There’s Always Juliet: pleasant entertainment akin to a romantic novel on a sunny beach.

 

 

There’s Always Juliet by John Van Druten. Classic Theatre Festival, directed by  Laurel Smith

Is instant attraction enough to last a lifetime or will the flame of being in love fizzle and die? Will the gap between two cultures be too wide to overcome? Is the spark of meeting someone different simply an antidote to a rich girl’s boredom?

These are just some of the questions that John Van Druten raises in his 1932 romantic comedy There’s Always Juliet, but, as quoted in the program note about the prolific playwright, his works “do not evoke lengthy critical ponderings.”  Instead, Van Druten, best known for such works as The Voice of the Turtle and Bell, Book and Candle, focuses on entertainment with a solid background of observation of human nature and social behaviour.

 

So, There’s Always Juliet offers an opportunity to enjoy the gentle progress of a love affair from the moment of meeting at a soirée through the bold follow-up (an example of the American sidestepping British etiquette) to making the apparently impossible a reality (hopefully) leading to happy ever after across the Atlantic.

The lightness of the script makes chemistry between the protagonists essential. The Classic Theatre Festival, as directed by Laurel Smith with her usual precision and attention to detail, and principals Victoria Houser and Scott Clarkson deliver an entirely believable connection as the romance of Leonora and Dwight builds quickly. They are well supported by Catherine Bruce as the motherly maid Florence and Fraser Elsdon as Leonora’s drippish other beau.

Enhanced by Roger Schultz’s attractive set and Renate Seiler’s splendid period costumes, There’s Always Juliet is a very pleasant evening’s entertainment, akin to reading a light romantic novel on a sunny beach.

The Classic Theatre Festival production of There’s Always Juliet continues in Perth to July 15.

 

Director: Laurel Smith

Set: Roger Schultz

Lighting: Wesley McKenzie

Sound: Matthew Behrens

Costumes: Renate Seiler

 

Cast:

Leonora Perrycost………………………………….Victoria Houser

Florence…………………………………………….Catherine Bruce

Dwight Houston…………………………………….Scott Clarkson

Peter Walmsley……………………………………..