Fair Rosaline

August 7, 2023
Solomons (I, Mona Lisa) gives voice to Rosaline Capulet, Juliet’s cousin and Romeo’s forgotten lover, in this feminist spin on Shakespeare’s tragedy. Rosaline, only 15 when she loses her mother to pestilence, faces a future in a nunnery to escape the “ruinous expense of a dowry.” As a final act of defiance, Rosaline decides to attend the Montagues’ masque disguised as her brother Valentio, where she meets Romeo, who sees through her disguise and swears he is “disarmed” by her. Romeo’s flattery is appealing to Rosaline, who feels like an outcast among the Capulets and has been told her “dark beauty” is not fashionable, and she’s quickly swept into an intense but short-lived love affair, ending when Romeo meets Juliet. Rosaline’s eyes are opened to Romeo’s true nature, and she vows to save her cousin from a dark fate. Solomons challenges classic interpretations of Romeo and Juliet, painting Romeo as a predator who lures unwitting young girls and discards them, with the help of a friar, though the modern language and themes clumsily alternate with more Elizabethan language, and Rosaline’s master plan seems to fall into place too conveniently. Still, this is entertaining and empowering. Agent: Susan Armstrong, C&W.