Vancouver-based theatre company Monster Theatre brings a refreshing new take to the story of Juliet from Romeo and Juliet with Juliet: A Revenge Comedy. The show asks, what would have happened if Juliet didn’t kill herself? What would happen if, instead, Juliet recruited a group of other famous Shakespearean female leads?
The cast consists of three actors who deliver stellar performances. Lili Beaudoin stars as young Juliet, Carly Pokoradi plays many familiar Shakespeare characters and Bruce Horak plays William Shakespeare himself. The actors have great chemistry with each other, which was vital for this show. Pokoradi portrays familiar female Shakespearean leads such as Lady Macbeth and Ophelia, who often appear all together in the same scene. Horak plays a cocky, scheming Shakespeare with charm. Beaudoin keeps the show grounded by only playing a sweet and headstrong Juliet.
The show offers clever commentary while poking fun at what the female characters from Shakespeare’s most popular plays have been through. As someone who read a few of Shakespeare’s household plays throughout high school, the play brought up some forgotten, and unfortunate, truths about the fates of Shakespeare’s female characters.
The show broke the fourth wall in a charming way, without feeling like it was belittling its audience. It also gave us a curious look into what would happen if Shakespeare was confronted by his characters. Audience members can easily enjoy this show even if they only have a general knowledge of the plotlines in Shakespeare’s famous works. Juliet: A Revenge Comedy is a must-see at this year’s Toronto Fringe Festival!
For more information and tickets to this show, click here. Upcoming show times at the Ada Slaight Hall in Daniel’s Spectrum include:
July 13 at 8:00PM
July 14 at 3:15PM
If you miss the show in Toronto, Monster Theatre will be touring this show with stops at the Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Vancouver Fringe Festivals!
