What’s better than Romeo and Juliet? I’m glad you asked. Answer: Romeo and Juliet performed by a troupe of one inch ninjas. Yesterday evening, I had the pleasure of experiencing the Tiny Ninja Theater with 10 of my closest acquaintances, courtesy of my employer. Yes, my boss is cooler than your boss.

Tiny Ninja Theatre is the brain-child of visionary director Dov Weinstein, who dared to question whether live actors, with their egos and guilds, were worth the expense and hassle, when little plastic ones could be purchased from vending machines in strip malls for a fraction of the cost.

Running about 40 minutes, Romeo and Juliet was condensed to its emotional core. Opera glasses provided the audience a close up view of each actor’s every (single) facial expression.

Seasoned theatre-goers might question the costuming choice of a production where most of the actors’ faces are hidden behind masks, but Dov compensates by imbuing each character with a unique voice. My personal favorite was Escawus, the Pwince of Vewona, played with an Elmer Fuddesque articulation. The Pwince’s elevated social status was maintained by always having him enter with an entourage of ninjas glued to the bill of Dov’s baseball cap.

While on the whole, Tiny Ninja Theater is a comedic venture, it was not without moments of pathos. It’s a credit to Dov’s skill as a voice actor that Mercutio’s death was still moving when performed by a piece of plastic from a gumball machine. In the climax of the play, the line between puppet and puppeteer was crossed as Dov himself quaffed the various potions and enacted the suicides with dramatic effect.

If you have the chance, check out Tiny Ninja Theater. It’s an enjoyable experience of classical theater re-imagined.

[Photos by Xina Nicosia. Chris Head as Romeo, Melanie Hipchikz as Juliet and Ninja as Paris.]

Nov 10, 2009 | permalink