Romeo (Josh Adams) and Juliet (Loren Bray) and drinking (beer). Photo by Susanna Murley.Audience interaction looks great on paper but often falls flat in execution. No matter how good a time is being offered, humans tend to be shy, slack-jawed and speechless when thrust unexpectedly into the spotlight. The solution to the shyness problem that R+J: Star-Cross’d Death Match offers is the same one fraternities have relied on for decades: copious amounts of alcohol. And in fact, with flipcup, a buy-one-get-one happy hour, and plenty of opportunities to win a shot with a character during the show, R+J offers one of the cheapest and most gleefully entertaining ways to get drunk during Capital Fringe.
There’s plenty about this rambunctious and raunchy take on Romeo and Juliet that might be more reminiscent of a night in a fraternity basement than your standard Shakespeare production. LiveArtDC has transformed most of DC Reynolds—which still functions as a full bar and is open to the public during the production—into a stage run amok with flipcup showdowns, rap battles, and booze fueled sing-alongs led by soundpost Alex Taphanel, who also provides background and interstitial music with his guitar throughout the show and intermission.
The audience is shepherded through the very familiar show—if there’s anyone left who hasn’t seen Romeo and Juliet several times over, surely they’ve absorbed the plot through cultural osmosis by now—by a boisterous emcee/judge/Prince John Stange whose enthusiasm could shake anyone into interacting with the play even without the help of booze. Director Sara Bickler has cleverly turned the familiarity of the play into one of the production’s best assets. The audience is shuffled and reshuffled around the first floor and (duh) balcony of the bar from scene to scene. Even if you happen to catch a scene late, or from a bad angle, or miss it completely while you’re, for instance, cleaning up from the backsplash of scrappy Mercutio (Noelle Viñas) throwing her beer in Benvolio’s (Yoni Gray) face (which is exactly what happened to this reviewer), the story is familiar enough that you’ll never really lose track of what’s going on.
It’d be a pity to miss too much of the brilliant performances on display, though. While their roles have been filled by thousands of actors before them, Juliet (Loren Bray) and Romeo (Josh Adams) create an impressive chemistry. Adams’ especially handles the rollercoaster of teenage angst the play calls for with aplomb, and all the performances are that much more impressive for being acted under a steadily increasing drink count through the night. Keeping pace with the actors is the best advice I can give. Drink too little, and you may end up like a wallflower at the party; too much, and you might find yourself like some ladies on opening night who couldn’t resist offering slurred warnings to the characters as they slide toward an inevitably tragic end. Either way, a fun night out is more or less guaranteed.
R+J: Starcross’d Death Match is playing at DC Reynolds (3628 Georgia Avenue NW). Remaining Performances:
Wednesday, July 16 at 8 p.m.
Thursday, July 17 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 19 at 9 p.m.
Monday, July 21 at 8 p.m.
Wednesday, July 23 at 8 p.m.
Thursday, July 24 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 26 at 9 p.m.
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