"Most of the cast will die, but we'll be having fun," Shelby Bond promises in his kid-friendly solo take on Shakespeare's tale of star-crossed lovers. And he delivers on both counts.

Using puppets, audience participation, a bit of sleight of hand and a whole lot of goofy energy, Bond whisks through a 45-minute take on Romeo and Juliet that's lively and engaging. He blends in enough actual Shakespeare for flavour, but not too much to lose the youngsters, and also mixes in a few sly jokes for Mom and Dad (like his Christopher Walken-inspired Friar Laurence).

There are a few spots where the pacing lags a bit, but Bond always wins the audience back quickly.

And yes, there is the "everyone dies at the end" issue — but the death scenes become silly enough not to be traumatic, and Bond finds a way to end it all on an upbeat note.

Rarely was a tale as much goofy fun as this of Juliet and her Romeo.