Desperate Housewife of Verona
26th June 2025
Back in 2023 when actress Beatriz Romilly was about to star in Auckland Theatre Company’s King Lear, she said, presciently, in an interview with Canvas magazine, “does someone have to be completely destroyed to realise what a jerk they’re being? It’s the techies, like Elon Musk, who I find the most scary because they’re the future and they’re treated like gods.” Power and agency are themes explored in another Shakespeare classic, Romeo & Juliet. Romilly plays the much maligned Mommy Dearest – Lady Capulet- in the ATC production. Shakespeare created a rich catalogue of women characters – complex, empathetic, flawed, colourful and determined. Sarah Daniell asks Romilly where’s Lady C at in this interpretation of the character.
Wherefore art thou Lady Capulet? And does this time and place have a material difference in your lot, in your life?
The 1960s is the era our production is set in, this feels pretty spot on for Lady Capulet’s fashion tastes and indulgences. But, if it were for a ‘material difference’, I would say anywhere between the early 2000s to now, where the role of an influencer and reality TV star became a thing. Lady Capulet would thrive as the star in ‘Desperate Housewives of Verona’ and running a marketing empire as an influencer.
Isn’t Lady Capulet basically just an ambitious patriarch, like say Nicola Willis, Brooke Van Velden or Ruth Richardson? What one act of resistance reveals Shakespeare’s intent for her to be feminist in Romeo & Juliet?
The Capulet household is steeped in patriarchy. In our version, there is no Lord Capulet, so Lady Capulet gets to navigate this all by herself. Sadly for her, in order to survive in this world she’s not allowed an act of resistance. To survive and hold power you have to follow the rules. The act of resistance is given to Juliet.
Much is made of the coldness and neglectfulness of Lady Capulet towards her daughter Juliet. Without letting her off the hook entirely, what happened to make her like this – what’s she afraid of?
Hurt people hurt people. This rings very true for Lady Capulet. Married off to a much older man she didn’t love and bearing him a child, whilst still being a child herself is horrendous. This doesn’t excuse her behaviour towards Juliet but explains her emotional distance. The Nurse takes on the role of the maternal figure Juliet needs.
At this stage in the rehearsal process, I see Lady Capulet’s greatest fear is of having no agency in her life. Power and money hold that at bay. She shows the worst of herself when she refuses to see anything else of what she believes in.
Lady Capulet is obsessed with beauty and youth. What differentiates that obsession in the 1500s to now?
In the 1500s, youth and beauty were signs of fertility and health, essential for continuing the family line. Lady Capulet, unable to have more children, sees Juliet as an extension of her womb.
Today, sadly in many parts of the world, women become invisible once they’ve reached a certain age. I think that perhaps the pressure to be young and beautiful comes from needing to remain relevant and desirable.
What is it about this story – the complexity of love and family duty – that feels relevant still or that you particularly connect to?
At its heart, Romeo & Juliet is about young people trying to find their place in a world built by an older generation. It’s a fight to break away from outdated values or inherited hatred. We don’t have to look very far to see how this resonates with the world we live in now.
Why does Shakespeare still resonate?
Shakespeare’s ability to explore timeless themes of love, jealousy, power, ambition and betrayal to name a few are why for me his work will continue to resonate with audiences across time and cultures.
Finish this sentence: Lady Capulet was most captivatingly and convincingly portrayed by what actor in what film adaptation?
Diane Venora in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo & Juliet.
In the end, Juliet dies – what speech would you make to turn back the tide of bad advice and indifference to her feelings?
O Juliet, the world beyond Verona awaits unclaimed,
Far richer than this star-crossed tale of pain and hate.
Let Romeo, like morning mist depart
For time will evaporate a broken heart.
Thy mother, though her tongue be prickly and cold
Doth hold a love she knows not how to show.
Old wounds have left her blind with rage,
Yet buried deep within, a gentler current flows.
So rise, my child, from shadows holding you down,
The dawn is yours, not chained to love or name.
Beatriz Romilly stars in Auckland Theatre Company’s production of William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, 15 July – 9 August 2025, ASB Waterfront Theatre. Tickets available now at atc.co.nz