HUMN-303N Week 4 Assignment: Essay – Play Analysis – Romeo and Juliet- Graded An A+

The following essay will discuss my personal analysis about the play Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare. I conducted thorough research in anticipation of finding an excellent adaptation o f Shakespeare’s 1597 original screenplay. Fortunately, I was able to find a 2009 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, directed by John Garrity for free on YouTube. The adaptation was presented by Providence College Department of Theatre & Dance and performed at Angell Blackfriars Theatre in Rhode Island. The play begins with a panoramic view of the stage and audience, cast members slowly begin to divert across the stage. The stage is large and well lit with sets spread throughout it, various cast members begin to recite the Chorus from Shakespeare’s original script. Following the prologue all but five cast members quickly scatter off stage and begin to perform their rendition of Act 1, Scene 1. The camera zooms in on the remaining cast members center stage. Crew member and lighting designer, Christopher Brown provides the audience with exceptional stage lighting and strategic spotlighting throughout the performance. In the first scene, male characters seem to be dressed similarly in muted colors and trousers which is what I imagine 14th Century Verona, Italy street style was like. However, as the play progresses costume designer Sara Ossana uses a mix of modest and modern clothing to contrast Shakespeare’s orginial vision. I assume Ossana did this to elicit the timeless beauty of the play, though initially as a viewer it caused a bit of confusion and oftentimes would distract my focus from the play itself. The costume design heavily contrasted with the set design which as a viewer would frequently distract me from the intended theme of the play. However, director John Garrity creates a lively mood as cast members passionately portray each character. There is also a somewhat suspenseful tone throughout the performance, which is similar to what Shakespeare had originally intended. He was able to do this with proper sound and lighting transitions and adjusting the screenplay to a modernized version. Though much of the script’s dialogue was often lost in translation due to characters’ poor dialect, annunciation, and volume. Though I am no expert critic, some details that stood out to me were the play’s Romeo displayed a robotic and lifeless performance. Which was unfortunate given that Romeo and Juliet is perhaps the most famous and arguably romantic love story in English literature. However, the play’s Juliet is able to counteract Romeo and provide audiences with a favorable performance. Though Shakespear’s original intention of passionate “star-crossed lovers” (William Shakespeare, 1916) and overall chemistry between Romeo and Juliet often gets lost throughout the play. In conclusion, my feelings of this performance are satisfied, though I have seen better live renditions and enjoyed the 1996 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet more. Though I know it is common for directors to modernize famous scripts, such as this one personally I enjoy Shakespeare’s original intended version. Adding modern twists to various parts of the performance, such as costume and dialogue can be very distracting for an audience member. Overall I believe the cast and crew gave the audience an adequate performance and I would have enjoyed this modern adaptation of Shakespear’s Romeo and Juliet had it been consistent throughout the entire performance. References Providence College. (2010, September 28). Romeo and Juliet [Video]. YouTube.