Roméo & Juliet

In an attempt to be an optimist and see the glass half full, I will make the generic statement of how the show surpassed my expectations. I envisioned a bootleg, boring show that would be just as plain and unoriginal as the majority of all other Romeo & Juliet performances. It took half of the first act the revoke that presumption. The reason it took so long for me to give up that belief is because I was still on the fence to how I felt about the acting quality of the characters. The opening scenes were very bland and I could not make myself connect with any character no matter how hard I tried. Their blocking seemed very staged and their movements very choreographed; it lacked a natural fluidity. I was teetering because I really appreciated the minimal aspect of mise-en-scene and the statement the director first made with the red-stripe lighting effect. I believed it was powerful and abrupt, not only setting the tone, but also foreshadowing the on-impulse events of the play. As Mercutio continued to develop his character, I developed an enjoyment for the piece.

I did not appreciate much of the acting. I thought the only talented characters were Mercutio, Capulet, and Friar Lawrence. Call me a harsh critic. I dislike reading Shakespeare because having the words only run across the mind cannot do it justice. I love watching Shakespeare because of the fruitfulness in the way it is spoken and the musicality in the way it is heard. Shakespeare’s play on words, whether it be through the use of repetition, consonants, allusions, or sexual innuendo can be maximally appreciated when a skillful actor can really play with them. I thought the three men listed above are the only ones who excelled in this area. The way the showed varieties with their speech, made their point, and were enticing proved their understanding of Shakespeare. And their understanding of the art of acting was outrageous. I believe each of the three embodied their character precisely. It is much more to convince the audience of the character development than to be able to convince the audience with the words spoken. Many actors can recite dialogue convincingly, but an audience member, in this case for example, would think, “Elizabeth Olsen is beautiful and wow, she truly is distraught right now.” However, many actors cannot recite lines convincingly and make the audience completely make the person behind the character unrecognizable.  I truly forgot that there was a real person in the skin of Mercutio, Capulet, and Friar Lawrence. I was looking forward most to Friar Lawrence’s character because his actions can be taken in many different ways, after all he is promoting breaking the commandment of respecting thy parents by having Juliet deceit them. I thought he was spot on. He evoked an array of emotions from me, but mostly leaving me with sympathy for Romeo & Juliet because of his strong desire to let this young love bloom. This agrees with the directors message of the young love, since he too also wanted to evoke sympathy for the couple. During the play, they lived in these characters. I watched Elizabeth Olsen on Live with Kelly&Michael this morning, October 11^th, and I forgive her for not linguistically excelling. She admitted this off-Broadway production was her theatre debut, so I assume that Shakespeare is something new to her. I gave more credit to the ensemble when she said that the cast really just wanted to explore the story. If this was their goal, I applaud them because the effort and originality was clear.

By now I would assume the class understands my opinions to the wanna-be Devious Maids characters and my appreciation for the real minimalism. Sure, the costumes can help, but only if the ensemble had the same thing. I envisioned just as much about Juliet for example as I did about Lady Capulet, except Juliet was much more minimal than her mother. Don’t get me wrong; I am not saying I prefer bare over gaudy and I am not saying its opposite. I don’t have a preference because I believe it is more about the effect. Because I got mix messages and different effects from different characters, it didn’t sit right with me.

Over all, I very much enjoyed the show.