Romeo & Juliet

Romeo & Juliet

Shakespeare in the Parking Lot

The Drilling Company

July 13, 2019

Photo courtesy of The Drilling Company

The Shakespeare in the Parking Lot production of Romeo & Juliet is the perfect way for The Drilling Company to celebrate twenty-five years of bringing FREE Shakespeare to the Lower East Side.  Lukas Raphael brilliantly directs a superb cast of ten, led by Anwen Darcy as Juliet and Adam Huff as Romeo.  With a running time of one hour and fifty minutes, there is no better way to spend a warm summer evening in NYC.

The play opens with the typical Shakespearian actor speaking the prologue.  He/she is briskly pushed off the stage by the cast of characters boisterously setting up the tension between the feuding families, immediately creating an atmosphere of aggression and danger.  The party scene where Romeo first lays eyes on Juliet is glorious.  The attraction between Ms. Darcy’s Juliet and Mr. Huff’s Romeo is stunningly playful.  The balcony scene which follows is charming, filled with the eager and youthful yearnings of two teens discovering their feelings.  The final scene in the crypt is emotionally effective.  Ms. Darcy and Mr. Huff deliver genuine and tender performances.

Adam Huff & Anwen Darcy
Photoc courtesy of The Drilling Company

The cast works as a close-knit ensemble, smoothly transitioning from one scene to the next.  Jack Sochet is commanding as Capulet, Juliet’s father.  Serena Ebony Miller is outstanding as Friar (Sister) Lawrence.  Alessandro Colla delivers a robust Mercutio.  Una Clancy, Samantha Sutliff, Jake Lesh, Kendra Lee Oberhauser, and John Callendo all create strong characters that vibrantly fill the outdoor space.

Artistic Director Hamilton Clancy is dedicated to making Shakespeare accessible and free to the public.  After twenty-five years of producing Shakespeare in the Parking Lot, he is a true master.  Romeo & Juliet runs Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:00 PM through July 27.  Take the F train to the Delancey Street stop and walk two blocks to the Clement Soto Velez Cultural Center parking lot on 114 Norfolk Street.  Meet a friend a enjoy a fun, free night of well-done Shakespeare. 

Domenick Danza