A Bleak Verona: Valmiera Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet
The Valmiera Theatre’s production of Romeo and Juliet presents a bleak and introspective take on Shakespeare’s classic tragedy. Director Inese Michule delivers a vision shrouded in gloom, stripping the story of its impulsive passion and replacing it with a cold, calculated despair.
While the play’s timeless themes of love, hate, and fate remain, they are presented through a lens of unrelenting pessimism. Sveinbjörn Palsson’s set design reinforces this atmosphere – two high arches, later losing their support, dominate the stage, casting a shadow over the proceedings.
Ilze Vītoliņa’s costumes, devoid of any distinction between the feuding families, further contribute to a sense of homogeny and hopelessness. The sun rarely shines in this Verona, thanks to the lighting artistry of Oskars Pauliņš, mirroring the absence of warmth and joy in the characters’ lives.
Even Shakespeare’s timeless language, translated delicately by Raimonds Auškāpas, can’t escape the pervading sense of doom. Much of the action feels disconnected from cause and effect, stemming not from the characters’ relationships but from Michule’s deliberate disregard for traditional narrative structure. The confrontation between the Montagues and Capulets lacks any dynamism, playing out like a pre-determined chess match rather than a clash of titanic wills.
Choreographer Elina Gediņa’s rendition of the ballroom dance, grotesquely staged with seated figures bending back and forth, emphasizes this detachment. The blindfolds used instead of masks underscore the characters’ blindness to their own prejudices and the tragic consequences they unleash.
Emil Zilbert’s music, with its ponderous, string-laden score, reinforces the heaviness of the production. The time and space of the play are blurred into a non-specific present, sacrificing the spontaneity inherent in Shakespeare’s original work. Opportunities for chance encounters and unforeseen twists are deliberately removed, making the characters’ actions feel predetermined and their fates inescapable.
This deterministic approach extends to the characterizations themselves. Aigar Apini’s Capulet erupts in a sudden, almost hysterical outburst of hatred while Klinta Reinhold’s young Lady Capulet calmly observes from the upper level. Why Benvolio is played by woman, “adjusting” the translation accordingly, is left unexplained – a puzzling choice that reiterates the production’s unorthodox approach.
While some performances shine with incandescent sincerity, the overall impact is muted by the overwhelming sense of hopelessness. Inese Puja’s Benvolio provides a rare moment of levity, reminding Romeo that he need not worry about finding a bride in Verona. Eduard Johansson’s Mercutio and Rūda Bīviņš’s Tybalt are admirable in their commitment to the roles, but even their vibrant portrayals are ultimately consumed by the pervasive gloom.
The tragic ending, with Romeo and Juliet dying despite their passionate love, feels less like a natural consequence of their actions and more like a foregone conclusion. The production’s bleak atmosphere, while skillfully crafted, ultimately undermines the emotional resonance typically associated with Shakespeare’s masterpiece.
Micahule, however, seems to double down on this emptiness. Even the ending feels ponderously didactic, with the stage awash in red light as the scenographer illuminates the overturned family monograms M and C (Montague and Capulet), a blunt visual reminder of the play’s central themes. After three hours, one can’t help but feel a sense of exhaustion rather
– How does the elimination of visual distinction between the Montague and Capulet families impact the portrayal of their conflict?
## A Gloomy Verona: An Interview on Valmiera Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet
**(Interviewer):** Welcome to the show. Today we’re discussing the Valmiera Theatre’s recent production of Romeo and Juliet, a performance that has generated a lot of discussion. Joining us is Alex Reed, a theater critic who recently attended the opening night.
**(Alex Reed):** Thank you for having me. It was certainly a performance that stayed with me.
**(Interviewer):** The director, Inese Michule, has described her vision as “bleak and introspective.” Do you think this accurately reflects the production?
**(Alex Reed):** Absolutely. This isn’t your typical romantic Romeo and Juliet. Michule has stripped away the passion and impulsiveness, replacing it with a pervading sense of doom. From the set design to the costumes and lighting, every element reinforces this desolate atmosphere. [1](https://www.bilesuparadize.lv/en/event/147230)
**(Interviewer):** Can you elaborate on some of the artistic choices that contribute to this bleakness?
**(Alex Reed):** The set design by Sveinbjörn Palsson, for example, features these imposing arches that eventually lose their support, literally casting a shadow over the stage. The costumes, by Ilze Vītoliņa, erase any visual distinction between the Montagues and Capulets, emphasizing the homogeneity and hopelessness that permeates the play. Even the lighting, overseen by Oskars Pauliņš, keeps Verona shrouded in a perpetual dusk.
**(Interviewer):** You mentioned the lack of distinction between the feuding families. Does this affect the impact of their conflict?
**(Alex Reed):** Interestingly, it does. The confrontations, rather than feeling visceral and driven by passion, almost become abstract – like a preordained chess game with tragic consequences. This detachment extends to the famous ballroom scene, which is choreographed grotesquely, with seated figures bending back and forth. It’s unsettling and emphasizes the characters’ blindness to the destructive force of their prejudices.
**(Interviewer):** So, while the production presents a very different take on Shakespeare’s classic, do you think it’s successful?
**(Alex Reed):** That’s a question each audience member must answer for themselves. Michule’s vision is undeniably powerful and thought-provoking. It forces us to confront the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet in a new light, stripped of romantic illusions and pointing towards the inevitability of fate. It’s a production that will undoubtedly spark debate and leave a lasting impression.
