In the balcony scene, Romeo says to Juliet, “A thousand times the worse, to want thy light!/Love goes toward love as schoolboys from their books/But love from love, toward school with heavy looks.”
Nowadays, teens are found yapping on their cell phones, updating their MySpace.com pages or shopping for clothes in the mall, not professing their love from balconies. But the characters of “Shakespeare’s R & J,” a retelling of the classic “Romeo & Juliet,” use their free time to discover themes and lessons of this popular Shakespearean classic.
As four schoolboys read the play aloud, at first with youthful energy, then with greater maturity, they become engrossed with it. Their emotions build with intensity and become more mature. The reading of the play adds excitement to their rigid prep school lives.
“Shakespeare’s R & J,” written and adapted by Joe Calarco, premiered in New York in 1998 and starred Northwestern alumni Daniel J. Shore (’91) and Jeremy Johnson (’94) as members of the original cast. Now, the award-winning play makes it premiere at NU as a part of the 2006 Summerfest Theatre Festival. The play runs until Sunday, July 23 at the Theatre and Interpretation Center’s Wallis Theatre, 1949 Campus Dr.
Provocative, gripping and intimate, this adaptation is “all the things that young people on the verge of becoming adults are concerned about,” said director and associate professor of theatre David Downs. “I love the idea that the school was not helping them learn how to become adults.”
The play shows the student’s youthful energy. It’s an energy that erupts when the group members break away from their studies and begin to read the old love tale. With few interruptions to the story, “R & J” becomes a seamless retelling in which the audience forgets that the boys are reading the play aloud until the school bell rings for classes to begin.
“The audience experiences Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ through the eyes of these four boys,” Downs said.
The performance relies heavily on blocking/movement, acting and the original text – the basics of theater.
The chosen movement/blocking complements the show masterfully. Nuanced and lyrical, the movement is like a choreographed dance. The blocking further enhances the words and the storytelling. Stunts were included in the performance, making it more dynamic and energetic, helping retain the audience’s interest throughout the show.
This play returns to one of theater’s original customs – only men are allowed onstage. Each member of the four-person cast – Marco Naggar, Dillon Porter, Matt Sax, Jon Schmidt – plays a variety of roles, depending on the scene. Sax and Porter play the star-crossed lovers, while Schmidt and Naggar vacillate between the remaining parts. All of their performances are sharp and dead-on. Their blocking is just as precise, from complicated fight scenes to landing gracefully after being thrown onto stage.
The four actors have been in the same acting class since their sophomore year, adding sincerity to their characters’ relationships. Their offstage friendship “layers in” with the production, Downs said.
But some people had difficulty understanding the nature of the storytelling, Downs said. Because the actors play multiple roles, it can be hard to follow the story. But the method of storytelling does not take away from the force and vitality of the performance. It is a fresh and unconventional interpretation. Performed on a thrust stage, the stage provides for intimate interaction with the audience, who will easily become invested in the performance. The play uses a simple set: three mahogany wooden chests, a bound copy of the play and a long red shawl – a prop that’s use changes depending on the scene being performed. In one scene, it may represent a sword; in another scene, it’s the connection between Romeo and Juliet. With minimal props and sharp acting, the audience is asked to use their imagination to join the boys on their adventure instead of having the show visually handed to them.
The show illustrates the duality of life – the confinement we accept and the freedom we long for. We see how we conform to what society says and how much it takes to break away from the underlying rules we tacitly follow. “R & J” is a jolting reminder of how to avoiding following the road most traveled and strike out on your own.
This retelling of one of theater’s oldest love story is a worthy investment.
Tickets are available at the TIC Box Office at (847) 491-7282 or on the office’s Web site at www.tic.northwestern.edu/tickets.html. Tickets are $20 for the general public; $17 for senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $10 for students and children.
Reach Aaron Mays at [email protected].