Janus version of 'Romeo & Juliet' is all-female

When producing director Sean Hargadon with the Janus Theatre in Elgin announced auditions for "Romeo and Juliet," he had 40 actors show up.

More than 30 of them were women. And most of them were quite talented.

So Hargadon had a conundrum -- he had a classic, male-dominated play -- in Shakespeare's day, women weren't allowed on stage -- and he was staring at a stack of women's headshots.

His solution? Cast an all-female version of "Romeo and Juliet." The production opened Oct. 23 at the Elgin Art Showcase on the eighth floor of the Professional Building, and enjoying standing ovations its opening weekend.

The thing he's found most surprising, he said, is how well it's all working out.

Once the physical things were fixed -- gestures, movements, voice -- "I didn't notice the difference at all," he said. "Women playing men didn't bother me. I was moved. They're good actors working on their parts, telling a story. There's nothing strange or weird about it, to be honest. It's a matter of selling the audience and getting them excited about it."

This modern-dress production is about relationships, and the way the characters interact with each other. The actors are so good, he said, you don't notice that they're women.

"The relationships are strong, and you believe in what's going on around you," he said. "It surprised me in a good way; I thought it would be a struggle. The basic premise worked a lot better than I thought it would. We were in uncharted territory."

The women embraced the idea. They recognized it might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he said. The women who play Romeo and Mercutio get the chance to sword-fight.

"There's not a lot of opportunity for women to fight each other with real knives, and we're doing the real thing," he said. "Everyone was very much into the experience."

When Hargadon got the idea to cast all women, he didn't even bring them back in to read for the parts.

"I said, 'We have a change of plans,'" and he brought in the ones he had in mind for each male role.

"It's been a great, wonderful experience. I'm very proud of the company, very proud of the show," he said. "Jen (Short) is one of the best Romeos I've ever seen."

"Modern young men have a hard time being romantic," he said. "It's easier to fight and be hip than it is to be vulnerable onstage."

Other area actresses in the play include: Audrey Flegel of Elgin as Juliet, Sarafina Vecchio of Elgin as Lord Capulet, Jacqueline Davies of Chicago as Lady Capulet, Angela Bend of St. Charles as Mercutio/Paris, Valerie Heckman of Elgin as Benvolio, Patricia True of Oak Park as the Nurse, Catie Early of East Dundee as Tybalt, Diane McFarlin of Sugar Grove as Friar Lawrence, Lori Holm of Batavia as Escalus/Apothecary, and Bylthe Gilio of Carol Stream as Balthasar.

He doesn't know if he'll perform any more of Shakespeare's plays using women, not wanting to repeat himself, but it is "definitely liberating" knowing he wasn't limited by casting in this production.

"The biggest thing is going to be getting the audience to try it out," he said. "I hope people check it out. It's an opportunity to see a great play reinterpreted. I think it's worth the time to check it out and see an old play done in a new way."

Hargadon adapted the script himself, and trimmed it so it runs less than two hours with intermission.

"We want to keep the audience wanting more rather than have them looking at their watches," he said.