Milwaukee Rep’s New Approach to ‘Romeo and Juliet’

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Photo by Michael Brosilow

'Romeo and Juliet' at Milwaukee Rep

Milwaukee Repertory Theater presents 'Romeo and Juliet' at the Wilson Theater in Vogel Hall at Marcus Performing Arts Center, February 25 –March 30, 2025. Pictured: The cast of Romeo and Juliet.

We know instantly in the first few minutes of the Milwaukee Rep’s Romeo and Juliet that we’re in for a whole new approach to William Shakespeare’s classic tale of the doomed young lovers. A character steps out of the shadows, strumming a guitar and singing the American gospel standard, “Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down.” It’s a haunting ballad that foretells what will happen in the course of this fascinating and highly accessible adaptation of the Bard’s work. 

We are no longer in the 14th century Italian Renaissance. Now, we are transported to modern day Appalachian America, in a rundown rural town that has seen far better days. There are few people left, but the two feuding families: the Capulets and Montagues, akin to the Hatfield and McCoy enmity but speaking in Shakespeare’s iambic (rhyming) pentameter. 

There’s bluegrass and folk music, country style dancing set amid the broken down, deteriorating exteriors the families inhabit. Yet the tale remains the same: Romeo, a Montague, and Juliet, a Capulet, are doomed from the start given the families’ vendettas against one another. They marry in secret, but an unexpected tragedy banishes Romeo and the star-crossed couple descend into a maelstrom of the ages-old rivalries. 

But it still all works. Exceedingly well. Credit goes to adapter and director Laura Braza who makes this Romeo and Juliet so captivating and realistic given the characters’ modern-day movements and gestures. The contemporary setting in rural, modern-day America only underscores how timeless and boundless Shakespeare’s words and stories are and resonate. The cast is exceptional and makes this classic tale easy to understand, even for audiences new to Shakespeare. 

As Romeo and Juliet, Kenneth Hamilton and Piper Jean Bailey are well matched, playing off each other in adultish yet childlike ways that remind us that the two are young teenagers. The famous balcony scene is charming to watch; Bailey’s sweet, innocent naive outpourings amid Romeo’s raging passions. Yet heir dangerous liaison has tragic consequences, and the two actors move seamlessly between their undying love and the external world turning against them.  

In a harrowing scene, as Juliet refuses her father’s demands to marry another, Matt Daniels gives new meaning to the term, “patriarchal dominance” (read: toxic masculinity) as Juliet, and her mother and female nurse cower at the explosion of his emotions. Daniels shows once again his versatility at being able to play any role and he completely immerse himself. It’s stunning to watch with its timeless realism. 

And with the addition of music, music director Dan Kazemi has assembled a talented group of musicians and songs that illustrate the arc of the story, complementing it rather than distracting from the tale’s inevitable, tragic outcome. 

This is, after all, Shakespeare. And the play’s the thing. And this Romeo and Juliet is as fresh and as timeless as ever, reminding us that love is forever—overall.  

Romeo and Juliet runs through March 30. at the Marcus Center’s Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall, Riverwalk Entrance. Running time: 3 hours including one intermission. Recommended for ages 12 and up.  For more information, call the call the Rep Box Office: (414) 224-1761 or visit milwaukeerep.com.