& Juliet: Kissed By The Book - Nafisa Ahmed

-

 

In my freshman year of ‘Honors English’, there was an infamously hard test, like nobody had gotten an A in YEARS. What was the test on, you ask? The original version of Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare. Who would have guessed that by junior year, I’d be watching the 2025 Broadway on Hennepin tour of & Juliet (here May 13th through 18th) and enjoy it– especially after such dreadful memories regarding its source material. Despite this, I cherished this production, as the premise is retelling the ending that had me rolling my eyes in class. By reimagining the story while still paying homage through the script, actors, and scenery– & Juliet truly surprised me with how much fun I had. 
 What are some famous lines when you think of Romeo & Juliet? Mayhaps, "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"- or maybe- “Parting is such sweet sorrow”? Within & Juliet, you’ll find many ways Max Martin and David West Read (songwriter and author, respectively) mixed the period of the play and the modern world, as the bits of old English contrast with the modern speech. Still, there are smaller references overlooked, but just as clever. For example, an original nonbinary character named May, who is Juliet’s best friend. One of the first regards to this character is from Shakespeare, pondering how the name seems feminine. This seems small in the scene, yet it reminded me of the famous line “What’s in a name?”, subtly weaving in this new with the old. The wonderful actor Nick Drake only added to this characterization, giving us small leg lifts that were dainty and adorable. These gestures never made the show boring, the fun was directly felt between the actors and the audience.
 When I sat in my seat, a balcony near house right, the scenery made me GASP. The symbolism started before the show even began, letters that formed the name ‘Romeo’ scattered across the stage– ‘Romeo’ was taken out of Romeo & Juliet. It didn't just stop there; furthermore, the scenic design by Soutra Gilmour is something to look at in every scene. But I can't sit here and type out every design choice that stunned me, so let’s focus on the biggest one– the Renaissance Ball (pictured above). First, catching my eye, was the resemblance of the 2018 Shakespeare Festival set for Romeo & Juliet; a connection between the many adaptations of its source, but also coming into its own. This ‘coming into your own’ idea is something & Juliet portrays abundantly well, shown through scenic design at this party that is so new to Juliet. Finally, after you admire all the details, the lights are set off to create the perfect atmosphere. I simply couldn’t stop smiling.

So, should you see & Juliet? Well, duh! Times are stressful, AP test season is just ending for high

schoolers, and the semester is ending soon for college students; we all need a little fun. Even if you

haven't read Romeo & Juliet, all you’ll miss is some references (which you just got caught up in this

review!); however, you will miss no fun. Whether you hate Shakespeare or hate jukebox musicals– go

check out & Juliet, because as the wise Juliet once said, “My only love sprung from my only hate!”.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Les Misérables Is a Classic For a Reason by Katelyn Keyes

-
If I had to pick one word to encapsulate the current National Tour  of Les Misérables , it would be “art”. The lighting, designed by Paule Constable, transformed every scene into a painting, I could almost feel the sunlight on my face. The darkness was also used to the show’s advantage, leading to a shadowed opening; Prologue , where the low, rhythmic chorus deeply communicates the tragic circumstances the main character finds himself under. Imprisoned for simply stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family, Jean Valjean (Nick Cartell) breaks his parole and flees, leaving him to be chased by a relentless Inspector Javert (Nick Rehberger). Along the way, we meet Fantine (Lindsay Heather Pierce), her daughter Cosette (Emerson Mae Chen, Greta Scheafer, and Delaney Guyer in various ages), and others fighting for France in the Paris Uprising of 1832.  The story is told mainly through song, which, while it does demand more of the audience’s attention to follow the story, really h...
Read more

Les Misérables: The Story We’ll Always Need - Peyton Webb

-
Image
“Prologue” - Nick Cartell as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables . Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmeran While wandering through the Orpheum crowd on the opening night of Les Misérables , I stood for a moment and listened. Friends reminisced about the first time they saw the show. Parents told their children how it made them fall in love with theater decades ago. I couldn’t help but smile at how generations connected over this timeless story of resilience. One of the most acclaimed musicals in the world, Les Miz needs no introduction. Directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell, the North American Broadway tour is in Minneapolis for a two-week run. Whether you’ve seen it a dozen times or never before, it’s more than worth a few hours of your time. Les Miz effortlessly transports its audience to 19th century Paris, catapulting them into the most exhilarating moments of the characters’ lives. While all technical aspects were phenomenal, the light and sound design completed this tra...
Read more

Book of Mormon Review - Katelyn Keyes

-
  What a show. The Book of Mormon is a riot on absolutely every level, leading to equal amounts of laughter and shock. The plot follows two Mormon missionaries on a quest to baptize the citizens of a small Ugandan village. As this show was written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, one can expect crude, R-rated humor, and the show lived up to every such expectation. The actors embraced the outrageousness of the plot wholeheartedly, leading to flamboyant dance numbers that put my jaw on the floor. One of this show’s greatest strengths was the dedication of the actors, a show this off-color could easily rely on the simple shock value of the content to carry the performance, but each actor was motivated and made sure the entire plot came across, not just the jokes. This full-out commitment was especially prevalent in the dance numbers, which were just big enough to be spectacular without being over the top or ridiculous.  The best example of this would ...
Read more