The concept of “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet” playing out in and around a strip club named Femme Capulet has served director Troy M. Apostol well since he presented the first version of the piece in 2005.

He has used a different approach each time, but the common denominator in the first three versions of “Femme Capulet” was his commitment to Shakespeare’s classic text.

Revisiting “Femme Capulet” in conjuction with Cherry Blossom Cabaret, as Shakespeare in a burlesque house, could have been a fresh take on the concept. Unfortunately the new version does justice to neither Shakespeare nor the talented troupe.  

Shakespeare’s greatest romantic tragedy is trivialized as comedy. Much of the classic text is replaced with tedious, badly performed vocal numbers. There is neither enough Shakespeare nor enough strip club to justify calling this ill-conceived production “Femme Capulet.”

Two scenes show what could have been. Violetta Baretta (Mercutio), MissFortune (Tybalt) and Chris Riel (Romeo) give solid serious performances in the pivotal fight scene. Baretta is one of the best all-around performers in the show — never mind that Shakespeare’s Mercutio was male, or that when Baretta sheds her masculine outer garments to reveal a basque and stockings beneath she puts Mercutio’s friendship with Romeo in a different context.

MissFortune radiates malevolence as the strip club’s whip-wielding bouncer. Riel generally plays Romeo as a clownish maladroit buffoon but becomes a credible action hero in the fight scene. 

The other scene that does justice to Shakespeare’s story comes when Riel and Miss Catwings (Juliet) play the final double death scene. The star-crossed relationship is generally played for laughs but in this sole scene Riel and Miss Catwings are allowed to play things straight. Both give compelling performances.

The lead-in to that scene is another matter. Juliet doesn’t feign death by drinking a special potion; she ends up in a tomb after her mother slugs her unconscious in a fit of rage.

Romeo finds her and then drinks the poison that he just happens to have with him. Juliet regains consciousness and kills herself with his dagger.

Shakespeare is not the only victim of the production.

The talents of the Cherry Blossom Cabaret are underutilized as well. Miss Catwings, Baretta and MissFortune are competent actors who aren’t given the material to let them shine.

Otherwise, a preshow fan dance by Vy Viciouz is a highlight of the night.