Romeo & Juliet
at PA Leadership Charter School - CPFA

Reviewed on November 17, 2023

Casey Smothers
Abington Friends School
Submitted for publication to Philadelphia Inquirer - Wordpress Site #1

Abounding with joy, passion, and despair, PALCS' jazzed-up take on Shakespeare's classic Romeo and Juliet was absolutely captivating.

One of the best-known works of 14th and 15th-century English poet and playwright William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet is a tragic tale of forbidden romance, originally set in the city of Verona. Instantly, as Romeo, a member of the Capulet family, encounters Juliet, a Montague, at a ball the two fall for each other. With their families at war, the young couple tries desperately to stay together while conflict rages around them. Refreshingly, PALCS took Shakespeare's original story and added a different flair. Set in New Orleans in the 1950s, PALCS leaned into a Mardi Gras theme as their jazz band spectacularly soundtracked this unique performance.

Overall, the performers brought outstanding energy, fitting the show perfectly. Kicking off with a breathtaking vocal performance by singer Nathanael Barlow, PALCS never held back. Subtle details like faceoffs between rival family members during scene changes and shaking hands on blades also highlighted the incredible level of care and thoughtfulness put into every aspect of the production.

PALCS' star-crossed lovers shone especially bright, combining fantastic chemistry, demonstrated in the famous balcony scene, with moments of individual brilliance. Zane Zangwill, as Romeo, brought a wonderful flow, handling complex language smoothly and coming across as a natural fit for the role. One of the standout performers of the night was Natalie Reitmeyer, spellbinding as Juliet, displaying an astounding range of emotion through the slightest facial expressions and the most resounding, sorrowful screams. Reitmeyer commanded the stage, pairing youthful exuberance with talent far beyond her years, magnificently bringing the show to life.

Another crucial element of the show was its supporting characters, who phenomenally matched the leads' energy. Josephine Hughes served as a comforting maternal figure for Juliet as the Nurse, at times serving as much-needed comedic relief with dramatic expressions and hilariously drawn-out explanations. Dylan Bail was just as lively and amusing as Mercutio, almost dancing around the stage while demonstrating profound emotional depth as things took a turn for the worse. Unique to this performance was the jazz band, sensational throughout and fronted by the supremely talented Nathanael Barlow and Brenna Harmon.

With student dance and fight choreography and musical creativity on full display (students rewrote three different songs to fit the Louisianan theme), there was certainly no lack of student initiative behind the scenes. On top of that, Megan Grandizio's light design did just enough to illuminate the colorful New Orleans backdrop that suited this production perfectly.

Innovative, heartfelt, and bursting with life, Romeo and Juliet was simply unforgettable, a sweet sorrow to part with.

Jennifer McMonagle
Merion Mercy Academy
Submitted for publication to Cappies Website #3

Star-crossed lovers, born to be sworn enemies, fall in love. Forced apart by their family's ongoing feud, death seems like the only way they can be together. Knife fights, blood, and death tell the tale of PA Leadership Charter School's rendition of Romeo & Juliet.

Romeo & Juliet is a tragic love story written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two youths from feuding families. Romeo, a Montague, and Juliet, a Capulet, fall in love and secretly marry, despite both their families' feuds. Their happiness, however, does not last long as a series of misunderstandings and unfortunate events happen, ending their story tragically.

PA Leadership Charter School Performing Arts production of Romeo & Juliet was creatively executed. Instead of this classic play taking place in the City of Verona during the fourteenth century, PA Leadership Charter School added a creative twist. This twist not only created smooth transitions to move the story along but added a fun beat to a tragic story. Their rendition took place in 1950s New Orleans, where jazz was everything. Alongside the talented actors, there was a jazz band that jazzed up the entirety of the play. The jazz band was a delightful touch to this creative rendition of Romeo & Juliet.

In a play spoken strictly in iambic pentameter, Juliet (Natalie Reitmeyer), wonderfully executed a youthful and emotional performance. By keeping the story very engaging, she told the story not only through words but through her actions and facial expressions. Romeo (Zane Zangwill), was very expressive in his love for Juliet and also carried a youthful pride with him. Reitmeyer and Zangwill complemented each other's performances very well, especially with a captivating final scene. This scene in particular had audience members on the edge of their seats, intensely waiting for the outcome of Romeo and Juliet.

A true standout in this play was the Nurse (Josephine Hughes). Hughes gave a top-notch performance with adequate comedic timing but also with emotional heartfelt scenes. Other notable performances include Mercutio (Dylan Bail) and Tybalt (Leander Rottman). Bail and Rottman's characters both generated more friction in the play, from fight scenes to noticeable conflict during scene changes.

The technical aspects of Romeo & Juliet were greatly accomplished with a simple but classic set and significant lighting. The technology used to create digital backgrounds helped the scenes transition from one to the next. In addition to the set, the lighting was nearly perfect. The lighting itself told a story, helping audiences understand time passing and each character having their own lighting color.

Overall, PA Leadership Charter School's production of Romeo & Juliet was very impressive. It is a very hard show to put on but the actors all rose to the challenge. This is a beautiful rendition that you don't want to miss.

Caileigh Crane
Archmere Academy
Submitted for publication to Cappies Website #4

CFPA put on a remarkable rendition of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, with a unique and refreshing approach.

In Romeo & Juliet, the two young title characters from rival houses meet and fall in love. They elope, but then things become complicated when Romeo is banished from Verona and Juliet's parents wish for her to marry someone else. In a most tragic ending, due to a series of miscommunications, Romeo and Juliet both end up killing themselves. The show can often be presented in a variety of time periods and locations that differ from its original setting, and CPFA took to this by setting their show in New Orleans in the 1950s. Their stage was full of 1950s outfits, New Orleans aesthetics, and of course, jazz music.

CPFA's production of Romeo & Juliet boasted an extraordinary cast and great technical elements. Each of the actors handled their difficult roles very well. Though Shakespearean dialogue can often be difficult to understand, the actors not only had the diction to get their lines across, but also made the meaning of what they were saying very clear through their acting. Furthermore, the play featured a talented jazz band. They played a number of jazz songs throughout the show as underscoring in scenes, transition music during set changes, and songs featuring the vocal talents of Nathanael Barlow and Brenna Harmon. The band greatly enhanced the show and added to the 1950s New Orleans setting.

The two title roles, Zane Zangwill as Romeo and Natalie Reitmeyer as Juliet, gave extraordinary performances and had great chemistry with one another. Zangwill was engaging and emotional. Reitmeyer brought a youthful glow to Juliet, and perfectly captured the character's charm. She displayed a wide range of emotions and remained intriguing throughout the play.

The supporting roles also brought a lot of life to the play. Josephine Hughes's portrayal of the Nurse was spectacular. Her charming demeanor and comedic delivery made for an engaging performance, and her chemistry with Juliet made the show all the more emotional. Dylan Bail also shined as Mercutio. He delivered his lines with great clarity, and was always compelling onstage with intricate physical and facial expressions. In addition, Charlotte Taylor as Benvolio was captivating and engaging, and had great chemistry with Mercutio and Romeo. Amethyst Crane as Lady Montague also was always engaged and showed great emotion in every moment that she was onstage. Even when in the background, the whole ensemble remained clearly engaged throughout the show, especially in scenes such as the ball.

Stellar technical elements greatly enhanced the show. Megan Grandizio's lighting always corresponded with the scene at hand. For example, one could easily tell if a scene was set outdoors or indoors based on the lighting, and some characters had color motifs, such as pink for Juliet. In addition to great lighting, special effects projection screens also helped to illustrate the setting. Talented stage management and stage crew kept the show running smoothly. Excellent choreography also greatly enhanced scenes such as the ball and the numerous fight scenes.

CPFA certainly brought a wonderful interpretation to Shakespeare's timeless work. The extremely talented cast and phenomenal band brought life and emotion to their production, to remind all of the love and tragedy that has always been central to the human experience, in the time of Shakespeare, the 1950s, and today.