The play did the line justice, as it delivered a glowing, albeit off-beat, performance of the most renowned love story in English literature. Directed by Ricardo Abad and starred in by Yan Yuzon and Ina Feleo, the Met’s latest effort achieved in bringing Shakespeare’s beloved tragedy to life in a way that everyone could enjoy. In a lot of aspects, this play succeeds in telling Shakespeare’s tragedy to an audience not entirely well-versed in Elizabethan English or familiar with European culture as it makes use of conversational tones and language which make the dialogue easier to digest. The play also uses Filipino nuances like arnis sticks, Bisaya tones and basketball to make it more familiar. This production of Romeo and Juliet was tailor-made to feel more modern and Filipino without being sacrilegious to Shakespeare’s original work. The combination of classic Shakespeare and modern Filipino makes this production a great experience.
I was impressed at the range of the two lead actors. Having seen them in other roles in other plays, none of them Shakespeare, I was initially skeptical as to how they would handle classic Shakespearean roles. In a sense, both Yuzon and Feleo do deviate from my impression of a classic Romeo and Juliet, both in look and manner. This, however, appears to be a good thing, as both were decently able to pull-off those world-famous lines. It’s this uniqueness that makes them fun to watch.
The dialogue in the play was slightly altered to sound more conversational. Though still very striking and crisp, the conversations are far less complicated and wordy. In the famous balcony scene where Juliet cries "Oh Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo,?" Feleo instead simply delivers it as "Oh Romeo, Romeo, why are you, Romeo?" Yep, wherefore means why and it’s a whole lot easier to understand. Through these subtle changes in dialogue, the Met’s Romeo and Juliet engages the audience more effectively.
Perhaps the most obvious liberty that Abad took with Romeo and Juliet was the incorporation of little Filipino quirks. Friar Lawrence shifts from speaking English to speaking Filipino from time to time. Swords are replaced with arnis sticks. Basketball becomes the game on the streets. The illiterate servant is depicted as a stereotype probinsyano in accent and manner. The nurse reminds me of a yaya more than anything else. Also, the production uses Sponge Cola’s – fronted by Yael Yuzon, Yana’s younger brother – song Gemini in a key part of the story. With all this effort to have a Pinoy feel, one would expect that the entire Shakespeare atmosphere would be destroyed. That’s not entirely true as although there is a more familiar Filipino feel, the scenes with the Capulets and Monatgues still feel very rich and European.
All the little deviations add flavor to this tragic masterpiece. The lead actors present the audience with a different look, making the play seem fresh. The dialogue has been modified to meet the taste of the Filipino audience as well as make Shakespeare’s lines easier to understand. Nuances in the production establish a familiar local feel that allows the audience to identify with an otherwise unfamiliar setting. The Met’s offering of Romeo and Juliet is a play better enjoyed than scholarly nitpicked. Those who are looking for a faithful and scholarly adaptation of a Shakespearean tragedy may be a bit disappointed, as I don’t think that is the intention of this production. Those looking for an entertaining theatrical experience based on the greatest love story ever written, well, see for yourself.