Review: Romeo and Bernadette: A Musical Tale of Verona and Brooklyn (Off-Broadway)

The Off-Broadway production of Romeo and Bernadette: A Musical Tale of Verona and Brooklyn was such a fun theater experience, for both the actors and the audience.

Romeo (Nikita Burshteyn) and Dino (Michael Notardonato) were authentic in their portrayal of instant pals and wingmen. Romeo’s comfort with Elizabethan, modern, and Brooklyn language helped us feel at home in the story. Dino’s playboy tendencies enraptured the audience, and his movements were so natural that he seemed to be floating on air. Bernadette (Anna Kostakis) and Donna (Ari Raskin) delivered comedic performances as childhood best friends, and emphasized Juliet’s youth throughout the story with high-pitched, girlish squeals. Tito (Zach Schanne) matched this young and exciting spirit in his chemistry with Bernadette and his clearly conveyed opinions on sex and poetry. The father figures, Sal (Carlos Lopez) and Don (Michael Marotta), created complementary performances that enhanced the contrast of the two rival families. Don’s accent felt particularly authentic, as did Sal’s familial values in his “Non La Famigl’.” Marotta and Lopez’s performances felt at place, rather than clichéd, in the production. Camille (Judy McLane) gave an outstanding performance featuring her gorgeous vibrato––her songs left the audience clapping in awe. Lips (Viet Vo) expertly played the simultaneous roughness, sweetness, and humor of his character. Troy Valjean Rucker showed off his great comedic talent in playing a variety of roles, and fit in perfectly with the variations and heightened, cartoonish nature of the script. 

Romeo and Bernadette featured a very wide variety of musical genres, though at times the clash of too many different styles interrupted the cohesiveness of the story. However, the juxtaposition of classical Italian and modern musical styles beautifully echoed the idea of adapting the classic story of Romeo and Juliet in modern times. In a world full of Romeo and Juliet adaptations, this one showed itself unique in its lightheartedness. Exaggerated dialogue and reactions matched with the reality of very familiar scenarios combined to create an accessible, enjoyable, and eye-catching production.

The minimalist set design by Walt Spangler was quite ingenious for the venue. White scaffolding acted as both home and street, and served its purpose as a space for the actors to transform and enjoy themselves. The Zeppole stand and Italian flag banner for the carnival were both particularly effective, especially when enhanced by the evocative lighting design of Ken Billington.

Despite the compelling intimacy of the Mezzanine Theatre at the A.R.T./New York Theatres, the small size of the venue was disappointing, and the theater was unable to match the professional level of the performance. The production could have benefitted from a larger stage to accommodate the wonderful heightened nature of the production. In addition, it would have been lovely to see the orchestra (Aaron Gandy, Jason Lofredo, Simon Hutchins, and Jon Berger) that was, unfortunately, hidden behind a black curtain.

Romeo and Bernadette was a funny and resonant adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, that matched Shakespeare’s heightened language and storyline with a mixture of Brooklyn and Italian culture and dialogue with the same dramatic storyline, even more exaggerated and romantic in the modern day. This production brought a particularly enjoyable lightness to the story of Romeo and Juliet lacking in most modern (musical or spoken) adaptations.

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