Romeo and Juliet

Romeo, Romeo where fore art thou Romeo? This is one of Shakespeare’s most lines from the play Romeo and Juliet. Almost everyone knows the premise of Romeo and Juliet; two star-crossed lovers who will do anything to be together despite their families’ wishes, but do they remember the dance club scenes? There have been many different adaptations of this classic play, but none as gripping and unique like the one being performed at Actors Theatre.

The stage is set up like a pool house with an outdoor pool in Orange County, California. Two young girls appeared to be tanning by the pool, yes a real pool, while two boys are inside the pool house playing video games on the big screen tv. Not how you remembered the play? That’s what makes this adaptation so fresh and unique. The director, Tony Speciale, took the original script and not only used the original lines, he somehow seemed to create a new script in his own way. With occasional rapping, adlibbing, and even a Justin Bieber musical moment, Romeo and Juliet is told like never before.

The show in its nature is very graphic and violent, but this version is filled with good modern twists that keep the audience guessing with every scene. With very relevant themes to today’s society like teen violence, peer pressure, bullying, and suicide, the story of Romeo and Juliet seems to continually evolve without losing its essence.

Actors Theatre’s version of Romeo earns a whopping 5 out of 5 stars. It’s difficult to shock and awe an audience that knows this story by heart, and yet Mr. Speciale’s version does just that. This centuries old play is transformed to a modern day’s peek into youth culture.