Arts & Culture
Was Romeo ‘love-bombing’ Juliet?

Boston Globe advice columnist Meredith Goldstein (left) and “Love Letters” podcast producer Christine Ahanotu discuss young love following “Romeo and Juliet” at the Loeb Drama Center.

Photo by Jodi Hilton

Samantha Laine Perfas

Harvard Staff Writer

September 27, 2024 4 min read

Globe relationship columnist sorts timeless elements of youth, love, social divisions of 16th-century classic in new A.R.T. production

Meredith Goldstein did not leap at the chance to host an after-show conversation about the American Repertory Theater’s production of “Romeo and Juliet.”

It is, after all, one of Shakespeare’s best-known and most-performed plays. Besides the live performances of the 16th-century classic staged around the country and the world each year, there have been scores of interpretations, adaptations, and send-ups on television and film. Could there possibly be anything new to say?

But as The Boston Globe’s relationship columnist and podcaster watched the new A.R.T. production it occurred to her that there are a lot of themes worth talking about — and new ways to talk about them — which she did with the audience after last Thursday’s performance.

“I was reminded of the great humor — I laughed so much more than I thought I would,” Goldstein said. “I really wanted to talk about [younger people]. In writing an advice column for 15 years, I’m constantly shocked by the lack of empathy for young people with problems.”

The event, called “You’ve Got to Be Kidding Me With These Two: A Post-Show Talk about Young Love — and How We Change,” featured a conversation between Goldstein and Christine Ahanotu, a producer of independent films and The Globe writer’s “Love Letters” podcast.

The pair discussed with the audience their previous encounters with “Romeo and Juliet” and what struck them differently about the story during A.R.T.’s production.

For both Goldstein and Ahanotu, people’s ability — or inability — to change was worth noting.

“Our ability to change is influenced greatly by our age,” Ahanotu said. “The things that seem like huge decisions when we are teenagers … It’s easy as we age to forget that newness and the novelty, but it’s a really real thing.”

Our brains don’t really settle until we’re 25, sometimes even older, Goldstein said. Romeo and Juliet are teenagers. While their behavior seems outlandish at times, even foolish, it’s also a pretty accurate portrayal of how younger people might act. One thing that was missing in their lives was good advice.

“Having counsel and help is really important, and I think this play shows how terrible adults can be about that and how sometimes they can’t see beyond their own priorities,” Goldstein said.

Directed by Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus and choreographed by two-time Olivier Award winner Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, the production stars Rudy Pankow (“Outer Banks”Netflix series) as Romeo and Emilia Suárez (“Up Here” Hulu series) as Juliet.

The cast portrays the roles with nuance, staying true to Shakespeare’s language but bringing an updated approach to movement, delivery, and staging that made their characters feel more contemporary.

Audience members observed the selfishness of the adults, pointed out how much of the plot is driven by the irrationality of teenage hormones, and wondered how things would have turned out if the characters had practiced better communication.

“As much as things change is as much as they remain the same,” Ahanotu said. The play is full of class, race, social, age, and gender divisions — with characters constantly taking sides. “Why is it that we allow [those divides] to affect the people that we love?”

Toward the end of the conversation, Ahanotu and Goldstein talked about how Romeo’s behavior might be described in the social-media-inflected language of today. Was he “love-bombing” Juliet, showering her with immense positivity all at once? Was he “monkey-branching,” having spent the whole beginning of the play confessing his heartbreak over Rosaline and just like that, “Juliet is the sun”?

One audience member asked how Goldstein thought Romeo would have performed on today’s dating apps. Would he be considered a menace?

“I think he would be the absolute worst, but I understand why everyone would swipe right,” Goldstein said, eliciting laughs. “Talk about a pickup artist … It’s brilliant and terrible.”

Romeo and Juliet will be running until Oct. 6. For showtimes and to purchase tickets, visit A.R.T.’s website .