Rap music, conversations via iPhone, a banana smoothie prepared onstage, and Romeo dressed as Batman: Shakespeare would have had no idea what to make of the production of his “Romeo and Juliet,” put on by the Community High School Ensemble Theater Troupe in four completely sold-out shows this March.
If watched without sound, it appeared to be a modern take on the tragic play, complete with a mid-show rap performance and scenes where characters texted and emailed each other. The costumes were a mixture of 80’s neon fashion (for the Montagues), dark goth clothing (Capulets), and the weapons ranged from light-up faux-tazers and water guns to daggers and nunchucks. There was constant motion and color, and perpetual scene and costume changes. The Capulet costume party that Romeo crashed was no masked ball; it was more like a rave.
But without the music, even the most fascinating aspect of the play would not be lost: the fact that every Shakespearian line was preserved, in all its Old English glory. Despite the outdated language, the dialogue seemed understandable, thanks to the actors who made each word’s meaning clear through their actions and inflections. Script-wise, it was a very faithful production to the original. Of course, there were a few added lines and words by the ensemble, including a ‘Don’t taze me, bro!’ and much yelling and cheering throughout, not to mention the semi-explicit rap performance that provided the backdrop to the lovers’ first meeting.
Then there was the astoundingly odd and yet fitting collection of songs that played in between, and sometimes during, the scenes. Like the costumes and props, the soundtrack was very eclectic, including older songs like ‘The Chapel of Love,” by the Dixie Cups, and “All I Have to Do is Dream” by the Everly Brothers. The audience danced in their seats at some points, an unlikely event at any other Shakespearean performance. There was also quite a lot of laughter, and even cheering, as the story progressed.
Clearly, the show was unorthodox already, and the casting decisions were equally so. Both Tybalt and Mercutio were played by female students, while Juliet’s nurse was played by a male student, and multiple CHS teachers and staff members were cast in the play. The casting, however odd, was very adept; each of the major parts seemed perfectly cast. Also, Director Quinn Strassel had clearly allowed the players to be creative, as they all sported unique weapons, costumes, and apparent personalities, even those in non-speaking roles. At the dramatic final scene when rival Capulets and Montagues alike lay down their weapons, it was difficult not to smile as one of the cast members laid down a black ukelele as her ‘weapon’ of choice.
In the end, each of the performances received a standing ovation. It was well-deserved; the CHS troupe managed to make a Shakespearean tragedy both modern and funny, without losing the drama of the original story. Even after all of the onstage hijinks, the final death scene left much of the audience sniffling, even though everyone had known the ending from the start. With all of the action and drama, it had been easy to forget the inevitable conclusion–and in that way, it was all the more tragic.
