Saheem Ali Marries Shakespeare to the Moment

by Andrea Libresco

Walls are more than metaphorical in this well-known play about barriers to young love.

An imposing 25-foot wall, evoking the one erected on our southern border, is the can’t-miss backdrop on the Delacorte stage. On the other side of the wall, gigantic statues of the Virgin of Guadalupe and a Day of the Dead skeleton loom. In Nueva Verona, the border town where the tragic love story is set, a graveyard, border agents, and black-robed figures of death intimidate.

Director Saheem Ali has the lovers share their intimacies in Spanish; Romeo (delightful Daniel Bravo Hernández) is a native speaker, Juliet (compelling Ra’Mya Latiah Aikens), an eager learner.

The action begins with Mercutio (playful Caleb Joshua Eberhardt) packing heat, putting up a “Defund the Wall” banner, only to have Tybalt (kinetic Ariyan Kassam), also carrying a gun, tear it down. Indeed, spot-on Martin K. Lewis as Paris, worries, “Times of woe afford no time to woo,” underscoring the violence all around these young lovers.

And they are young. Despite an admonition from Friar Laurence (sensitive Francis Jue) to “love moderately,” Romeo and Juliet are teenagers, full of feelings and impulsive choices.

That the play is so well-known may explain the decision to have the lovers woo in Spanish, and we can still follow their emotions. As Romeo and Juliet pass a microphone back and forth, whispering in Spanish, their connection is palpable and charming. Romeo rhythmically strikes his chest with the mic to mimic a rapidly beating heart.

The bilingual gambit worked in Ali’s “Twelfth Night,” when refugee-siblings reunited and spoke to each other in their native Swahili. In that production, however, the use of private language was limited. Here, some of the most famous scenes and lines, which, no doubt many in the audience came primed to hear, were delivered in Spanish.

For this non-Spanish-speaking theatergoer, the strong emotions, while beautifully conveyed, were not enough. Favorite, lesser known, and even unknown lines were deeply missed. If I want emotion over language, I can attend a Romeo and Juliet ballet. For me, the joy of live Shakespeare is acquiring new understandings of the brilliant wordplay. These first-rate actors no doubt hit the mark; but I would have preferred to know what they were saying in real time.

When Romeo and Juliet meet their tragic fates, the play poetically leads to hope for their families and their community. The feuding families reconcile and vow to learn from the loss of their loved ones.

This production takes their hope one beautiful and unexpected step further, as Friar Laurence pulls a surprise out of his robes. See what he does with two audience members in the final moments.

As violence and enmity plague our country in 2026, the final declaration of love is welcome, indeed.

“Romeo & Juliet” by William Shakespeare, directed by Saheem Ali, choreography by Mayte Natalio, Spanish translations by Alfredo Michel Modenessi, scenic design by Maruti Evans, costumes by Oana Botez, lighting by Christopher Akerlind, and music by Michael Thurber, Shakespeare in the Park, at The Delacorte Theater, by The Public Theater, New York.

Info: publictheater.org – to June 28, 2026.

Cast: Ra’Mya Latiah Aikens, Sergio Mauritz Ang, Daniel Bravo Hernández, Andrés Nicolás Chaves, Rachel Crowl, Reece dos Santos, Caleb Joshua Eberhardt, Jacquernst F. Filias, Glenn Fleshler, Francis Jue, Ariyan Kassam, LaChanze, Martin K. Lewis, Zack Lopez Roa, Gilda Mercado, Tina Muñoz Pandya, Deirdre O’Connell, Jason Manuel Olazábal, Jessica Pimentel, Fedra Ramírez Olivares, Piper Runge, Miles Segura, Mariand Torres, and Marlon Xavier.

Banner photo: Glenn Fleshler, Jessica Pimentel (center), and the Company. Photos: Joan Marcus