Romeo & Bernadette: A Happy, Musical Romp with Romeo (Yes, That One) and a New Love in Verona and Brooklyn

May 1, 2022 by Two Sues On the Aisle

By Sue Weston and Susie Rosenbluth – Two Sues on the Aisle

In 2020, Two Sues on the Aisle reviewed a production of Romeo and Bernadette. A new production of the show is now in previews, set to open on May 16 at Theater 555, 555 West 42nd Street in Manhattan. For tickets, go to https://www.romeoandbernadette.com/

Here is the review from 2020:

There have been hundreds of takes on the Romeo and Juliet theme, some written before Shakespeare’s masterpiece (the Greek myth of Pyramus and Thisbe, for example, appears in Ovid’s Metamorphoses) and too many to recount in the centuries that followed. To their number, now add Mark Saltzman’s “Romeo & Bernadette,” a musical romp that is as whimsical as it is witty and as much fun as a night of carousing in 15^thcentury Verona or swaying in the moonlight at an Italian festival in 20^thcentury Brooklyn.

“Romeo & Bernadette” is aptly subtitled “A Musical Tale of Verona and Brooklyn.” Its Italian soul is expressed not only in Mr. Saltzman’s book and lyrics, but in the music, which, as adapted and orchestrated by Steve Orich, includes the melodies of classic Italian songs—a smattering of Rossini, Bellini, and Leoncavallo; plenty of Francesco Paolo Tosti; and even a dollop of Nino Rota’s The Godfather. The updated score and lyrics serve as a reminder that this is a very old Italian-based story told with a pop-rock smile.

The show’s conceit is that, like his Juliet, Romeo (a handsome, vocally nimble Nikita Burshteyn), too, imbibed a sleeping potion instead of poison. While the fictional Juliet awoke and presumed her lover dead (leading to her own suicide), young Romeo actually continued to sleep for 500 more years, only to awaken in 1960s Verona where he encounters the family of mob boss Sal Penza (Carlos Lopez) who is vacationing in the picturesque Italian city.

The Penza family includes Sal’s wife, Camille (a robust soprano Judy McLane), and their beautiful, if somewhat potty-mouthed, daughter, Bernadette (the totally engaging Anna Kostakis, who, in a cute juxtaposition, also takes the cameo role of the demure Juliet). That Romeo should insist that Bernadette must be his Juliet come-to-life is not as far-fetched as it may sound. The lovely and pretentious Camille, whose family is originally from Verona, may actually be a descendant of the Capulet clan.

Besotted by the reincarnation of Juliet, Romeo manages to follow them back to Brooklyn, where he becomes involved with the Penza’s rival mobster clan, the Del Canto family, a handy substitute for Shakespeare’s Montagues.

Tongue-in-Cheek

Lest anyone think that Mr. Saltzman approached his material with anything but his tongue planted firmly in his cheek, the entire story is really one very funny literary valentine, told by a slick Brooklyn Guy (Michael Notardonato) to his weepy date (Ari Raskin) after a Brooklyn community theater production of Shakespeare’s original tragedy leaves her in tears. “There’s More,” sings Guy, leading to the rest of the show.

Once back in Brooklyn, Mr. Notardonato assumes the role of Dino Del Canto, the son of the Penzas’ enemy. When Dino is attacked by the reckless Tito Titone (Zach Schanne), Romeo comes to the rescue, which is how he comes to be adopted by Dino’s dad (Michael Marotta, who would do just great as a singing John Gotti). When Romeo is made aware that Tito is also the fiancé of his beloved Bernadette (imagine a combination of Shakespeare’s Paris and Tybalt), the Shakespearean hero has to find a way to win his beloved.

The music is a delight; the story is a lot of fun; the direction, including the choreography, by Justin Ross Cohen (who makes this love fantasy with mobsters work), is as good as anything you’re likely to see anywhere in New York—and the cast is just terrific. Troy Valjean Rucker, who, in turn, plays an usher, a bellhop, Father Keneely (think Friar Laurence), Arden the florist, Viola the wedding-gown designer, and Roz, the cha-cha instructor (hey, it’s set in the ‘60s) is adorable.

While “Romeo & Bernadette” is not for the very young, it is a most enjoyable show for adults and teens, especially those who have read the play and, therefore, are sure to get the lion’s share of the allusions, innuendos, and inside jokes. Even without those details, this is a fun way to spend two hours with an intermission.

***

Two Sues on the Aisle bases its ratings on how many challahs it pays to buy (rather than make) in order to see the play, show, film, or exhibit being reviewed.

“Romeo & Bernadette” received 5 challahs