The City of West Hollywood and Classical Theatre Lab presented The Romantics, a play written by Edmond Rostand and directed by Suzanne Hunt (due to a last minute event, Suzanne replaced Maaren Edvard for the role of Pasquinette) in the last performance.
The Romantics is a play that satirizes Romeo and Juliet. Percinet (Johnny Austen) is madly in love with Sylvette (Maegan McConnell). Percinet’s father, Bergamin (Alexander Wells), is in cahoots with Pasquinette (Suzanne Hunt), Sylvette’s mother. Bergamin and Pasquinette believe that by faking a feud between the two families and separating Sylvette from Percinet, their kids will love each other even more and will finally marry once they get back together. To accomplish this, Bergamin hires the services of Straforel (Carlo Figlio) and his notary assistant (Katie McKewin), professional rogues that will stage Sylvette’s failed abduction attempt. The plan is to make Percinet look like a romantic hero by fighting Straforel and the notary to rescue Sylvette. Things, however, get a little bit out of hand after that.
Although the play references Romeo and Juliet and the medieval concept of courtly love, Rostand also contrasts all that youthful romance with the sense of emptiness experienced by Percinet when he is faced with the realities of life, a naturalistic approach popular in Rostand’s time.
The Romantics was staged at the Kings Road Park in West Hollywood with a basic setup. This production was a nostalgic look at how theatre was performed long ago: Natural light, period costumes, and live music, relying mostly on the talent of dedicated actors to keep the audience engaged (McConnell delivers a delightful performance as the vivacious Sylvette). The music was a special touch to the presentation as is based on an 18th Century story but with contemporary music. McConnell, Austen, and Donald Wayne (he plays the gardener Blaise) showed their convincing singing skills in the three musical numbers.
The Romantics was a pleasant production that featured the dedication of the Classical Theatre Lab, an ensemble of theatre artists exploring classical theatre, literature, and performance. They also develop contemporary works inspired by the classics. These artists perform in different public spaces throughout the year to promote a love of classical theatre. This is the link to their website: https://www.classicaltheatrelab.org/
The Romantics
Written by Edmund Rostand. Directed by Suzanne Hunt. Presented by The City of West Hollywood & Classical Theatre Lab. Cast: Johnny Austen, Maaren Edvard, Suzanne Hunt, Carlo Figlio, Maegan McConnell, Katie McKewin, Donald Wayne, and Alexander Wells. Production team: Suzanne Hunt and Alexander Wells (Producers), Katie McKewin (Assistant Director/Movement Choreographer) and Garth Pillsbury (Photographer). Costumes from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Kings Road Park, 1000 N. Kings Road, West Hollywood 90069
The play was performed in September 2022.
Links to West Hollywood’s Arts Division:
@wehoarts
@wehocity
