New production of Romeo and Juliet in Cambridge leans into the love

CAMBRIDGE - A new production of Romeo and Juliet at American Repertory Theater in Cambridge is leaning into the love.

Most people have been exposed to the story in some form or another, but Tony Award winning director Diane Paulus tells us, that's what makes staging the play a wonderful challenge. "We all know it or we think we know it, but I'm always interested in directing classics in a way to wake them up and have an audience experience them as if they've never seen them before," Paulus said.

Spotlight on the love story

Many productions focus on the "ancient grudge" between two families, but Paulus says the love story is much more compelling. "It actually for me has so much life force in it, and the life force is about love and about two young people defining what the world is telling them is possible," Paulus said.

Tony nominated actor Terrence Mann takes on the role of Friar Laurence. "It has been both exhilarating and terrifying," Mann said. "I haven't done Shakespeare since I was 28 years old."

Having appeared on the ART stage twice before, he says the audience brings him back to Cambridge. "When people come in, they come in full of knowledge. They come in full of wanting the experience. They come in wanting to have this, whatever story it is, told to them. And that is an incredible community-driven asset," Mann said.

As the friar, Mann tries unsuccessfully, to help the young couple find happiness. And he does it with a sense of humor, telling us, "During this play, you know what the end is. So, you want to find any moment that you can to lighten the experience, lighten the storytelling."

Connecting the audience through comedy

Paulus agrees, explaining, "Comedy allows the audience to connect and to recognize themselves in the characters. It provides a doorway for an audience to enter a Shakespeare play and not feel removed from it but feel like it's actually life and character speaking to you as if it were happening right now, today in 2024."

While the story ends with the deaths of the star-crossed lovers, this production leaves the audience with a sense of hope.

"The last lines of the prologue are 'strive to mend,' and I think that's what the production is offering, is the not only the reality of a tragic outcome, but how a community can learn from it and take the next step forward to heal," Paulus said.

You can see Romeo and Juliet at American Repertory Theater in Cambridge through October 6th.