The summer theater season continued to wind down with three openings this past weekend. One of the three shows was scheduled for this past weekend only: Patrick Schmitz's The Comedy of Romeo & Juliet...Kinda Sorta. One of the most interesting names in local comedy, Patrick Schmitz is a very sharp wit that lends itself well to spoofery. His clever spoof on Rankin & Bass' Rudolph Christmas TV specials met with much success due to a respectfully playful jabbing at a beloved classic. Schmitz’s comic criticism of Romeo & Juliet holds the same kind of appeal.
Joey Flegel-Mishlove made for a charismatically comic Romeo. Schmitz's script plays Romeo's youthful, fleeting passions for comic effect. Flegel-Mishlove transferred this to the stage with a sharp sense of irony and a comically bewildered sense of drama. Maxwell Zupke had a similarly savvy sense of comedy in the role of Benvolio. Zupke’s sense of humor seems to have evolved with Schmitz’s writing. There seems to be a deep connection between the script and Zupke’s delivery of the jokes that speaks to a great comic instinct on his part.
Emilie Lozier played Schmitz's spoof of Juliet with sparklingly straight faced humor. This Juliet is a bit of a drama queen. Lozier makes her charming even in her more self-absorbed moments. Lozier has a kind of brilliant sincerity that can bring a sympathetic warmth to even Schmitz’s most mercilessly irreverent dialogue. The title characters seem profoundly ridiculous when viewed from the right angle. Even when the character looks ridiculous, Lozier managed to keep Juliet warm and genuine.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
The rest of the ensemble was remarkably well-balanced. It helped a great deal the Patrick Schmitz knows the people he was writing for. He tailored the rolls specifically for them. There are a few here that are exceptionally well matched. Of particular note here are Milwaukee comedy veterans Beth Lewinsky and Kris Puddicombe. Lewinsky plays Juliet’s nurse as a modern independent woman who happens to work in health care. Her exasperation at having to deal with the situations that Shakespeare’s script presents her with is priceless. Puddicombe was equally funny in the role of Friar Lawrence. Here he’s a wise, rough around the edges, chain-smoking wise, old guy. What’s great about Schmitz’s work here is that he knows he’s dealing with great talent and decides to run with it. So Friar Lawrence and the Nurse (and a few others) get a much more prominent place here than they do in Shakespeare’s original script.
The Comedy of Romeo & Juliet...Kinda Sorta ran for one weekend only at The Next Act Theatre. For more information on Next Act, visit them online. For more on comedy in Milwaukee, visit Milwaukee Comedy online. Unlike at least one notable Patrick Schmitz comedy, this particular spoof isn’t likely to return again for a subsequent appearance. Schmitz and cast member Robby McGhee made some hint at wanting to do another spoof next summer in a joke about “next year’s” summer spoof. Schmitz’s take on Shakespeare’s classic would certainly make another spoof quite welcome around the same time next year.
