Christopher Balfe
Latest Reviews
Austin Gardens
If you like Shakespeare even a little, or like outdoor theatre, or just like sitting in a park on beautiful summer evenings, RUN - do not walk - to see the Oak Park Festival Theatre production of Romeo and Juliet. I have seen this performed over a dozen times in different formats, and this one may be the most fun riff I have ever seen.
The whole production is wild - flipping back and forth from the poignancy of forbidden love encapsulated in that lovely Shakespearean prose to corny joking and ridiculous costumes. There are plenty of cringe-worthy moments, but somehow in a good way. And then you bounced right back into the severe dilemma these young lovers and their respective posses face. It is deliciously cathartic. There is so much happening so fast that I am sure I missed enough that I am reading the play before I go back to see the performance again before the run ends, on August 17th.
The cast is great, but Juliet - played by Rachel J. Jones - (please pardon the cliche here) STEALS THE SHOW. She may be the best, most fun, most engaging Juliet I personally have ever seen.
This show is a must-see for Summer 2024. Bravo to the OPFT team for this wonderful accomplishment.
The whole production is wild - flipping back and forth from the poignancy of forbidden love encapsulated in that lovely Shakespearean prose to corny joking and ridiculous costumes. There are plenty of cringe-worthy moments, but somehow in a good way. And then you bounced right back into the severe dilemma these young lovers and their respective posses face. It is deliciously cathartic. There is so much happening so fast that I am sure I missed enough that I am reading the play before I go back to see the performance again before the run ends, on August 17th.
The cast is great, but Juliet - played by Rachel J. Jones - (please pardon the cliche here) STEALS THE SHOW. She may be the best, most fun, most engaging Juliet I personally have ever seen.
This show is a must-see for Summer 2024. Bravo to the OPFT team for this wonderful accomplishment.