Romeo and Juliet - Mr. Robertson's Bunker

About the PlayFrom Romeo and Juliet, Ed. David Bevington, Bantam, New York, 1988. xx-xxiv.Although stories of forbidden love have been around as long as tongues could speak, a taleinvolving an unwanted marriage, sleeping potion, and missed message from a friendly friar firstappeared with characters called Romeo Motecchi and Giulietta Cappelletti in Luigi da Porto’sHistoira in 1530. Various authors and poets adapted and translated the tale for the next sixty yearsuntil it made its way to the eyes or ears of the up-and-coming poet/playwright William Shakespeare.In or about 1594 Shakespeare refreshed the story by shortening its time frame from nine months toless than a week, creating a new level of urgency, and highlighting the parts of some characters likeMercutio and the nurse, probably to fit them to the strengths of his own acting troupe, the LordChamberlain’s Men. The play was performed at the Globe Theatre to an audience that would havebeen as familiar with its basics as we are today.Over the centuries the play has been continuously performed, but altered according to thefashions of its audience. For many years it was popular for the lovers to share a brief moment ofrecognition together in the tomb before Romeo’s poison took effect. This tradition was carried intothe present in Baz Lurhmann’s movie, Romeo + Juliet, in 1996. Another popular variation was toend the play happily with Romeo arriving just in time to rescue his beloved. It wasn’t until the mid1800s that Shakespeare’s original text began to be commonly performed again.Romeo and Juliet has now been performed in countless countries and dozens of languages andhas been successfully shown on the big screen every thirty years since 1936. Shakespeare’s plot asbeen transposed into ballet and opera and was freely adapted to the hit musical West Side Storywhere Tony and Maria fight for their love amidst the ethnic divides of 1950s New York. Today theplay is probably the most read and performed of all of Shakespeare’s works, and maybe one of themost well-known plays in the world.Utah Shakespearean Festival351 West Center Street • Cedar City, Utah 84720 • 435-586-788023