The opening scene introduced the audience to the feuding Montague's and Capulet's. Soon the battle between families was in full force. The weapons of choice you might ask? Light Sabers, baseball bats, feather dusters, and foam daggers were whipped from back pockets and flung forth to fight.
Then, the charming Romeo and Juliet were brought into the scene. They were both so young and so deeply in love. Sophomore McKenzie Brown took on the position as beautiful Juliet, while junior Alex Vander Meide played the charming Romeo. Both did an excellent job playing their roles.
Of course, I have to admit that I was thoroughly looking forward to the awkward kissing scene, which I predicted would be shared between Romeo and Juliet. But, unfortunately the only kiss that actually occurred was on the hand of Juliet. Oh, it was such a shame.
The multiple death scenes throughout the play were priceless in every way. Swords were being plunged into hearts and stomachs left and right. Then the actor or actress would proceed to die a gruesome death in nothing less than total pain and sorrow. Sometimes it was even too hard to watch (that's sarcasm for you)! But, amidst the endless fighting between their families, the love between Romeo and Juliet remained.
At one point during the play, junior actress Kate Schwartz said, "Love can sure make you silly huh?", and I started to really think about that statement. Love really can make you silly, and sometimes you can even go crazy because of it! But, in a way, love is really what makes that crazy ride of life worth the while. It's what helps us to strive for a better day or a better moment in time.
Whether or not I believe in love at first sight, as Romeo and Juliet did, I will never know. But there is one thing that I do know for sure, and that is that when you find the person that you know you are supposed to be with there will be no doubt in your mind. You'll just see the fact that no matter what happens you're going to be together forever - just like Romeo and Juliet felt.
This new rendition of Romeo and Juliet was a true delight. The one thing that I personally loved most about it was the fact that it was very interactive. We, as audience members, got the chance to be a part of the play as well. The fact that the audience was able to participate along with the cast of characters was entertaining and a lot of fun.
I learned two lessons while reviewing Romeo and Juliet; the first being that you can never underestimate the power of love, and second, the best way to cheer a person up is through simple humor.
Going to see Romeo and Juliet or the old "You Know I Really Love You, but My Father Really Hates You" Blues, was a wonderful way to end a long week. In fact, during the play I recall the person seated behind me say, "That was just too good". And whoever it was that said that was exactly right; it really was just too good.
My congratulations to the entire cast on putting together another spectacular play. I hope to see many more performances just like this one in the near future. It was a joy and a privilege to get to watch you all.