INTERVIEW: Saint Louis Zoo now has a pair of star-crossed BFFs
Photo: Romeo & Zooliet is a new animal-centered adaptation of the William Shakespeare classic, now playing at the Saint Louis Zoo. Photo courtesy of Theo R. Welling / Provided by Jorgensen PR with permission.
The Saint Louis Zoo and St. Louis Shakespeare Festival have pooled their resources for the summertime hit Romeo & Zooliet, a new 90-minute theatrical experience based on the graphic novel The Stratford Zoo Midnight Revue Presents Romeo and Juliet by Ian Lendler and Zack Giallongo. The play, which was adapted by Jennifer Joan Thompson, features stunning animal puppetry by Michael Curry Design.
In the show, the Capulets are carnivores, and the Montagues are herbivores. Juliet is a grizzly cub, and Romeo is a prairie dog, according to press notes. No worries — there are no murders or steamy romances. It’s all about Romeo and Juliet finding true friendship.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with the director of the unique production, Tom Ridgely. He opens up about how this Shakespearean show came to life at the Saint Louis Zoo. Performances of the play continue through Sunday, Aug. 17. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
Where did the initial idea for Romeo & Zooliet come from?
The idea of doing a show with the zoo was actually sort of a eureka moment from Colin O’Brien, a local producer and production manager that we’ve worked with for a long time. Originally the thought was maybe we could do Lion King JR. with a mix of young actors and professionals. … But to their credit, they were the ones who said, “It doesn’t have to be The Lion King,” and that really opened things up. So I literally just Googled “Shakespeare zoo,” cause I figured there had to be something out there, and sure enough there was this brilliant graphic novel by Ian Lendler called The Stratford Zoo Midnight Revue Presents Romeo and Juliet. And it was so funny and so clever the way it adapted the story, it was easy to see how it could be readapted back to the stage.
What are the challenges of performing this show in a zoo setting?
Honestly that part has been super smooth and easy. We’re used to doing shows outside and turning just about anything into an amphitheater. And the zoo staff has been so incredibly helpful and accommodating. It’s been a pure joy. The whole thing has felt very natural. We hear sea lions barking and tigers roaring and eagles squawking — and all those animals are actually in the show. So it’s just perfect.
How complex are the puppets in the show?
The amazing thing about Michael Curry is that their puppets are both incredibly sophisticated and extremely simple and elegant. The Romeo puppet, the prairie dog, took 600 hours to make and is a miracle of engineering. And for an actor, it’s about as intuitive and easy to use as a sock puppet. That’s the magic of what they do.
The original Shakespeare show can be quite “adult” in nature. How do you adapt the story for the youngsters?
That’s what a lot of Ian already kind of figured out with his graphic novel. Juliet’s a bear, so she doesn’t die. She goes into hibernation. Mercutio, in our version a red panda, gets shaved rather than killed in a duel. And the characters are all younger, so instead of this ultra steamy romance, they just wanna be bff’s, which you gotta remember at that age is about as intense as first love.
Is there a hope to take the show to other zoos?
That’s definitely the hope, and there’s been a lot of interest already. So fingers crossed!
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Romeo & Zooliet, directed by Tom Ridgely, continues through Sunday, Aug. 17, at the Saint Louis Zoo. Click here for more information and tickets.
