Opera Review: ROMEO AND JULIET at OTSL

Cross words and crossed swords meet with tragic results in Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ Romeo and Juliet. The final production of the 51st season features a libretto by frequent collaborators Jules Barbier and Michel Carré with music by Charles Gounod, one of the most renowned composers and conductors of the Romantic era. 

Last performed by OTSL in 2005, the story, based on Shakespeare’s play, is set in Verona, where two young lovers navigate the ongoing feud between the Montague and Capulet clans. From the time they meet at a masked ball, Romeo and Juliet have an instant connection. 

Romeo, entranced, visits Juliet after the ball, and they immediately declare their love. 

Unaware of their families’ feud at first, they soon discover its dangers but stay committed to each other. 

As their passion rises, they become more determined than ever to be together. Their affair culminates in a secret wedding with hopes that their union will end the clash between the two houses once and for all. 

However, thinking that love will conquer all proves disastrous. For starters, Juliet’s family, unaware she is already married, has a suitor in mind for her. Then, things get nasty when her cousin Tybalt kills Romeo’s best friend Mercutio in a duel. 

With the tension escalating, Romeo is banished by the Prince of Verona. Aching to be together, Romeo visits his beloved before he is supposed to depart.  

Looking for a way out of an arranged marriage, Juliet takes a potion offered to her by Friar Laurence that will give her the appearance of death. Once assumed dead, Juliet will be free to join Romeo and live happily ever after. 

It’s a great plan, except that Friar Laurence doesn’t fill Romeo in on the details. As a result, he visits her tomb. Finding Juliet unconscious, he believes her to be dead and spirals into emotional sadness. Succumbing to grief, he drinks a poison potion.  

The tragedy kicks into high gear after Juliet awakens just in time to see Romeo die. Feeling bereft, she takes her own life.  

This crushingly sad production, directed by Keturah Stickann, features minimalist staging with moving pillars that shift and roll to change the settings. In a production where color plays a large role, Robert Perdziola’s costumes dazzle.  

This tragedy of love is accompanied by a sweeping orchestral score from Ramón Tebar, the artistic director of Opera Naples. The opera’s score is emotive and fragile, matching the drama unfolding onstage. 

Featuring the season’s largest cast, this production is charged with energy and emotion, especially from its two leads, soprano Emma Marhefka and tenor Leonardo Sanchez. Both of their OTSL debuts guide the production. The four duets they share are amongst the season’s best. 

Starring as Juliet, Marhefka is a triumph. Her voice is simply stunning. Her commanding performance, arguably the best of this season, accentuates the catastrophe that befalls her character. 

Matching her note-for-note, Sanchez’s performance is equally exciting. Mixing pathos with passion, his Romeo perfectly balances volatility and vulnerability. Bowling audiences over with his voice, his inaugural appearance with OTSL is astonishing. 

Another great artist making his debut is Micah Perry as Tybalt. Dashing and dastardly, his performance is filled with bravado, making his character easy to dislike. 

Vinicius Costa’s debut is also seismic. His rich bass is overwhelming. He brings a powerful gravitas to the role of Lord Capulet.   

Spread over five acts, this epic of fidelity and fatality tugs all the right heartstrings. Bold and audacious, Stickann, who returns after a decade away, and her incredibly talented ensemble bring the full emotional weight of Shakespeare’s tragedy to bear on audiences with mesmerizing results.  

Gripping, yet miserable, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ Romeo and Juliet is heartrending drama at its finest. 

Romeo and Juliet runs through June 27 at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the campus of Webster University. 

Productions at Opera Theatre of St. Louis are in English with musical accompaniment from the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. For more information on programming for the 2026 season, visit opera-stl.org. 

Photo credit: Eric Woolsey