![]() |
Taking a page from Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, actor-playwright Stan Peal focuses on two more of Shakespeare's other supporting charactersthis time from Romeo and Juliet. As Peal imagines it, the friar and the nurse are in the midst of a love affair as fiery and forbidden as that of their teenage charges. With his chin-length chestnut hair and full beard, Peal has a mellow, avuncular presence onstage. He's a theologically uncertain hippie-type who took the cloth to escape his past, not to serve God. For her part, Laura Depta, the red-cheeked, plump and matronly nurse, adds a slightly manic edge to counterbalance any inherent cliches. If you're surprised how well these two play off each other, take note: They're husband and wife in real life. But while the Bard would most likely approve of the casting, he might not be as impressed with Peal's anachronistic script. Many of the sit-com asides like a wisecrack about Catholic guiltdistract from rather than enliven the appealing central conceit.


Email
Print
Why Oliver Stone Made His Bush Biopic, W.
Theater Review: A Man for All Seasons
David Edelstein on Happy-Go-Lucky
Hilary Berseth's Buzzworthy Sculptures
Look Book: The Visual Merchandiser 
Home Design: The Country in the City
Allegretti Attempts
Vintage Stores to Keep You Stylish on a Budget
Why Would Sarah Palin Ever Leave Wasilla?

How Nate Silver Built a Better Crystal Ball
Obama's Optimistic Populism 