fourteen years old, and Romeo meet, an instant electrical charge between them produces undying love at first sight. Because of their families' feud and Juliet's parents intent to have her marry the well-placed Paris, kinsmen of the Prince of Verona, the two lovers act in secret and in haste to seal themselves in marriage, with famously tragic results.

Harris has given the familiar story a bit of a twist by raising the prominence of Juliet's nurse, a character usually seen as a supportive role that often adds a bit of comic relief to the otherwise sorrowful story. Though called a nurse, she is more akin to a governess who cared for Juliet since her infancy, and, from appearances, has a more tender relationship than Juliet has with her own, rather aloof mother.

The play opens with the Nurse, played with a sense of her own centrality by Stephanie Lambourn, presenting the prologue, which Shakespeare wrote to be given by a chorus. In this production we are made more aware of the Nurse's mention, early on, of having long ago lost a daughter of her own who would be the same age as Juliet. Nothing new is added to the text, yet through these words that often are spoken with little emphasis, we understand the place Juliet has in this woman's heart, as a surrogate child, and we are given to feel the depth of this tragedy through the eyes of someone whose grief is markedly genuine. Similarly, when the lights go out at the end of the first act, the last image we see is of the Nurse pondering the events that have transpired with a heavy heart.

This slant allows us to see Romeo and Juliet through somewhat new eyes. This is particularly helpful for viewers who have grown weary of the tale of young men overly eager to raise swords against another for the slightest provocation–as happens between Juliet's cousin, Tybalt, and Mercutio, a member of the Prince's family and friend of Romeo; of poorly timed events, such as occurs in the final scenes where a chance for a happy ending is thwarted by a matter of minutes; and young lovers on the cusp of maturity, unable to restrain themselves from satisfying their urges in the fastest possible time, risking everything for what they take to be the dictates of true love.

Their passion is taken by some observers as a highly romantic tribute to the power of a love that feels ordained by the stars, while to others, more cynical, it is a cautionary view of the folly that accompanies impulsive actions spurred by the physical attraction between two people who have scarcely just met. Lambourn, happily returning to Great River Shakespeare's company through the eyes of the nurse, enables us to feel the agonies of the young lovers, through her acceptance of the genuineness of their love for one another and her commitment to the happiness of the lady she serves.

Of course, it is incumbent upon the actors who play Romeo and Juliet to do their part in making us believe the intensity of their emotions, both in joy and in grief, while also conveying the innocence of their youth. Playing Juliet, Serena Phillip conveys the passion with which Juliet burns for Romeo, as well as the disdain she has for her parents' attempts to manipulate her affairs. Phillip, who was in Great River Shakespeare's company as an understudy last season, has moved up to take on this leading role with aplomb, showing the combustion that occurs in the heart of an adolescent reckoning with adult feelings and circumstances.

Unfortunately, for the performance I attended, Alessandro Yokoyama, who also moved up from the ranks of understudy last season to the role of Romeo this season, was unable to perform, so I missed seeing the chemistry present between the two. Understudy Denzel Dejournette took up the role, and his performance lacked a believable passion for Juliet, certainly not the depth of love for which one would swallow poison, nor reveal the grief that would drive him to avenge Mercutio's slaying heedless of the great cost it would bring upon him. Dejournette was more effective in his scenes as a cohort to his friends, conveying (with Diana Coates as Mercutio and understudy Clay Cooper covering for Eliana Rowe as Benvolio) the brash comradery of young men early in their experience as adults.

For his part, Cooper was a winning Benvolio, conveying his loyalty as a friend with a more reasoned temperament than the other young men, and was also effective as a genteel Paris. Coates plays Mercutio as a combustible young man, with a manic delivery of Queen Mab's tale, and rashly launching into a fight with Tybalt that might easily have been avoided. She is effective as stony Lady Capulet, whose regard for status above her daughter's own feelings costs her dearly. Gavin Mueller does fine work playing two opposites: Tybalt, the Capulet nephew who is stoked with an urge to inflict violence upon the Montagues, and a tender-hearted Friar Lawrence, who consents to consecrate Romeo and Juliet's love with hope that their union might reduce the enmity between their clans, and, doing so, feels compelled to assist the couple as the walls close in around them.

Michael Fitzpatrick, the most veteran of Great River Shakespeare's current company members, is excellent as Lord Capulet. Emily Fury Daly has little to do as Montague–this is the second production of Romeo and Juliet I have recently seen that did without a Lord and a Lady Montague, and simply had one head of the Montague clan. Eliminating a character who has little bearing on the narrative makes sense, though in this case, the odd costume design for "Montague" makes the character seem like an odd duck among the others. Daly is effective as the slow-witted servant, Peter. William Sturdivant comes across with the strength attributed to his position as the Prince, though he is a bit overly creepy in the short role of the Apothecary–again, costuming contributing to this odd portrayal.

John Merritt's costume design choices overall run a range from medieval garb for the nurse to attire approaching contemporary street wear, for Romeo and Benvolio, to stations in between, with Juliet's clothing a steam-punk variant of a medieval damsel. The minimalist scenic design by Leah Ramillano, a series of receding prosceniums formed by slender uprights that create slants through which some of the action can be observed, works well in concert with Avery Reagan's lighting design to create variations in mood and intensity. The set also includes platforms on either side of the stage on which Romeo and Juliet are often seen standing apart, creating a physical manifestation of the divide that forbids their love.

Matthew Tibbs' sound design contributes the ambient background sounds, along with a vacuum-sounding "whoosh" to indicate the end of a character's inner monologue, a device that can be useful in clarifying the progression of the narrative, yet has a jarring effect. The dance scene that takes place during the Capulets' ball is presented with very stylized movements that add a chill to the occasion, creating a contrast with the lush feelings that attend the first contact between Romeo and Juliet at that same ball. Doug Scholz-Carlson's excellent fight choreography adds verisimilitude to the several knife fights that occur in the course of the play.

Being the classic that it is, a new production of Romeo and Juliet will always offer fresh perspectives on its story of ancient, mindless hatreds that undercut love's ability to elevate the human experience. Harris' placement of Juliet's nurse as a filter for this tale, with a powerful performance by Stephanie Lambourn in that role, are what make this production particularly worth seeing.

Season 22 of Great River Shakespeare Festival continues through July 27, 2025, with Romeo and Juliet in rotation with The Comedy of Errors at the DuFresne Performing Arts Center of Winona State University, 450 Johnson Street, Winona MN. For the schedule of performances and other events, and for tickets, call 507-474-7900 or visit GRSF.org.

Playwright: William Shakespeare; Director: H. Adam Harris; Assistant Director: Develyn Jayan; Scenic Designer: Leah Ramillano; Costume Designer: John Merritt; Lighting Designer: Avery Reagan; Assistant Lighting Designer: Lonnie Rafael Alcarez; Sound Designer: Matthew Tibbs; Props Designer: Karl Gfall; Text Coach: Terry Weber; Assistant Voice and Text Coach: Sammy Pontello; Music Director: Clay Cooper; Intimacy Director: Kara Eggers; Assistant Intimacy Director: Gabriela Bulka; Fight Choreographer: Doug Scholz-Carlson; Assistant Fight Director: Denzel Dejournette; Costume Design Assistant: Matthew Robert Carl; Stage Manager: Alexander Carey; Assistant Stage Manager: Ember Kvande

Cast: Gabriela Bulka (understudy), Yashashvi Choudhary (understudy), Diana Coates (Lady Capulet/Mercutio), Clay Cooper (understudy), Denzel Dejournette (understudy), Emily Fury Daly (Montague/Peter), Michael Fitzpatrick (Lord Capulet), Develyn Jayan (understudy), Stephanie Lambourn (Nurse), Gavin Mueller (Tybalt/Friar Lawrence), Serena Phillip (Juliet), Sammy Pontello (understudy), Eliana Rowe (Benvolio/Paris), William Sturdivant (Prince/Apothecary), Alessandro Yokoyama (Romeo).