One of the best productions of Shakespeare I’ve ever seen was a free one.
Bad Hamlet was staged in 2012 by an impish little company called Taffety Punk in Washington D.C. The troupe had an annual tradition of picking the worst quarto of a famous play and staging it (several versions of Hamlet survive from Shakespeare’s time, not all of them of equal quality). In Bad Hamlet, the famous soliloquy begins, “To be or not to be; ay, there’s the point!”
The production was playful and energetic. Free entry was a choice on principle: Everyone should have access to theater, and audiences should know they're not only surrounded by those who can afford it.
This all came to my mind on a recent Saturday during The Gray Mallard Theater Company’s Romeo and Juliet at Sociable Cider Werks in northeast Minneapolis. The seating area was a half-moon of lawn and folding chairs facing a single low platform stage. A food truck was one of the walls of the “theater.” People wandered in and out with drinks and burgers.
Easy access is key to Gray Mallard’s mission and artistic director Amanda Fuller’s intentions with the Shakespeare at the Pub project, which has also staged Richard III and Twelfth Night at Sociable since 2022. “By taking Shakespeare out of a formal theater, we connect with audiences who cannot afford theater tickets,” the company’s website explains.
This production of Romeo and Juliet is fun, its strongest feature being the two leads. Em Rosenberg plays Romeo as witty and a bit nerdy, well-attuned to when to strike with passion. They’re funny, seamlessly modulating between the teen’s cool and heat. Rosenberg has a real talent for listening and responding to scene partners—the primary one, of course, being Juliet.
Alessandra Bongiardina plays Juliet as giddy and bright, and her attention to the language is extraordinary. During the balcony scene—the highlight of the evening—Bongiardina closely follows every shift Juliet makes in feeling, sometimes several in a single line. Meanwhile, Rosenberg’s humor shines in the scene. When Romeo eagerly listens to Juliet in secret and hears their name for the first time, Rosenberg shoots a look to the audience of stupefied exuberance, like, “Did you hear that?!”
The supporting cast adeptly moves the plot along. Catherine Fuller is hilarious as Juliet’s increasingly aching messenger and she lands both sides of the role of the nurse: romantic cheerleader of Juliet in the first half, cautious protector in the second. Tony Larkin, a Nathan Fielder lookalike, plays Friar Laurence with a touch of irony, and Zach Lerner as Tybalt brings the raw force of anger necessary to the plot.
At times, the supporting cast plays it a little too broad for my taste, and are distracting in their performances. And while the second half captures the somber tone of mounting violence, the sense of urgency sometimes gets lost, and the climactic scene in the crypt sags. A moment that works well in the second half is when Lord Capulet (Chance Carroll) violently shouts at his daughter, the nurse and Lady Capulet looking on. The fear he instills in the two onlookers is palpable, giving sense to their ultimate abandonment of the girl.
Being outdoors can be eventful: During this performance, Bauhaus’s 10-year party was happening across the way, and, in the quiet moments, echoes of "Give up the Funk" and “September” carried over. Still, for the most part, the play held the audience’s attention.
With an easygoing, professional approach to a well-trod Shakespeare tragedy, this production is a delightful way to spend a summer night. Don’t forget to bring your own chair, though the taproom does have several you can borrow if you need to. You’ll have the added pleasure of being able to wear flip-flops, drink cold cider, and eat fries while watching.
In fact, it’s encouraged. It’s the point.
Romeo and Juliet
Where: Sociable Cider Werks, 1500 Fillmore St. NE, Minneapolis
When: 7 p.m. July 26-28
Tickets: Free; more info here
