Border Wall Overshadows a Low-Energy Romeo and Juliet in the Park

The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park staging of Romeo and Juliet, directed by Saheem Ali, situates Verona against a border wall with bilingual dialogue and striking visuals. While certain moments—like Francis Jue’s Friar Lawrence and the bilingual exchange between Romeo and Juliet—register warmth and intensity, the production overall is muddled: uneven pacing, inconsistent concept execution, and some stubbornly unclear lines undermine the tragedy and its political charge."