Wherefore art thou, Romeo?

candylady wrote:

you guys. call a truce. some people don't like anything but pop culture and some really love the classics. i sort of go for both and plan to see this show! break a leg, r&j cast!!

Do you have any lemon drops? MMmmMMm

vociferous wrote:

you get what you pay for. i notice you subtly noted that it would take "a strong production of a play by Shakespeare..." to understand the archaic language, clearly implying that what the main street people were doing was not strong and probably would be at best a comical show of people in leotards running around haphazardly. no thanks, i think i'll stay home that night and watch cheers or something.

Being a member of the cast, I can safely say that no one is running around in tights haphazardly, or even running around in tights at all! Also, this production is very strong and I strongly advise that you come see it!

Sure, Romeo and Juliet has been done over and over again, but it is a story that could never die out. It is heartbreaking, ironic, and very raw. Us actors at MSS have made this production our own, and I think that most everyone that takes the time to attend will agree that it was time well spent.

Thank you!

OK. I read the thread and saw the show. And I have to say it was pretty well acted. But there is something very strange about it, too. Whereas the trend with nearly all modern productions of Shakespeare is to do less with scenery, this production wallows in lengthy set changes that produce no good effect. The rhythm of the play is interrupted over and over again by set changes that could have been easily simplified - or eliminated. I saw a lot of Shakespeare while living in the U.K. One of things I'll always remember is the seemingly effortless flow of one scene into the next, building inexorably to the end of an act. Let the language set the scene, and by all means, move the action of the next scene onto the stage even as the latter is passing off.

Another time-consuming and completely unnecessary piece of business is the exposition of the prologue. I thought that we were past such high-school non-sense. A simple recitation as the opening lights come up would do nicely, thank you very much, and not waste our time with dumbshow. Thankfully, the second prologue was cut entirely (hint, hint).

In the small confines of this little black box theatre, it is hard to imagine a public plaza in Verona ever being brought truly to life - the distance between actors is just too small. Given that, full scale swordplay has no business on this stage, as it comes off as silly (no matter that it was choreographed and performed rather well). Ideally, the violence in this space should have been intimate - no less deadly or threatening - but simply intimate. If you cannot generate a courtyard square, then set your scene in an alley, or between the stalls of a merchant. The space is confined and tight - directors at Main Street must learn to use the space to their advantage rather than fighting it.

I have seen numerous productions of Romeo & Juliet over thirty odd years, and I do not recall one being shorter than 3 hours and 30 minutes or so, including the interval. This production is about that long, too, maybe a bit less, but it seems to drag on longer because the actors are allowed to wallow and put too much air into their speech. In other words, just pick up the pace and get on with it! Or, in the words of Hamlet to the players about to present the play within a play, "Speak the speech I pray you as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue..." And lose the long, protracted death scenes! They are unnecessary and verge uncomfortably on the comical, causing one to recall Bottom's ghastly (and looong) death in A Midsummer Night's Dream:
"Thus die I, thus, thus, thus.[Stabs himself.]
Now am I dead,
Now am I fled;
My soul is in the sky:
Tongue, lose thy light;
Moon take thy flight.
Now die, die, die, die, die.[Dies.]"
It works in a comedy, but causes snickering in a tragedy. Don't do it!!!

Hmmm. I started this on a positive note. And I would like to return there. This Romeo & Juliet is flawed, but it is sincere and fresh in numerous ways, with several standout performances. If only the overall vision were up to the crispness that this young cast is capable of. Alack.

3 and a half hours?? of that nonsense?? thank god i didnt go to it!! good review, though i didnt need to be there to know all the stuff you said would happen as it was obvious to anyone who has seen any of their idiotic productions.

ocular myosis wrote:

3 and a half hours?? of that nonsense?? thank god i didnt go to it!! good review, though i didnt need to be there to know all the stuff you said would happen as it was obvious to anyone who has seen any of their idiotic productions.

You are such a tool. That WAS a good review, but it did not suggest that anyone should not see this production, only that there are flaws! Gaad!!

Go see this show!! It was awesome!!!!

Have heard lot's of good things on the street about Main Street's Romeo & Juliet. Not sure I want to risk the weather for "Shakespeare in the Park" this Sunday, but I'm definitely going to see the show this Friday or Saturday.

ocular myosis wrote:

3 and a half hours?? of that nonsense?? thank god i didnt go to it!! good review, though i didnt need to be there to know all the stuff you said would happen as it was obvious to anyone who has seen any of their idiotic productions.

Which ones have you seen?

I saw the show tonight. They played to a full house and everyone loved it! Better Shakespeare than the Midsummer Night's Dream that Williamstown Theatre Festival did 4 years ago! See it!