Thomson managed to bring all of this out in his production without once making a direct political statement. He simply let Shakespeare speak, and history and the present became one. He pushed the action on as the Bard would have done in his time without changing sets, without taking pauses to introduce new scenes. It made for a fascinating, uncluttered production, and an evening of almost pure theatrical joy as one scene flowed into the next. The scenes between the two young lovers capture their joy and their pain quite marvelously because Thomson gave them the freedom to use the stage to the fullest advantage.

The director chose Mary Krohnert for his Juliet. This young actress appears to have had no previous Shakespearean experience, but she handles the role and 16^th century English exceedingly well. No one can doubt that here is a not quite 14-year-old, madly in love, and deeply in sorrow. Teenagers, their hormones not yet under control, are an overwrought lot, and she plays this state of affairs with the required adolescent addlebrained logic.

Allan Hawco makes a splendid Romeo. He captures the youth's sensitivity, his emotional excesses—after all, he had suffered from unrequited love for the unseen Rosaline until he laid his eyes on Juliet—and his determination in a believable manner. Those excesses, of course, also include the extreme opposites of first calling on his friends to stop fighting, and then in anger at Mercutio's death, committing murder himself. To make such an emotional switch in a character convincingly is not easy, but Hawco does not let his audience down.

Mercutio is played by Blair Williams with great panache and wit, touched by menacing madness. Mercutio tempts fate, and Williams knows how to bring this to the fore. He is completely in control of his text, and the language flows from his tongue with ease.

The villainous Tybalt, who is determined to have his day with Romeo even though the youth does not want to fight, is tackled by Michael Rubenfeld. What a believable street fighter he makes. This guy is out to get his man, regardless of the consequences, and Rubenfeld plays him to the full limit. Here Thomson introduced a novel act. Tybalt not only has a sword and a dagger, but he carries a bullwhip with which to snare his victim. We have to applaud fight director John Stead for weaving this into the street fights. If you want to ensnare young people into watching Shakespeare, than this touch of Clint Eastwood is a dramatic choice that will resonate with them.

Lynne Griffin plays the Nurse, Juliet's nanny, who knows the girl better than her own mother. She's a saucy wench, past her prime, whose devotion to the girl is never questioned, even when she is humiliated by young men out to have boisterous fun. Griffin captures this character's essence by playing her to the hilt. And while still musing about Nurse, her servant, Peter, deserves a mention.  Richard Harte captures the bumbling nature of the boy without overdoing it.

Griffin's portrayal reminds us that in 14^th century Italy, or even in 16^th century England, piety was reserved for the upper classes, while the servants and other members of the lower classes had no hesitation to display their bawdy nature. Nurse is one of those characters that Shakespeare loved to write into his plays to appeal to the masses. We forget far too often that Shakespeare directed his plays not at the educated alone, but at the uneducated, and that his language, if truly spoken, is very unlike Laurence Olivier's affected delivery. That style did not attach itself to Shakespeare until the 19^th century. That is why we liked the natural style Thomson encouraged in his actors.

Friar Lawrence*, who concocts the fateful sleeping draft that fools Romeo into thinking his Juliet is dead, is played by John Dolan. He reveals to us the dreamer in the Friar, who is more interested in nature than in dispensing church doctrine. There is only one moment when Dolan does not quite convince this reviewer. His anguish, and contriteness at the end, when he kneels before the Prince of Verona (Sanjay Talwar), does not fully transmit across the stage to the audience.

Juliet's suitor, County Paris, is played by Kyle McDonald rather stiffly and so contrasts sharply with the lively acting of most of the other cast members. Here is a young actor, who needs a bit more experience in bringing out the full measure of Paris. But, at least, he does carry his lines, which cannot be said of Rex Southgate in the role of Lord Capulet. This experienced Shakespearean actor simply did not seem to be able to get into the part. He fluffed his lines several times, and frequently mumbled them so that it was hard to hear what he had to say. One would have also preferred a somewhat younger man to play the part. He seemed too much the grandfather rather than the father of Juliet. Sarah Orenstein played Lady Capulet more spiteful than regal, and her voice had a shrillness that sometimes grated on the ear. But, when adding the minuses against all of the pluses of this production, they seem minor.

Astrid Janson's costumes are timeless, and yet echo the period in which Juliet is said to have lived. They are colorful without being garish for the men, and stylish, yet simple for the women. As was the fashion in that period, head coverings varied from cap to cowl, wimple to chaperon, a turban-like headdress, thereby adding a touch of the exotic to the wearer.

Meiro Stamm's music captured the tone of the production without ever intruding on the lines. At the same time it complemented the setting, which is absolutely fabulous. The theatre, which is really a huge plastic dome — almost onion shaped — has a spacious thrust stage which is left open at the back. This gives the audience a view of the trees in the park, and for those who sit high up, a view of Lake Ontario. On opening night the changing sky behind the actors was as much a part of the play as was the script, as sunny evening slowly changed into dark night. It added subtly to the wonderful experience unfolding on stage.

One looks forward to many more productions at this new venue in the coming years. Romeo and Juliet runs to July 25. Don't miss it. Ticket prices are $25 for adults, with a reduction for seniors, and youngsters under 18 can come to see this show for a mere $2.00. Tickets at 416-872-1212.