Romeo and Juliet: What's not to love?

Olivia Dodd and Kelly Litt

The bawdy and profane side of the bard sparkled in the opening scenes of Romeo and Juliet last night at the Rochester Opera House.

The whimsical and capricious ardor of Romeo, played by Kelly Litt, proved the perfect antithesis for the rough and tumble, and tawdry, Mercutio, played by Jerard-James Craven, whose cavorting about the stage had the audience fully engaged, especially as he tormented and taunted Juliet’s poor nurse, played by Leslie Robinson.

Fifteen-year-old Olivia Dodd as Juliet executed near-perfect Shakespearean diction and Litt and Dodd combined to portray beautifully the fickle nature of young love run amok at the hands of adults.

Unfortunately, as we all know, the fortunes of Romeo and Juliet go downhill in a heartbeat, and the final death scene lacked the gravitas we have come to expect, most likely because we have come to expect it so much.

Other acting kudos go out to Tim Robinson as the pontificating Lord Capulet, Kelly Grete Ehlert as a solid Benvolio and Michael Stailey as Friar John.