A new theater is in town and for its inaugural show, the company went big time gay. Founder Mario Estep said at the opening night of The Beacon Theatre’s first show Romeo and Julian that he wanted to create a theater space that focused and gave opportunity to actors in POC and queer communities of all (adult) ages, sizes and genders in the suburbs. That was immediately seen in the casting of Estep’s new gay adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
Two lead gay characters, a drag queen friar and music video choreography certainly drove the point home of Estep’s mission. Oh, and did we mention the bare butts and shirtless men?
Be that as it may, this adaptation was faithful to the original material. The dialogue has been updated but still has its poetic, iambic flow. And the story is set in the small Texas town of Verona.
For its first show, Beacon delivered a bold product inside Plano’s Cox Playhouse. Estep joked about a zero budget and the show did have its bumps, but even with rough edges, there was sincere passion at last Thursday’s performance. The talent was impressive and both the company and cast succeeded in delivering a queer vision of a familiar story.
Of course, the production hinged on its leads played by Benjamin McElroy as Julian and Spencer Walsh as Romeo. Julian is a privileged character and McElroy had a firm handling of his character’s brattiness. Julian’s excitable, whiny and entitled that McElroy played with enjoyable credibility. When Julian and Romeo begin courting, McElroy conveyed that young love through his facial expressions and butterfly nerves throughout his body. A charming portrayal though it was often undermined by McElroy’s rapid delivery of lines or extensive yelling. In those moments, words were often lost.
As Romeo, Spencer Walsh kinda killed it. His quirky performance was filled with a frenetic nuance. He eschewed any leading man vibes for a much more humanistic Romeo that was charming and geeky but also strong-willed and passionate.
Collectively, the large ensemble felt cohesive. Gernelle Nelson served up some fabulous butch vibes as Prince; Brett Lee’s Mercutio was full of appropriate swagger and Isabell Moon delivered a balanced performance that worked for her Benvolio. Britanya Elios surprised as the spirited nurse to Julian. She blended humor, dismay and maternal instinct with ease across her performance. Like McElroy though, some of her lines were lost in her louder, rushed deliveries.
This was often the case despite the cast’s cohesion. Many would often choose to rush through lines or add volume but the notions of what they were saying disappeared.
Now can we talk about Geoff Lutz as Mother Lawrence? In the usual Friar role who consoles the original heteros and also supplies the fated poison, Mother is a positive and encouraging force here. In platform heels and flowy fabrics, Lutz delivered a compelling performance. Mother was fully fleshed out and the actor’s delivery and mastery of Estep’s language was pristine.
The conflict of Romeo and Julian was that its selling point was also its confusion. The marketing imagery gave rom-com vibes and a “gay adaptation” might imply a sassy, camp element. The irony was that no character had any queer prejudice against the two, but yet, the tragic finale still presented queer pain. Estep leaned into the drama of it all but the cast had imbued humor into the story through varied delivery or posturing. This kept the show on an even balance.
The updated elements also got lost. In the synopsis, the story happens in Verona, Texas and the feuding families are instead rival religious leaders – a Southern Baptist and a Catholic. Per my recollection, these were never mentioned or applied to the feuding families. Dallas is referred to as a sanctuary city but with no real reference to location, it felt misaligned. Also serving as costumer, I did appreciate Estep didn’t give us “Texas’ through clothing nor did Nick Estep in his set design. However, the story’s setting never felt fully established onstage.
Even with those said critiques, The Beacon Theatre has launched with a promising start, thanks to Mario Estep’s vision of a company dedicated to celebrating diverse stories. Their debut production, Romeo and Julian, was an “out and proud” experience featuring a refreshing mix of new talent. And the inclusion of a drag queen’s smackdown on some Shakespeare offered a clear and entertaining glimpse into the theater’s future intentions.
The show runs through Feb. 22 at the Cox Playhouse.
–Rich Lopez