"For never was a tale more full of woe, then this of Juliet and her Romeo." The classic story of teenage heartache was embodied in Bishop Ireton's recent production of "Romeo and Juliet."
Written between 1591 and 1595 by William Shakespeare, "Romeo and Juliet" is considered one of Shakespeare’s best plays. It has since been transformed into numerous operas and films and is still being performed on stage. The story begins when Romeo of the Montague family and Juliet of the Capulet family fall in love despite being from opposing houses with an ancient feud. As their inevitable hardships unfold, Romeo and Juliet are forced to make the ultimate sacrifice.
The play was set in modern day Verona, Italy, but was flooded with Elizabethan twists like the use of the original language, sets that represented a 1500-style town square, and traditional dancing during one scene.
Romeo and Juliet, played by James Robertson and Celine Daubresse respectively, brought to life the intense love and obsession that the two feel for one another. Marcutio and Benvolio, who are Romeo’s friends, played by Andrew Ferguson and Jake Gaudet, were hilariously crude and their antics ultimately stole the show. The Nurse, performed by Emilia Lynch, was also very funny and had the perfect persona of a gossipy old woman.
Both acts included unique fight choreography that kept the audience on their toes. Though no blood was spilled, the scenes were filled with intensity and realism that convinced the entire audience of the passion and hostility between the families.
The lighting was skillfully done and gave each scene a specific time of day. The sound was also commendable and left no line unheard by the audience. The play also included contemporary songs such as Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" and James Blunt's "You're Beautiful." Though these were effective in capturing the mood of the show, they were distracting to the performance.
Bishop Ireton's production of William Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet" gave us a perpetual love story with a modern twist that left no audience member unsatisfied.
<b>By Kelly Danver
T.C. Williams
<i>Cappies is a high school critics and awards program involving more than 50 schools in the Virginia, Maryland and D.C. areas.</i>