American Repertory Theater at Harvard University's production of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet begins previews August 31.
Tony Award-winning director Diane Paulus (Jagged Little Pill, Waitress, Pippin) reunites with two-time Olivier-winning director and choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui (Jagged Little Pill, Babel(words), Puz/zle) to stage the classic tragedy. Launching A.R.T.'s 2024–25 season, the production will officially open September 5 at the Loeb Drama Center in Harvard Square, Cambridge.
Playing the star-crossed lovers are Rudy Pankow (Outer Banks, Uncharted) and Emilia Suárez (Up Here, A Good Person), joined by three-time Tony nominee Terrence Mann (Pippin, Beauty and the Beast, Les Misérables) as Friar Laurence, Terence Archie as Lord
Capulet, Jason Bowen as Prince and others, Sharon Catherine Brown as
Nurse, Bradley Dean as Lord Montague and Friar John, Brandon Dial as
Benvolio, Adi Dixit as Paris, Abiola Obatolu as Lady Montague and
others, Alex Ross as Tybalt, Will Savarese as Abraham and others, Adam
Shaukat as Sampson and others, Clay Singer as Mercutio, and Nicole
Villamil as Lady Capulet.
The Shakespeare classic also has scenic design by Amy Rubin,
costume design by Emilio Sosa, lighting design by Jen Schriever, sound
design by Daniel Lundberg, music by composer Alexandre Dai Castaing,
hair, wig, and makeup design by J. Jared Janas, fight consulting by
Thomas Schall, intimacy coordination by Lauren Kiele DeLeon, and casting
by ARC Casting's Duncan Stewart and Jarrett Reiche.
“Romeo and Juliet has been a favorite play of mine for years," said Paulus in an earlier statement. “It is often considered to be a play about hate. I am interested in pivoting that framework. Rather than defining our lives through hatred, can we choose to define our lives through love? This question opened the play up for me in a way that was very liberating. I’m thrilled to be collaborating once again with the choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, who, in addition to being a genius with movement, is brilliant with text and acting."
Melissa Chacón is the production stage manager with assistant stage managers Dack Justiz and Em Nafz. Performances are currently scheduled through October 6.
The popular title will soon be seen in a Broadway revival starring Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler, while a recent production just closed in the West End starring Tom Holland.
For tickets visit AmericanRepertoryTheater.org.