JULIET & ROMEO -- Canis Tempus, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

script: William Shakespeare
director: Andrew Culk
cast: Julie Lowe, Andrew Culk
costumes and sets: Sirius Morillo
lighting design: Alex Geng
sound design: Peter Alec Fedun
mask design: Lesley Finlayson
fencing masks: Valerie Viertel
stage manager: Jim Melvyn

Shakespeare's tragedy of young lovers from rival families, told in gender twisting fashion.

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This was a very interesting production, and more along the lines of what I was expecting to see at this festival (Lit Moon World Shakespeare Festival).

Sparse, with two persons performing all the roles (all those that weren't cut in this one hour production), and with two folding ladders for all the scenery, this show managed to remain faithful to the language, but I'm not sure how true it was to the intentions of the story.

I never did decide why the genders were switched. Why was Andrew playing most of the female roles, and Julie playing the majority of the men's parts?

The actions were interesting, and the use of the ladders was good, but not complete. Each time they started something new, I felt that they never quite finished it.

The story lacked the passion between Romeo and Juliet that is so necessary for making the tragedy work. Was this a result of the gender switching? Can a thirtysomething male possibly portray a teenage girl in love?

I got nothing from this show (I saw it twice -- in part because I could, and in part because I was so incredibly exhausted the first night that I wanted to give it a better chance and see it with fresh eyes). I didn't come away with anything new or even with a different perspective on the story. There were some nice "looks" to it, but not enough to make it worth the effort.

A disappointment.