Review: New Muses turns ‘Romeo and Juliet’ back into a compelling teen drama - Tacoma News Tribune

"(W)hen you discover a production that not only says something new with “Romeo and Juliet,” but says it in a compellingly contemporary way, you rejoice… once the lovers get going, this production starts to soar. Olson makes a moody, Hamlet-ish Romeo, flitting with ease between wholehearted passion and cynical weariness. He woos Juliet (Jenna McRill) with charm and adorable insecurity, and McRill responds with a startling wisdom and a real sweetness… Sara Geiger is perfect for the joshing, tough-faced Benvolio (with a surprise twist); Deanna Martinez brings out both the gabbling comedy of the Nurse and her deeper, caring side. Lance Zielinski makes a calm and philosophical Friar Laurence… Set inside a cinematic scene sequence with an emotive backdrop of pop soundbites (Beyoncé to Lorde), this “Romeo and Juliet” dives inside the teen mind, pulling the Renaissance firmly into our present. If you have a teen in your life, this is the Shakespeare you’ll want them to see. And if you don’t, see it anyway and ponder that crazy period in all our lives when only death is as strong as love." - Rosemary Ponnekanti (Tacoma News Tribune)