~by Dena Burroughs

Megan Goodchild, Frederik W. Hamel. - Mikel Healey photo

HOLLYWOOD'S ROMEO AND JULIET - Theater review

   “Performing Romeo has always been my dream,” says Frederick Hamel, the actor playing the heartthrob lead of the production of Romeo and Juliet at the MET Theatre in Hollywood.

   With his thin frame, shoulder length hair, and almond shaped blue eyes, Hamel does indeed look like the perfect Romeo. Fortunately he has talent as well as looks.  Born in France, Hamel came to the United States after high school, first attending California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks and then pursuing his masters in theater at CSULA.  He graduated in 2006, following in the family tradition of a life in the arts --his mother is an actress-dancer and his grandfather is a fine arts painter.

   The production at the MET, which runs through April 5, is directed by Louis Fantasia, a Shakespeare scholar and regular theater reviewer on National Public Radio.  The play runs two-hours and fifteen minutes, without intermission, and is mostly faithful to the written text.  The costumes, unlike the styles that are most often seen in Shakespeare’s plays, are dark and simple, following Fantasia’s conceptualization of the story set in 14th century Italy, which would have been “more Gothic than Renaissance.”

   Hamel is well matched with the beautiful Megan Goodchild as Juliet.  They have good chemistry on stage and believable interactions that are touching and captivating. They are well supported by Michael Matthys as Mercutio and Jill Holden as The Nurse, whose delivery and presence are commendable.  Unfortunately, when Holden appears again as a different character during the final scene, it is a bit distracting. 

   The MET Theater is located in a slightly sketchy area of Hollywood off the 101 freeway.  In the middle of the buzz of a predominantly Hispanic population, with folks waiting for public transportation or coming in and out of stores and restaurants, the MET stands as a small welcoming haven of culture the minute one walks through its doors.  

   With music, sword fights, romantic scenes, and a Prince of Verona performed by a female, this production of Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy worth loving.

Romeo and Juliet
The Met Theater  1089 N. Oxford Ave
Los Angeles
Tickets $15-$20 until April 5
323.957.1152
www.themettheatre.com
 

Paul Benz (l.), Frederik W. Hamel - Mikel Healey photo