Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Bedlam’s UNCLE ROMEO VANYA JULIET is a stimulating experiment, but only for those in the know

• By drediman
• September 29, 2018
• No Comments

Susannah Millonzi and Eric Tucker in Bedlam’s “Uncle Romeo Vanya Juliet” at the Mezzanine Theatre at A.R.T./New York Theatres. Photo by Ashley Garrett.

Last night at the Mezzanine Theatre at A.R.T./New York Theatres, I attended a performance of Bedlam’s latest performative dissection of a classic text – or rather, in this case, classic texts. Not surprisingly, with a title like Uncle Romeo Vanya Juliet, the show is a mash-up of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, two of the most frequently-performed plays in the Western dramatic canon (by the way, there’s an absolutely exquisite production of the latter currently playing in town, courtesy of the newly-minted Hunter Theatre Project). The verdict? Although the fascinating exercise yields rich payoff, it takes all of the first act before these dividends can be enjoyed. But once the whole endeavir gets going, it’s stimulating stuff.

The play takes its lead from Uncle Vanya (here in a punchy, modern adaptation by Kimberly Pau). Indeed, much of the first act is pretty much all Chekhov, with bits of Romeo and Juliet sprinkled throughout. Only after intermission do things get interesting. It’s then that the regrets-laden Uncle Vanya comes to a more obvious counterpoint with Romeo and Juliet, one of the great plays about living for and in the moment (granted, to life-shortening effect). This audacious experiment creates alternate perpendicular universes, making it possible for Uncle Vanya – here played by the same actor who plays Romeo – to get the girl, after all. It’s this dizzying blurring of emotional extremities that makes for often times thrilling theater, at least for those in the know.  Indeed, admittedly, only those who are familiar with both plays will get much out of the experience. Otherwise, you’re likely to be left in the dark (you’ve been warned).

Ultra-smart director Eric Tucker, who also appears in the show, has put together an air tight ensemble, as usual. The shifts between the two plays are handled with impressive timing, finesse, and skill. The cast of five includes Mr. Tucker (Dr. Astrov and various characters in Romeo and Juliet), Edmund Lewis (Uncle Vanya and Romeo), Susannah Millonzi (Sonya and various characters in the Shakespeare), Randolph Curtis Rand (Professor Serebryakova and various characters in the Shakespeare), and Zuzanna Szadkowski (Yelena and Juliet). Each clearly understands the respective texts inside and out, and it was a joy to see them let loose and have a blast bouncing between the two jarringly divergent worlds.

RECOMMENDED

UNCLE ROMEO VANYA JULIET
Off-Broadway, Play
Bedlam at Mezzanine Theater at A.R.T./New York Theatres
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through October 28