Juliet is sweet as revenge!

Why did Juliet have to die at the end of Romeo and Juliet? After all, she only knew Romeo for two days and she was only 13-years-old. Instead, what if Juliet defied her fate as a tragic female heroine and lived? In Monster Theatre’s Juliet: A Revenge Comedy, currently playing at the 2022 Vancouver Fringe Festival, we get to see Juliet defy the odds. And it isn’t easy, if the Bard has his way.

After all, William Shakespeare is famously known for his tragedies, where lead characters die. Not stories of brave, young women who overcame adversity and survived. But dying over and over again can get redundant. What do I mean by that? In Juliet, it’s acknowledged that Romeo and Juliet is done to death (pardon the pun), and so at the start of this one-act comedy, we see a very abridged (and hilarious) retelling of Romeo and Juliet, performed by two performers: Juliet (Lili Beaudoin), and all the other characters (ALL performed by Carly Pokoradi). This tongue-in-cheek abridged version is repeated (quickly!), resulting in us seeing Juliet die over and over and over again.

So, you can’t blame Juliet for finally having enough of this sh*t, and deciding to throw that stupid dagger away. The problem is that the dagger can’t easily be tossed. In fact, it pursues her – if she won’t kill herself, the dagger will do it for her. The reason being, Juliet defying death is a hard no in Shakespeare’s world. And if anyone doesn’t agree, they can hear it from Shakespeare himself, because he’s in this play (played by Ryan Gladstone).

Lili Beaudoin as Juliet, Carly Pokoradi as Lady Macbeth. Photo credit: Peyton Mott

Determined to make it out of this play alive (for the first time in history), Juliet embarks on an action-filled comedy, with the help of some other famous Shakespeare female characters: Lady Macbeth, Ophelia, Cleopatra, and Miranda (she’s from the Tempest). Yes, all four of these ladies are conjured up to help Juliet — and in the process, get better, happier endings for themselves. Because, like he was with Juliet, Shakespeare wasn’t kind to these ladies (one could argue that Lady M didn’t exactly deserve roses, but you have to admire what a badass bitch she was).

So, if the idea of Juliet joining forces with four other fierce Shakespearian heroines (maybe not all of them were fierce in the OG, but they are now), sounds like your idea of a good time, get this…Juliet is only a three-person play. As I mentioned, Beaudoin plays Juliet and Gladstone plays Shakespeare. So, Pokoradi plays Lady Macbeth, Ophelia, Cleopatra, and Miranda…along with all the characters in Romeo and Juliet (except Juliet) at the beginning of the play. In short, Pokoradi is one incredibly talented human being! Watching her transform from one character to the next, to the next, and to many more is astonishing , because she plays every character so well, using skillful humour, characterization, and physicality.

Lili Beaudoin as Juliet, Carly Pokoradi as Lady Capulet. Photo credit: Peyton Mott

Beaudoin is also a tremendous blaze of talent. First of all, for such a petite individual, she has impressive projection — which is a treat, because she emits such great humour in her dialogue. She embraces the quirkiness of this play, and even when she’s not delivering overtly funny lines, she knows how to aptly add subtle hints of humour throughout. She uses not only her voice, but her whole physicality to embody a witty, sarcastic, heroic version of Juliet, and she’s awesome at breaking the fourth wall and interacting directly with the audience.

Gladstone is an excellent adversary as Shakespeare, remaining steadfast in his ways and resolute in taking Juliet and her girl squad down. Gladstone’s Shakespeare also isn’t afraid to be bashful, and may even ask you for more applause if he doesn’t feel you’re doing your part.

Juliet is wonderfully fun, showcasing the comedic acting talents of Beaudoin, Pokoradi, and Gladstone. Pippa Mackie and Gladstone’s script is inventive and fresh. And Gladstone’s direction (yes, he co-wrote, directed, and plays Shakespeare in this show) is successful is painting a Shakespearean-inspired adventure (including the abridged version of Romeo and Juliet), with almost no props or set (I’m hesitant to call the centre piece table a set).

Perhaps English poet Lord Byron said it best when he proclaimed, ““Sweet is revenge—especially to women.” And Juliet: A Revenge Comedy is very, very sweet.  

Juliet: A Revenge Comedy, presented by Monster Theatre, is currently playing at the 2022 Vancouver Fringe Festival, which runs until September 18. Visit the Fringe Festival’s website for more information.