For never was there a tale of more woe...

Overheard:

"From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whole misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife."

Who:

Will Shakespeare, himself.

Where:

Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Romeo and Juliet, 30.1.05. The stage was set in the Elizabethan Theatre--I was pleasantly surprised at the "three-tiered wooden balconies, carved oak columns, and half-timbered façade." It was built to "evoke the courtyard of an English Renaissance inn... [which i]n Shakespeare’s day ... served as playhouses for traveling groups of players, who performed on a raised platform at one end while spectators gathered in the yard and on the balconies above." I thought the stage added depth to the production, and provided a warmer, more personal atmosphere to the play.* Plus, there is a catwalk along the balcony, and players had a fight scene in front of us!

Stuff:

The production was directed by P.J. Paparelli, who wrote about his focus in an open letter published in the program. He recently did some work with Columbine survivors, and when he returned to Shakespeare, it struck him that Romeo & Juliet is a story about teens, and how they deal with the adults around them. To that effect, I noticed that only the adults in the production used British accents, while the "kids" -- Romeo, Juliet, and their respective family gangs -- spoke with no accent. It separated them from the stuffy adults trying to marry off their pre-adolescent heirs.**

And then I noticed today that, as it turns out perhaps Romeo and Juliet scientifically could not stifle their reckless passions.*** ****

* But bring a seat cushion if you're in the balcony, or at least a puffy coat, like the sleeping bag I've been sporting this winter.
** I'm sure there was a ton of other symbollic stuff I didn't catch.
*** The linked article[s] also may explain my college career. And law school, for that matter.
**** I don't want to have to make my posts longer and include entire articles, but if news sites keep taking down links and making you pay for content, that's what will happen, I suppose [ed. 4 july 2005]