Three reviews of Shakespeare shows outdoors

This summer's popular outdoor theater season began last weekend in earnest in Seattle, with a festival of free productions at Volunteer Park. And it drew more sunbathing, picnicking drama lovers than ever.

Here are our views of three of the shows seen at the fest (all of which are touring local parks this summer, free with donations encouraged). Look for more notices of alfresco theater Saturday in NW Home & Life and at seattletimes.com.

"Romeo and Juliet"

An estimated 600 people saw a bereft Romeo slug poison and his beloved Juliet off herself with a dagger on Sunday, in Wooden O Theatre's nimble, engaging go at Shakespeare's best-known tragedy.

Wooden O Theatre (which recently merged with the Seattle Shakespeare Company) was plagued by some amplification-system glitches at the Sunday debut. But what really counted were the actors, who projected the verse well enough on their own lung power to keep the park crowd tuned in — despite babies bawling, jets buzzing and ice-cream trucks jingling by.

Set vaguely in the war-torn Middle East (Romeo is part of what looks to be a U.N. peacekeeping force), George Mount's production has a scraggly set but some spot-on casting.

As those crazy, mixed-up kids of the title, Michael Place and Hana Lass, both practiced Shakespeare thesps, are prettily matched and well-spoken. And they sure do exude the fierce urgency of raging hormones.

Their fervent clinches and mutual delight in love make this romance and its sad outcome matter.

As for the action moves, in Sunday's show, the first Verona stage fight was heavy on the hokey, but other clashes added excitement — particularly a knife-versus-bayonet duel. And Place's precarious climbing around Juliet's rickety bal-

cony was rather suspenseful, too.

Other cast members who impressed include Julie Jamieson as Juliet's quirkily humorous nurse, Amy Fleetwood's anxious Lady Capulet (who also speaks Lord Capulet's lines) and Taylor Maxwell as a robust, buffed-up Mercutio.

"Romeo and Juliet" plays at local parks through Aug. 3. Schedule and details: www.seattleshakespeare.org or 206-733-8222.

Misha Berson,

Seattle Times theater critic

"Twelfth Night"

Puns flew, swords clashed and love was multifariously deceived under a midday sun at Volunteer Park last weekend. GreenStage's production of "Twelfth Night" proved a rambunctious and fun take on the familiar tale of gender confusion and mistaken identity.

Using few props, an energetic cast raced in and out from behind the amphitheater's brick backdrop — though a few characters also dove for the occasional hiding place among a sweltering audience.

Within all the adrenaline-fueled flurry, this version of Shakespeare's comedy about cross-eyed romance was light on overall charm but strong on underscoring the complexity of the story's relationships.

As always, the success of "Twelfth Night" has a lot to do with the appeal of pivotal character Viola, who disguises herself as male Cesario after becoming separated from her twin brother during a shipwreck.

Nicole Vernon was indeed endearing as the cross-dressing heroine, who goes to work for Duke Orsino (Ryan Higgins), acting as his emissary in woo-pitching to the distracted, abrasive and aristocratic Olivia (Nicole Fierstein).

Director Amelia Meckler's unyielding, brash tone in the play's subplot about making a fool of Olivia's head steward (Orion Protonentis) was endless and wearying.

Much better was the particular blend of homoerotic vibe and screwball romance, seen in the way confused Orsino visibly falls for his new page by joshing with him/her like a kid brother. The look of delight and terror on Vernon's face while getting poked in the ribs is the show's best mo-

ment.

"Twelfth Night" plays various local parks through Aug. 16. Details: www.greenstage.org or 206-748-1551.

Tom Keogh,

Special to The Seattle Times

"As You Like It"

Our assessment of this Shakespeare outing by a young Capitol Hill-based troupe will be brief — given their announcement to Sunday's park patrons that the show was a preview. Which probably explains why a couple of the lead actors frequently consulted the script for their next lines.

That made for a lot of stop-and-go, but one could catch the outline of a basically sound outing staged by Kim Deskin of an articulate comedy of love and exile that's perfectly tailored to the Great Outdoors. The cast exhibits varied levels of experience and polish but shares an eagerness to please.

One note: Once everyone's got their lines down, the actors must make sure they are loudly communicated — not to the trees, please, but directly to the audience.

"As You Like It" plays in parks through July 26 and Aug. 8 (www.eclectictheatercompany.org).

Misha Berson