The School recently brought 8th, 9th, 10th and Creative Arts Diploma Program candidates to the American Repertory Theatre, which opened its 24-25 Season with Romeo and Juliet. Students departed campus on Wednesday for the ART’s educational matinee at 11 a.m.. The show just recently closed with its last performance on October 6.
The show is led by Rudy Pankow (Outer Banks) as Romeo, and Emilia Suarez (Up Here) as Juliet, featuring Terrence Mann (ART: Pippin, Broadway: Beauty and the Beast) as Friar Lawrence.
As described in the show’s program, Directors Diane Paulus and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui wanted to direct a story of Romeo & Juliet about love, rather than hate–it aims to explore the different ways we define our lives: with hatred or with love.
Romeo & Juliet is perhaps Shakespeare’s most popular plays, especially for high-school audiences. Just the Royal Shakespeare Company itself has had eight previous productions of the star-crossed lovers’ story, let alone around the world.
The chemistry between Pankow’s stage debut as Romeo and Suarez’s portrayal of Juliet felt convincing–they each were strong individuals, but their love was even more powerful. Movement was a key part of their acting, adding more to the strength of their performances. Unlike many other adapted productions of Romeo and Juliet, and even the play’s text itself, the ART’s show worked hard for the audience to feel the real connection between the lovers, instead of seeing them as spontaneous teenagers. Their love is strong and can transcend all aversions between their families.
A simple but big wall stands in center stage during the opening throughout the rest of Act 1. The wall serves as the major set that accommodates numerous scenes and changes. For instance, the wall spins during the party scene as dancers appear, each holding a glowing moon. It then switches to Juliet’s balcony as the lovers strike their first conversation in this well-known scene. The same balcony then becomes the place as Tibalt strikes his last pose before his death.
The set transformed in the second act, though still keeping the simple yet deep feeling from the previous scenes. In the final scene, the empty stage is filled up with flowers and plantation as the two rival families realized the deadly impacts of their hatred by burying their daggers under the ground. Friar Lawrence plants a single rose in the ground as family members bring out the remaining flowers, bringing spring back again to the city of Verona and everyone’s hearts.
The simple sets on stage made the show stand out from many other productions. Despite utilizing a limited stage, the use of lighting added to the majestic presentation of scenes.
As Juliet converses affectionately with Romeo in her room, Lady Capulet slowly walks out from upstage–the warm, yellow lights were casted on the young lovers while the dark and cold blue light shines on Lady Capulet’s face as she brings the news of her cousin’s death to her daughter, and the light eventually takes over the entire stage as death dawns on the family.
In addition to the excellent technical elements of the show, the cast and creatives of Romeo & Juliet used Shakespearean language throughout the show, but in a way that audiences without any prior Shakespeare experience or familiarity with the story could comprehend the plot. It feels as if you could understand the themes of the show without having to speak Elizabethan English, or even English at all. The show really demonstrates the power of storytelling in reaching everyone’s heart, without the barriers of experience or language.
English teachers of the School are very familiar with the play, as it is also included in the 9th grade English curriculum. Upper School English Teacher and Writing Center Director Bradley Starr expressed his love for the show.
“The challenge of performing Shakespeare is often in conveying emotion and character in the Elizabethan language—the actors did a great job,” Starr said.
The ending, which did not greatly alter the original plot, did put in additional elements of the adults’ “redemption” of their hatred.
“The ending was a little over the top,” Starr said. “It was more focused on what could bring people together, but I thought for the version they told, the ending fit well.”
As the cast of Romeo and Juliet took their last bow on stage, the theatre is currently in rehearsals for ART’s next show: Diary of a Tap Dancer.
