One of the most romantic and tragic tales of all time is making its way to Westman. Mecca Productions is presenting William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The timeless love story comes to life on the Evans stage from Thursday, June 10 to Sunday, June 13. Adapted for the stage and directed by Craig Russell, this is an enticing new vision of a classic tale.

My interest was sparked when I heard that Mecca was bringing Romeo and Juliet to Brandon and my curiosity was heightened when I took a look at the cast list. Composed of theatre veterans from the community as well as a few up and comers I found it especially interesting to see three different names under the role of Juliet. Wanting to get the inside scoop on the show I contacted Mecca founder, Lisa Vasconcelos and director Russell:

JJ: As someone who is only familiar with associated musicals with Mecca productions could you tell me a bit of the history of Mecca's relationship with "straight plays"?

LV:This is our third 'straight play'. We have also produced Our Town and You Can't Take It With You — all directed by Craig.
CR: Mecca’s musicals have always been a wonderful showcase for talented singers and dancers, but musicals don’t always give gifted actors a chance to shine. As a triple-threat herself (actor, singer, dancer), Lisa recognized the need, and so the “straight” plays section of Mecca was born.

JJ: Craig how did you originally get involved with Mecca?

CR: Five years of acting classes with Nancy Drake (12 years ago) taught me most of what I know about theatre craft. Since then I’ve acted in a couple of dozen plays, musicals and films, directed numerous productions and for a time taught an adult evening course on acting at ACC. I directed Mecca’s Lisa Vasconcelos in a production of “Daughter of the Bride” and then when Mecca produced The Sound of Music she asked me to direct that musical.

JJ: With all of works to chose from, what drew you to the classic romantic tragedy of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?

CR: Over the years Mecca has developed a relationship with a growing number of accomplished Manitoba actors — people like James Warnez, Brenda Lacerte, Paul St. Pierre and Brent Legg — and when you have that depth of talent to draw from you know it’s time to undertake a project worthy of their abilities.

We have excellent actors for the roles of Romeo and Juliet, but even they couldn’t carry this story all on their own.  It’s the strength and subtly of their relationships with the other characters — Juliet’s nurse and her father Lord Capulet, Romeo’s friend, Mercutio and his mentor Friar Laurence – that is the true test of this play. I think our audience will be amazed by this entire cast.

JJ: Speaking of the cast, I noticed that there are three different women cast as the role of Juliet. Does this mean that Brian Sutherland (Romeo) gets a new woman every night?

CR: We’ve taken an exciting and innovative approach to the role of Juliet. The three actresses, Laura McKay and Kelley Friesen and Tara Leach, all share the stage simultaneously — as the three aspects of Juliet’s character. Laura plays the innocent child-like Juliet, Kelley portrays the rebellious-daughter Juliet, and Tara is our romantic love-interest Juliet. This creates connections with the other characters – the child Juliet with the nurse – the rebellious teenager with her father, Lord Capulet – the romantic Juliet with Romeo – that highlight the different aspects of a complex and intriguing character.

The actors have found the experience to be profound. Often in Shakespeare a character will have an internal monologue – where they speak out to the world about what they think, or how they feel. With the three Juliets, we’ve found amazing moments where the character is literally able to share their ideas and discoveries with themselves.

It’s all part of the magic of theatre!

LV: Craig’s directing style and casting decisions make for a very enjoyable audience experience. He has great attention to detail and the cast is well rehearsed (and extremely talented). I've sat in on a few of their rehearsals and have been blown away by their work. I can't wait for opening night. Audiences are in for a real treat!

Showtime is 7:30 nightly Thursday through Saturday with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 and are available at the door or from cast members.