Romeo and Juliet by Holland

"Two houses, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene."
"De rotura antigua del resentimiento al nuevo motín,
Cuando sea civil la sangre hace las manos civiles sucias."
"En avant de l'échine mortelle de la paire de ces deux ennemis
A de tenez le premier rôle-cross'd la prise d'amoureux leur vie;"
البروز مخيفة من هم يحكم حالة حبّ
والاستمراريّ من والدهم غيظ"
"Vilka, men deras barn avslutar, ingenting kunde ta bort,
Nu de två timmarnas äger rum kapacitet av vårt arrangerar;"
"The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend."


Shakespeare is timeless. His work transcends language, culture, setting, race. Romeo and Juliet, especially, is a play that has captivated audiences for centuries and will continue to do so for years to come. It deals with star-crossed lovers, lovers from feuding families, who seemingly cannot be together, but nevertheless conspire to do so, with a tragic ending.

Societies all over the world have variations on the theme of Romeo and Juliet. Manju and Layla in Persia, Tristan and Yseult in Wales, Hagbard and Signy in Scandanavia, and many more. Shakespeare is known for appealing to universal themes, and the theme of doomed lovers is one as ancient as humanity itself, yet as modern as possibly can be. Even now, new stories in that vein are being created: West Side Story, Moulin Rouge, and the Chinese opera 'Butterfly Lovers'.

The performance we had the privelige of seeing was astounding. They transgressed the bonds of gender and age to produce a performance that was both familiar and new. They interpreted the text with grace, and while several minor characters were removed, the play flowed seamlessly from one scene to the next.

I have had the opportunity to see them before, and I recall with mirth how well they performed both Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night's Dream, the latter of which was part of a 'Three Nights, Three Companies, One Play' event where three different companies gave their interpretations of one play.

I hope the company comes through Ames again soon, as I love their style. Maybe next time, they'll do another of the great romances, or a comedy. Whatever they perform, you can be sure that I'll be there, applauding.