Romeo and Juliet Review
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| On the 14th of November 3rd years from Newbridge College went to see Romeo and Juliet in the Riverbank Theatre in Newbridge. |
Romeo and Juliet is
a play of love and loss. The play is set in 'fair Verona' Italy. There were two
families, the Montague’s and the Capulet’s, 'both alike in dignity' live. Both
families have a strong hatred for each other because of an 'ancient grudge' and
because of this Romeo and Juliet 'two star-crossed lovers take their life.'
The costumes in the
play were very realistic and believable. Almost all characters had at least one
knife and dressed in weird looking clothing from that time. Everyone wore
tights, and long dress like garments. Juliet in the play was always in bare
feet, she was in bare feet at the party, she was in bare feet on her wedding
day and she was in bare feet when she died. This may have been to minimize
noise but Juliet being from a very honorable family I would have thought the
least they could do is provide shoes for her when she was out in public.
Acting: The acting
in the play was also very well performed, especially the fight scenes and when
Juliet kills herself the blood in particular was brilliant to watch. Lord
Capulet and the Prince were played very well. There were certain parts of the
play that were not acted out to the same standard where when Paris and Lord Capulet are
discussing the marriage of Juliet. Certain characters in the play were also not
portrayed, such as Paris or Lord Montague and other characters were played by
actors of the opposite sex. For example Tybalt and his companions were all
played by female actors. Overall the acting in the play was very well done and
played excellently.
The characters in
this play were all played very well and all were believable. The nurse in the
play wasn't exactly a joy to watch. Her accent was very annoying and she did
not play the part very well. Her laugh in particular was quite aggravating, she
had one of those uncontrollable brain-dead laughs that started and ended in a
snort. Overall, the characters were very well portrayed and pleasant to
watch.
The set in the
Riverbank was very small because the stage had very limited space. All the
parts of the set were made from wood. On the left, there was an archway leading
to backstage. In the middle, a clock with roman numerals partly painted on the
floor and the centre of the clock was raised about a foot. On the right, there
are two more archways. One, with a ladder in front of it leading up to Juliet's
chamber, and a second for characters to enter from off stage. Overall it was
not a great set due the lack of space on the stage.
I would recommend
this play to everyone age thirteen and up due to the adult humor. It is a great
way to see the play in action instead of just reading it from a book. This
play is funny, gory and romantic. I found it a great experience and helped me a
lot in trying to put the play into action in my mind. Overall this is a great
play and fun for people who are studying it for exams.
(Michael O'Brien)