Romeo and Juliet is a comedy, right? Huh… it’s not? Oh yeah, it’s a tragic love story full of death and conflict. So why were we all laughing? Maybe it was the mix of Shakespearean English and the modern gangster outfits. Maybe it was the clear lack of chemistry between the two lead roles. Maybe, in fact probably, it was the leather-clad Orlando Bloom riding onto stage on a motorcycle.

The new Broadway version of Romeo and Juliet, directed by David Leveaux, had all the makings of a success but none of the actualization. This adaptation of William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy debuted in New York City this past September. During the months leading up to the opening show the play was hyped tirelessly as the ‘new’ Romeo and Juliet. And it certainly was new. After the show the audience wasn’t reminiscing about the tear-jerking love scenes- we were thinking about the scene when Orlando Bloom took his shirt off. What was supposed to be a tragic romance ended up as a comedy and as an exhibition of Orlando Bloom’s artistic and physical prowess.

The reasons for this are debatable but the popular sentiment is clear: this is not 1597’s Romeo and Juliet. When this classic romance was converted into a modern Broadway production something got lost in translation. But, ironically enough, it wasn’t the language. The modern version updated the costumes and scenery but left the Shakespearean English unchanged.

This was a major reason why the play was so awkward. When someone in baggy jeans carrying nun-chucks is angrily yelling, “Have at thee, coward!” it’s difficult to take them seriously. And many of the actors seemed so tongue tied over the iambic pentameter that they forgot to actually act.

Despite his showy stage entrance on the back of a motorcycle Orlando Bloom was excellent. His portrayal of Romeo was the perfect balance between arrogant swagger and romanticism. He was the only actor who really made his character come to life. When he spoke you didn’t picture Legolas or Paris or William Turner or any of the other characters from his past Blockbuster films. He wanted us to envision Romeo and so we did.

But Orlando Bloom’s success detracted from the overall success of the performance. His acting was so passionate and committed that all of the other characters seemed shallow in comparison. Many seemed flat, and those who tried to show more emotion became forced and unnatural. To be fair this was probably not due to a lack of skill, but in context with Bloom’s portrayal of Romeo everyone else came off amateurish.

Another issue was that most members of the audience didn’t care about any other characters besides Romeo from the start. Most people didn’t buy tickets to go see Romeo and Juliet; they bought tickets solely to see Orlando Bloom in person. When he first walked (or motorcycled) on stage everyone immediately broke into applause and the woman next to me exclaimed “Wooo, honey!” and fanned herself with her program. Maybe if the audience has shown a little more interest in the other actors those actors would have shown a little more passion in their roles.

It’s obvious that in any production of Romeo and Juliet the two most important roles are, well, Romeo and Juliet. Unfortunately actress Condola Rashad’s portrayal of Juliet could not match Orlando Bloom’s passionate performance. In any other play with any other lead male actor I am confident that she would have been able to hold her own. She has a good stage voice and was clearly committed to the role- Rashad could successfully depict a ‘happy’ or ‘excited’ Juliet. But when she needed to portray love or deep emotional distress her acting seemed shallow. In comparison with Bloom she appeared professionally immature.

This contributed to the lack of chemistry between Romeo and Juliet. The most important part of the play is the love between these two characters and in this modern version it was totally unconvincing. The first time Bloom and Rashad kissed the audience literally laughed.  And the famous balcony scene that was supposed to exemplify the strength of their love seemed staged and cliché. What we saw were two actors pretending to be in love with one another instead of two lovers entwined in a complicated romance.

However the play did succeed in offering comedic relief from its more serious themes. The modern version was more successful than the original literature at integrating humor into the story. Christian Camargo who acted Mercutio and the character Juliet’s Nurse, played by Jayne Houdyshell, were hilarious. Both had good comedic timing and were not afraid to commit to the humor and look ridiculous.

Houdyshell gave the character of the Nurse a funny balance between nurturing and cynicism. She soothed Juliet’s emotional frenzies while simultaneously mocking her stupidity. And Mercutio’s unashamed sexuality brought a sense of lightness to Romeo and Juliet that I have not seen before. But unfortunately Romeo and Mercutio’s bromance was the most believable sexual tension in the play.

If Leveaux had intended for this version of Romeo and Juliet to be a satire I would have been much more impressed. All of the emotional moments in the play seemed too cheesy to be intentional. The performance was interesting and worthwhile but it did not deliver on the passion that is necessary for Romeo and Juliet.  In short, if you want to laugh at love then this is the play to see. Or you can jump on the bandwagon and just go to stare longingly at Orlando Bloom.  But if you are looking for a play that will make you cry and feel sentimental I suggest that you keep looking.