Romeo and Juliet

The timeless, tragic tale of two young lovers whose untimely deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. The production is traditional, rigidly faithful to Shakespeare’s rules and form, yet wonderfully fresh and modern.

The story takes place on NYC’s Upper East Side; the Capulets are the nouveau riche, the Montagues, old money. Shakespeare is incredibly precise about real time in Romeo and Juliet, tracing five days – Sunday dawn to Friday dawn in mid-July.

TBTB tackles Romeo and Juliet with four actors playing all of the roles, without cutting a single scene, character or entrance. As Shakespeare’s company made more money, the playwright wrote for larger casts, but Romeo and Juliet is an early play, created when he likely worked with a smaller company. It’s designed as a quartet; key doubles are Juliet/Mercutio, Romeo/Lady Capulet, Nurse/Friar and Capulet/Benvolio. The doubling brings out the sense of fun in the play, joining its sad and joyous elements into an exuberant life-affirming whole.