photo by Tim Fuller

With open arms and endless hope, Romeo (Hunter Hnat) calls out to his Juliet (Bryn Booth), safely ensconced on her balcony.

No matter how many times you've seen William Shakespeare's “Romeo and Juliet,” you definitely must not miss The Rogue Theatre's irresistible rendition directed by Christopher Johnson.

In the program notes Johnson says “We've made it our mission to approach the material as if for the first time.” In this, Johnson and his cast of 16 elaborately costumed actors are eminently successful.

Hunter Hnat and Bryn Booth have the titular roles. Both are older than the young teens described in the Bard's eponymous text, but are so convincing in the purity of their heart-rending performances.

Booth touches all the emotions from giddy first love to the wrenching conclusion of matching heartbeat for heartbeat with Romeo, her forever husband.

In that closing scene, their struggling dialogue is enhanced by delicate body language surrounding them in silence, tearfully expressing their final desire for each other.

Hnat is the jauntily enthusiastic lad grown into an eager warrior happy to defend his honor as well as that of his friends. At the same time Romeo's true love for Juliet turns this masculine impulse into deadly action.

Key to this classic clash of an irresistible force meeting an immovable object stands Joseph McGrath as the well-meaning Friar Laurence. Through his performance layered in subtle shades of idealism mixed with admiration, we understand how this man of the cloth could be drawn into the sentimental desperation of these star-crossed lovers.

Within this simmering conflict between the Houses of Montague and Capulet there are flashing moments of swordplay choreographed in high speed confrontations by Brent Gibbs.

Among the many supporting players, Ryan Parker Knox was tops as the compulsive Mercutio. No good deed goes unpunished as Knox shows he is drawn toward hot-blooded alternatives to the conservative law of order in Verona at the time.

Cynthia Meier brings extra depth to her role as the nurse of Juliet. In the first act, she provides comedy relief in looking after her love-struck charge. In the second act she adds pure pain to the finality of  adolescent compulsion.

“Romeo and Juliet” continues through May 18, with performances at various times Fridays-Sundays in The Rogue Theatre, 300 E. University Blvd. Run time is approximately 2 1/2 hours, including intermission. Tickets are $47 general admission, discounts available. For details and reservations, visit www.theroguetheatre.com or phone 520-551-2053.

As a theatrical performance, the conversations between turbulent Marjorie and mechanical Walter are brilliantly performed. Playwright Jordan Harrison has constructed “Marjorie Prime” so cleverly, and director Christopher Johnson puts so much attention to the most subtle details, we come away believing reality can indeed exist in many shades of imagination.

Completing the cast are Carley Elizabeth Preston and Matt Walley as Marjorie's tense daughter Tess and her goodhearted husband Jon. Tess is equally as mercurial as her mom in abrupt mood shifts. Slipping into middle age Tess faces her own dystopia that she never had a warm relationship with her mother.

Every conversation between the two always ends in a bickering, sputtering argument. For both women, family life exists more in their head than in their hearts. In one series of short bursts, Preston brilliantly leaps from crisis conclusion to crisis combustion.

So we in the audience are left to ponder, does it really matter what happened in the past? Or does what we remember become more important than what actually happened?

ing in various combinations deliver one intense rendition after another filled with their personal hopes for some relief, offering 27 blues flavored pieces straight from the 1930s gut of Depression Era struggles in gritty cities, nearly 100 years ago.

Award winning Sheldon Epps first conceived of this revue in 1980, opening a successful Broadway run in 1982, followed by an equally popular London production in 1987.

Epps found ways to blend the music of such established composers as Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer with the popular blues success of marque names like Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Bessie Smith and others.

From the evergreen favorites “Lush Life” and “Stompin' at the Savoy” to the sly double entendre of “Take Me For A Buggy Ride” to the equally defiant “Wild Women Don't Have the Blues,” no heart left wanting goes unexamined.

Think of this indigo journey as a musical confessional so convincing in its search for sweet release, the capacity audience on opening night at the downtown Temple of Music and Art jumped to its feet in a standing ovation of the joyful discovery to learn what is meant by making it hurt so good.

This remarkable metaphor of a religious experience is carried out in the soaring stage design of Edward E. Haynes Jr. A towering church-like arc is filled with patterned columns that could also represent endless towers of faceless apartment buildings in a shadowy urban setting.

Included in the stage design are setups representing four generic apartments flaunting their ordinariness in cold concern for these star-crossed performers.

Each is given a descriptive title rather than a name. They are: The Lady from the Road (Roz White), The Woman of the World (April Nixon), The Girl with a Date (Camryn Hamm) and The Man in the Saloon (Darryl Reuben Hall). As the titles imply, each of these women represents all women at different stages in their lives.

The man, presumably, stands for all men who end up by themselves in a bar.

There is no dialogue or plot per se but each song is self-contained, telling its own story, adding another chapter to the challenging life of being female.

“Blues in the Night” runs through Feb. 15, with performances at various times Tuesdays through Sundays in the downtown Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. Run time is approximately two hours, including intermission.

Tickets are $33-$113. For additional details and reservations, 833-ATC-SEAT (282-7328) or online, atc.org

Gaslight photo 

From left, Jake Chapman, Janee Page and Jacob Brown spin back through the decades to reach the 1960s,  where everybody had more fun.

Do you remember the joke that insists “If you can remember the1960s, you weren't actually there?”

Well, over at the Gaslight Theatre they clearly remember the 1960s, and they have the show to prove it.

Yes, we are talking about a revival of “Beach Blanket Bee-Bop,” originally written by Peter VanSlyke, now revived, adapted and directed by Katherine Byrnes and Mike Yarema.

How long has it been since you heard anybody shout “Cowabunga!?” Or rave on about something “humongous?” Or proudly take the nickname Moondoggie?

That role is played by Jake Chapman. He is Moondoggie the Surfer, and his extremely cool girlfriend is Barbara Anne (Janee Page).

Technically it is the 1960s, but in the earlier part. Before the Summer of Love, the Beatles and all that.

We are basking in the innocent sun of Surf City, USA, where the seductive curls of churning waves are numero uno and everybody's favorite schoolteacher is Bernie Longboard (Todd Thompson) whose death defying, breaker-riding escapades as a teen made him the Big Kahuna.

Can I get a hearty “Righteous, man!” Exacto mundo!

Those days were also the trophy-yearning heart of chromed car culture – surf all day, then cruise up and down Main Street all night. Drag races? Of course. With occasional breaks for hiding in the trunk of a friend's car to sneak in the drive-in movie.

The Gaslight Gang remembers all of it...the bad as well as the good.

Like the unkempt bully known as Moose (Charlie Hall) and his totally uncool pal Lunkhead (Jacob Brown). They made life miserable for Melvin (Mike Yarema), the brightest kid in school, who also had the most unbelievably bright collection of plaid pants.

Of course Melvin's exceptionally gifted nerdiness is matched by his nerdette girlfriend Francine (Kelly Coates).

The only other adults in the room are the white-gloves wearing Dean of Students, Miss Cliffhausen (Heather Stricker), and the VILLAIN spelled with capitol letters, Mrs. Fogbottom (Erin Thompson).

See, the deal is, Mrs. Fogbottom is a beachfront developer who wants to close Surf City's seaside amusement park, end all that surfing nonsense and convert the waterfront into an exclusive housing and high rise development. Uhh-ohh!

Following this classic clash of good vs evil is the after-show olio dedicated to celebrating the songs and humor of Sonny and Cher. Some of their special guests include Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Janis Joplin, the Mamas and Papas.

“Beach Blanket Bee-Bop” runs through June 1, with performances at various times Tuesdays through Sundays in the Gaslight Theatre, 7010 E. Broadway Blvd. Reservations are required.

Tickets (before tax) are $28 adults, with discounts available for groups, students, seniors, military, first responders and children age 2-12. For details and reservations, 520-886-9428, online www.thegaslighttheatre.com, or visit the box office, open daily 10 am-9 pm.