There is no mystery as to how “Romeo & Juliet” will end. In his prologue, Shakespeare announces front and center that the family feud between the houses of Capulet and Montague will end in tragedy. “From forth the fatal loins of these two foes / A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life.”

Now running at The Drama Group of Germantown, the production immediately thrusts you into the heart of the tragedy. Compacting the opening scene into furious tumult, fight director Quinton J. Alexander stages a sword fight between members of the partisan houses that only the Prince of Verona can quell.

Drama Group rearranges the chairs at Piling Hall to create an amphitheater stage in front of the standard auditorium dais. This gives swordsmen ample room to battle and makes a dramatic fore-stage for scenes that follow. The setup encourages audience interaction, but the actors exercise restraint. They do not ham it up.

Co-directors Josh L Hitchens and Ryan Walter use a cast of nine actors. Four actors play solo characters – Lady Capulet, Benvolio, Juliet and Romeo. The other five have multiple roles. Few have extensive stage experience, but they make up for rough edges with the evident enthusiasm they bring to the production.

Two supporting actors invigorate the show. As Mercutio, Matthew Carter is full of mischievous delight. Mercutio scoffs at the romantic impetuousness of Romeo. His Queen Mab soliloquy mocks amorous mayhem. Carter is full of gusto. Shakespeare intends that Mercutio be a scene-stealer, echoing the ridicule of infatuation that dominates his comedies.

Stacy Skinner stars as The Nurse. She, too, has a fine comedic presence. The Nurse has been Juliet's constant caretaker throughout her childhood. At first, bawdy Nurse aligns with Juliet's youthful passion, "Go girl, seek happy nights to happy days." But when it matters most, Nurse delivers cold counsel that leaves Juliet alone to face a feuding world.

Mercutio and The Nurse are minor figures compared to the star-crossed lovers, yet they are essential to the play. "Romeo & Juliet" is Shakespeare's first tragedy. He is learning to mix comedy into tragedy, just as most of his comedies could easily turn tragic.

I struggle to recall seeing a Shakespeare production that did not indulge in re-inventions. (Years ago, Stagecrafter's production of "Much Ado About Nothing" was a joyous exception. They understood “Much Ado” was a fiesta.)

Here, co-director Hitchens changes the play to "Juliet & Romeo," arguing that the story is about her. It feels gratuitous, yet Hitchens is probably right to see Juliet as the core figure.

Mikel Wright plays Romeo. From the start, you see why Mercutio pokes fun at him. Romeo is "in love" with Rosaline (a character we never meet). Romeo goes to the Capulet masked ball because he believes Rosaline will attend. Yet 15 minutes after espying Juliet, he professes eternal love. Romeo's love is willless. He says as much en route to the masquerade, "Let he that hath steerage of my course, direct my sail."

Meredith Bell stars as Juliet, her first dramatic role outside of musical theater. Though Juliet, too, is infatuated she has an authentic feeling of self-worth and will not be bullied into surrendering hopes of happiness to a feuding world. Shakespeare consistently endows her with lyrical poetry to profess her love and anguish.

Completing the cast: Brendan Sterling plays Romeo's best friend, Benvolio (the name connotes good Will). Maria Lourdes Riillo is an imperious Lady Capulet. Jacob Glickman portrays the nervous, benign bungling of Friar Lawrence. Mark Tan is a bearded Lord Montague and an impish Peter. Quinton J. Alexander is Tybalt, Paris and Friar John in quick succession.

The production may have missed out on a few opportunities. Piling Hall has a surrounding balcony. It could have been put to good use, especially in the famous night-time balcony scene. The masquerade ball is drab, in sore need of some music and play of light to elicit the suspense, danger and magic of the lovers' first meeting.

But overall, the Drama Group show holds up. It ends on a strong note with the use of choral dirge music in the final deathbed sequence. The scene is potentially maudlin. Here, the ending is affecting, even though you know it is coming.

The Drama Group show encourages you to focus on the failure of adults to communicate with their children. While that reading is there, the play is rich in themes. The flaws of infatuation, aborted love, the consequences of making hard decisions and the problem of fate help explain why "Romeo & Juliet" has been a worldwide favorite for more than 400 years.

The Drama Group is located at 6001 Germantown Ave., at The First United Methodist Church of Germantown, Piling Hall. "Juliet and Romeo" will run through April 6. Tickets available at the door or online at groupthedrama.com/