“Wherefore Art Thou…?” is the question that was on my mind during this take on a Shakespearean classic.
In all honesty, I’ve had so much trouble searching for the words to describe my overall feelings for this production, but every time I just come up with one word: eh. All I got from my time in the Circle In The Square was sensory overload (thank the club-like lighting, volume-at-max sound, and unnecessary songs for that), a concept that was opaque and WAY to Gen Z for my own Gen Z liking, and a weeded down adaptation that, for me, barely felt like there was a family feud and possessed a purely anticlimactic ending. Sam Gold really missed the mark on this one, and it’s not his first rodeo with the Bard (his “MacBeth” was also a thinly veiled attempt at relating the Bard to now). Is he leaning into the fact that my generation is left to their devices due to the repercussions of the older generations in charge? Or Is he having my generation simply taking over/decking out an abandoned venue and telling this timely story through EVERYTHING that makes Gen Z Gen Z? I can’t decide on which one to lean into more or which one Gold is exactly deciding to cross the tightrope on. And personally, I’m actually quite exhausted from trying to.
As for the cast, it’s a very solid ensemble with plenty of standout moments for various featured performers. Kit Connor has even proven himself worthy of the stage and going beyond the work he’s done on “Heartstopper.” Connor’s the one I couldn’t take my eyes off of from start to finish; he knows exactly what he’s doing in his quest to bait and mesmerize a live audience. Rachel Zelger is, well, fine in her position, but I can’t say I was all too attached to her. And I do hate to say it, but there was certainly a bit lacking in the chemistry department between these two, and that’s a tragedy of its own within this tragedy.
The tagline of this production is “The Youth Are Fucked,” but it probably should be “Shakespeare’s Been Fucked Over.” His timeless tragedy, deserves more than a tiresome woke take that simply blows up all over like a frenzied night club scene. Though parting is such sweet sorrow, parting with this one certainly wasn’t.
