Shakespeare in LA

Shaun Taylor-Corbett and Judy Durkin. Photo credit: Ian Flanders

Theatricum Botanium kicks off its summer season with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet set in East Jerusalem on June 4. Directed by Ellen Geer, the production will highlight the play’s continued relevance for today’s audience setting Shakespeare’s story of forbidden love and warring families in a city beset by age-old prejudices, street violence and religious differences.

“Romeo and Juliet has been retold many times before with a myriad of backdrops, proving each time that it continues to resonate regardless of time or place,” says Geer. “We place the story in a city currently divided by political and cultural strife. The lovers are able to see beyond the narrow scope of the world in which they live and find each other in spite of it all.”

Shaun Taylor-Corbett (2nd national tour, Jersey Boys) and Judy Durkin (Jean Fordham in last season’s August: Osage County) star as Romeo and Juliet. The cast will also include Alan Blumenfeld (Capulet), Jonathan Bray (Prince Escalus), Rav Val Denegro (Mercutio), Steven B. Green (Friar Lawrence, renamed “Mufti Zaman”), Melora Marshall (Juliet’s nurse), Karen Reed (“Geveret” Capulet), and Taylor Jackson Ross (Tybalt).

Also featured are Kamran Abbassian, Kate Adams, Claire Andrew, Clayton Cook, Julia Finch, Steve Fisher, Kevin Hudnell, Nima Jafari, Israel Lopez, Celia Mandela, Victoria Yvonne Martinez, Kelvin Morales, Daniel Ramirez, Mark Samet, Gray Schierholt, Alexander Sheldon, Celina Lee Surniak and Lane Wray.

Original music and sound design are by Marshall McDaniel, costume design is by Beth Glasner, and lighting design is by Zach Moore.

ROMEO AND JULIET
June 4 – October 2, 2016
Theatricum Botanicum
1419 North Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga
Tickets: 310-455-3723 or www.theatricum.com
Tickets range from $10-$38.50; children 4 and under are free.
The outdoor amphitheater at Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum is terraced into the hillside of the rustic canyon. Audience members are advised to dress casually (warmly for evenings) and bring cushions for bench seating. Snacks are available for purchase, and picnickers are welcome before and after the performance.