Romeo and Juliet, Bear Theatre
June 19-21 and 26-28, Community High School Theater, 7:00 pm (Sunday at 2), nearly 3 hours run time, one intermission. This production surprised me -- good surprises, mostly! I love Bear Theatre (officially called Exit, Pursued by a Bear, a name drawn from a different Shakespeare play). I love them for two reasons: 1, they are downtown (so I can walk, bike, or take a bus to get there, unlike many other theaters in our area), and 2, they are unabashedly a community theater. This production featured several actors I'd never seen before, and only a handful of old favorites. Director Les Epstein created a big tent in this production - a wide range of actors, a wide range of ages and backgrounds. Such a setup is exciting and invites surprises - of which there were many. Good surprises included: 1. Celebrity Cameos. Such a fun idea, and a great way to invite new audiences to engage with theater. I went tonight (6/19) and saw Kimberly McBroom from WDBJ7 in the party s...