There’s Shakespeare, and then there’s Shakespeare through the fresh prism of the NOLA Project, where the traditional light of the Bard erupts in a dazzling display.

The young actors of the intrepid NOLA Project first turned to Shakespeare with the environmental staging of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which played to sold-out crowds in the sculpture garden outside the New Orleans Museum of Art. They’ve now moved inside the Great Hall of the museum for an exhilarating production of Shakespeare’s most popular love story, “Romeo and Juliet.”

he performance actually begins on the front driveway and steps of the museum for the opening fight scene. Even on the chilly night of the preview performance, the gathered audience felt the building excitement, like waiting for a parade to begin. As the action heated up, it quickly established the rivalry between the Montagues and Capulets with a well-staged fight scene.

Indeed, this was the most physically adventurous and assertive production of the love story I’ve seen on stage. The fights were vividly played out as the swordplay ensured that every buckle was swashed. Romeo himself, Alex Martinez Wallace, is credited with the fine fight choreography.

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