The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet presented by TUTA Theatre Chicago at Chopin Theatre

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...The big thing, though, is Djukich's recognition that this play, no less than Hamlet, is about words: their misuse, overuse, and failure. In fact, he reveals Romeo and Juliet as a kind of rough draft for Hamlet, and his beautiful final scene gets to the heart of the earlier play's tragedy by way of a profound strategy echoing a line from the later play: "The rest is silence." "

Centerstage - Recommended

"...The play picks up in the second half. The simple structure of the scenery scaffolding opens up with curtains, bed, and the full cast comes to fill the stage. Although I was just mourning the death of the last act’s most charismatic character, Mercutio, played by Aaron Holland—who quite possibly could have stolen the entire show—I was finally seeing what Djukic is known for. The stage comes to life as Juliet lies sleeping in her grave, filled with echoes of the tomb, and in the stage's periphery Romeo learns of her death. As the two worlds collide, the audience is left with an unforgettable vision of the world’s most famous duo."

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"...The director’s only grand flourish caps off his simple, sound staging: a simple lack of sound. The denouement in the Capulet tomb is wordless and compressed. Though it seems like heresy, it succeeds; watching the needless, heedless deaths play out in quicksilver silence is a rash and sudden lightning bolt to the gut."

Chicago Stage and Screen - Somewhat Recommended

"...Perhaps Djukich felt uncomfortable with Shakespeare's poetic language, no easy feat to be sure. Although there are plenty of lengthy speeches remaining, the prologue, the dialogue in the double suicide scene and final elegy have all been cut. Martin Andrew's impressive multi-level scaffolding set offers great staging possibilities, most of which Djukich ignores. Natasha Vuchurovich Djukich's simple peasant costumes anchor the production in a fairly non-descript Eastern European setting, and Mikhail Fiksel's Sound Design is occasionally haunting. Perhaps we have become spoiled by the internationally renowned work at Chicago Shakespeare. There is certainly room for other interpretations of William Shakespeare's timeless canon of plays, but they need a more vigorous and creative vision than they are getting here."