By Bella Cannizzo
I really enjoyed traveling into the city to see “Romeo and Juliet” with my classmates. Up until then, I had never been to a stage performance in New York City. In short, I was blown away. The performance space was extremely unique. To preface, it was at the Circle in the Square Theater which is self-explanatory in itself. Having the actors in the center of the audience created an interactive, inclusive production environment. They lingered around the stage within the “square,” so at times I felt like I was participating in the play. Benvolio was walking beside the audience, Mercutio crawling above, and other characters running left and right. I loved it. My head was on a swivel in the best way possible. In my Shakespeare college class, we learned at the time Shakespeare wrote the plays, most of them were performed in the Globe Theater. In the Globe Theater, there were stands on either side of the stage, some seats looking down from above in all directions, and “penny grounds.” In sitting in the rows, one could have felt distant from the show. But, the people in the front on the ground probably felt similar to us.
After initially reading the Shakespearean play, I did not care for Romeo’s character. After leaving the production, I liked him a lot more. Rather than coming off as pathetic and helpless, I found Romeo to be honest, confused, and troubled. Kit Connor as Romeo just seemed so committed to Juliet and their love, but not in an irrational way. I am being a bit of a hopeless romantic. On the other hand, the portrayal of Juliet by Rachel Ziegler was terrific. The actress and singer was extremely talented. The added song Ziegler sang in character was beautiful. It was kind of exactly how I imagined her to be.
Romeo and Juliet directed by Sam Gold on Broadway starring Kit Connor and Rachel Ziegler is a must-see! Run through February 16, but tickets are pricey ($155).
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