‘Romeo’ at the Circus: Love on a Tightrope

Juliet belongs to a family of clowns. Romeo’s people favor magic. Both belong to the Circus Verona, an amiable collection of itinerant entertainers.

Elina deSantos directs her own charming adaptation of the Shakespeare tale for the Deaf West Theatre, which has taken up temporary residence at the Odyssey in West L.A. In this company, deaf actors sign, hearing actors speak and sign, or sometimes only sign or sometimes only speak. In any event, Shakespeare’s beautiful verse rolls off the hands as gracefully as off the tongue.

An exceptionally lovely Juliet, Katie O’Neill speaks and signs her role, though when she comes face to face with Paris, the man her parents want her to marry, she signs only, as if keeping part of herself from him. In this way, DeSantos uses sign to interpret the text.

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Unfortunately, the performances are all over the map, from amateurish to good, with Troy Kotsur making for a one-note Romeo, enthusiastic always.

From the ensemble, Alyssa Lupo, who plays Clarissa, the voice of the Capulet family, acts with passion as she translates. The circus manager is played with stern dignity by Paul Raci, who signs only.

For the Circus Verona, set designer Lawrence Miller and costumer Maro Parian create a lovely pastel-colored world. Juggling, magic, tightrope- and stilt-walking punctuate the evening. One particularly enchanting moment occurs when Juliet is practicing pirouettes on a rope, which is held by a spotter. Romeo takes over for him, and Juliet climbs upside-down to him, at which point he sweeps her up in his arms. What more could you want for the two most famous lovers in history?

* “Romeo & Juliet: Circus Verona,” Deaf West Theatre at the Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A., Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends May 17. $12-$20. (213) 660-4673; (213) 660-8826 TDD. Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes.