Romeo and Juliet

March 2, 1998
Adults looking for a dramatically abridged version of Shakespeare's tragic love story with some lovely backdrops of Verona may find something to savor in Early's (Sleeping Beauty; William Tell) picture-book rendition. She gives a nod to several medieval fresco artists and to such Renaissance painters as Michelangelo and Botticelli, whose ornate patterns and borders may well be the inspiration for her paintings. A sharp attention to detail-- including the exquisite geometric designs of palace floors, elaborate period dress, authentic Verona streetscapes and the delicate strands of Juliet's golden tresses--distinguishes Early's art, but the lovers' faces are mask-like, and even the most dramatic of scenes appear to be static. Early's narrative paraphrases the action of this drama while showcasing some of the most legendary lines from the Bard's quill. But these clunky juxtapositions detract from Shakespeare's own words, as in this example: "Lord Capulet replied that Juliet was too young . Why not wait a little longer? `Let two more summers wither in their pride ere we may think her ripe to be a bride,' he entreated." Children will be better off waiting for the original--and adults better off returning to it. All ages.

Jim Weiss has a knack for selecting texts that children are unlikely to read and bringing them alive for young listeners. He takes the words of historical figures and contextualizes their famous speech with lively story. Here, Weiss chooses to tell--in story form-- one of the Bard's most famous tragedies, with interesting results. Clearly he's not a student of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and his mildly English accents are occasionally a little comical. However, this production offers a good introduction to Shakespeare (with Weiss providing interesting background on the writer) and to one of his most famous plays, and both my 7- and 11-year-old daughters listened along intently. J.C.G. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine