Two young lovers, two warring families and a tale of ill-fated love, heartbreak and death: Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” has been performed, filmed, transformed and reinvented so many times that it is pretty damn near impossible to find a person who hasn’t encountered the classic tragedy in some form or another. The play has been reborn yet again on Broadway in the hands of five-time Tony-nominated director David Leveaux.
In the classic story, two families in Verona, Italy—the Montagues and the Capulets—are in the midst of a violent feud. At the beginning of the play, Romeo, a Montague, is heartbroken because of his infatuation with a girl named Rosaline, a Capulet. Romeo secretly attends a Capulet ball in the hopes of meeting Rosaline, but instead, he meets Juliet, another Capulet, and the two immediately fall in love.
The next day, the two are secretly married, but things turn sour when Romeo is drawn into a fight with Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, and kills him. As punishment for his crime, Romeo is exiled from Verona. Juliet’s parents, unaware that their daughter has secretly married the enemy, arrange for her to marry Count Paris. Juliet seeks the help of a friar, who gives her a drug that will put her into a temporary coma to fool her family members into thinking she has died. The friar offers to send a messenger to tell Romeo about the plan so that the lovers can be reunited after the announcement of Juliet’s “death.” However, the messenger never delivers the message. Romeo discovers the incapacitated Juliet in the tomb and, assuming she has actually died, drinks poison to join her in death. Juliet wakes up shortly after to find her dead lover, takes his dagger and kills herself.
This “Romeo and Juliet,” starring Orlando Bloom (“The Lord of the Rings,” “Pirates of the Caribbean”) and Condola Rashad (“The Trip to Bountiful”), provides an edgier, more urban take on the play. Details such as the graffiti-covered wall in the background and the costumes of the characters emphasize the vitality of youth in the play—and for good reason. “Romeo and Juliet,” while frequently lauded as a classic tale of romance and tragedy, is also simply a tale of foolish, reckless youth. The two protagonists are so quick to light the embers of their passion that they both get consumed by the flames—a fate that is constantly alluded to by the use of darkness and fire on the stage.
Rashad, who plays the 13-year-old Juliet, does a fabulous job at bringing this innocent, youthful energy to the stage. Wearing a simple, virginal white dress in her first scene, Rashad’s Juliet bounds across the stage without a care in the world, full of the naivety, drama, silliness and snark of a young girl. Rashad doesn’t just act as the lovelorn female; she understands the drama and humor of Juliet’s character and acts out Juliet’s dramatic teenage love with such sincerity so as to make the character more sympathetic and the ultimate conclusion more tragic.
Bloom, 36, who makes his Broadway debut in this play, drives out onto the stage in a motorcycle—quite superfluously and clumsily, I might add—and doesn’t seem to understand more than a high school SparkNotes version of the character. Bloom succeeds only in looking like a man trying to play the part of Romeo, rather than Romeo himself.
Still, there were plenty of actors who were delightful in their parts. Jayne Houdyshell, as the Capulets’ comical, judgmental nurse, is a pleasure to watch. Chuck Cooper and Roslyn Ruff, as Lord and Lady Capulet, exhibit an electric stage presence and strong aura of regality as the rulers of the Capulet house. Christian Camargo’s Mercutio, the witty (and also ill-fated) friend of Romeo, is likable, flamboyant and familiar—a mischievous, fun-loving guy who parties and jokes about sex.
While the romance of the two lovers is certainly at the forefront of the action of the play, this production does not forget about its other elements. The humor is preserved and presented in the dialogue of characters like the nurse and Mercutio. The innocent love of the characters also belies an intense sexuality, which is hinted at through jokes made by Mercutio and Benvolio and is referenced by the nurse and Juliet’s father when they bring up the matter of Juliet’s virginity plainly and through metaphor.
Of course, one central aspect of this production in particular is the interracial relationship between this Romeo and Juliet. While certainly not written in the text, this new reading of the play makes sense and instills in it a bit of cultural history that further emphasizes this text’s ability to remain relevant today.
“Romeo and Juliet” is now playing at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, 226. W. 46th St. For tickets, call 800-982-2787 or visit ticketmaster.com.
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FAQs
Devastated, she stabs herself with Romeo's dagger. The tragedy of their deaths brings the Montagues and Capulets together in grief and ends their long-standing feud. In conclusion, Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story that explores themes of love, loyalty, and the destructive power of feuds.
How is young love shown in Romeo and Juliet? ›
He decides he can not live without Juliet, even though he barely even knew her several hours ago. Due to Juliet's appearance, Romeo falls in love at first sight, and goes to proclaim his love for her underneath her balcony. Romeo also asks for Juliet to marry him after meeting her a few hours ago.
How are Mercutio's words in line 90 of scene 1 an understatement? ›
An understatement is a statement that makes a situation seem to be less than what it is. How are Mercutio's words in line 90 of Scene 1 an understatement? He says it's a scratch, but it's much deeper.
How does Romeo describe love in Act 1 Scene 4? ›
Romeo says he's “too sore enpiercèd with [Cupid's] shaft to soar with his light feathers.” He is sunk, he says, under love's heavy burden—love is a rough, rude thing. Mercutio tells Romeo that if love is rough with him, he should “be rough with love.”
Why is Romeo and Juliet a tragedy and not a love story? ›
The fact is that Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, not a romance. This should be obvious from the fact that the play does not end happily ever after with a marriage, as befits a comedy, but possibly damnably ever after with a suicide pact, as befits a tragedy.
Why did the love of Romeo and Juliet lead to a terrible tragedy? ›
Going into detail, the emotion of love caused Romeo and Juliet to take many risks and distort their ability to make proper decisions based on logic. That's why love is to blame for Romeo and Juliet's death. Love caused Romeo and Juliet to take many risks.
What does Friar say about young love? ›
Friar Laurence
Young men's love must lie in their eyes, not their hearts. Mary, mother of Jesus, how many salty tears have washed across your lovesick cheeks for Rosaline? This salt water has been wasted instead of seasoning your love.
What is the description of young love? ›
What is the definition of young love? The phrase “young love” is commonly used to describe early encounters with romantic love. Oftentimes, these experiences are associated with naivety, all-consuming affection, and intense emotions.
What is the plot of the young love? ›
Picking up right where "Hair Love" left off, "Young Love" follows the Young/Love family: music producer Stephen Love (Scott Mescudi), hair stylist/vlogger Angela Young (Issa Rae), and their precocious six-year-old daughter Zuri (Brooke Conaway), navigating life in Chicago two months following Angela's cancer recovery.
What is Mercutio's famous line? ›
Mercutio. If love be rough with you, be rough with love; Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down.
Before he dies, Mercutio curses both the Montagues and Capulets, crying several times, "A plague o' both your houses!" (Act III, Sc. 1, often quoted as "A pox on both your houses"). He makes one final pun before he dies: "Ask for me to-morrow, and you shall find me a grave man.".
What are 4 words to describe Mercutio? ›
Mercutio is apt to make long, drawn out speeches (the most famous of which is the Queen Mab speech), and is generally thought to be reckless, a jester, and a free spirit. Due to his reckless and flamboyant personality, Mercutio is one of Shakespeare's most popular characters.
How is love presented in Romeo and Juliet Act 1 Scene 5? ›
In this scene, Romeo and Juliet instantly view their love as predetermined. Although they have scarcely had a full conversation, the two teenagers take the forbidden nature of their union as a sign that it is their fate to be together.
Are Romeo and Juliet really in love in Act 1? ›
Yet, while the two characters may have initially fallen for each other due to a mixture of convenience and lust, Romeo and Juliet's language shows their passion maturing into real love. In the opening scenes, Romeo makes Benvolio and Mercutio laugh with his clichés about love.
What did Mercutio mean by "if love be rough with you, be rough with love"? ›
In Act 1 Scene 4, Mercutio says that if “love be rough with you, be rough with love”. This alludes to the sexual nature of love which is physical and not pure. This also suggests that love can also be “rough” emotionally which is evident in the way that Romeo is suffering from unrequited love.
How is love represented in Romeo and Juliet? ›
The play focuses on romantic love, specifically the intense passion that springs up at first sight between Romeo and Juliet. In Romeo and Juliet, love is a violent, ecstatic, overpowering force that supersedes all other values, loyalties, and emotions.
How is love negative in Romeo and Juliet? ›
One obvious way: Romeo and Juliet's love drives them to suicide when they've lost each other. Then there's the death of Paris, whose love for Juliet makes him duel with Romeo to protect her “corpse” from a supposed enemy, and whom Romeo kills out of sheer desperation to die next to Juliet in her tomb.
How does Romeo and Juliet show tragedy? ›
Sometimes, the wider forces in the world cause tragedy. This includes things like chance. In this play, fate causes a lot of the tragedy – Romeo and Juliet were fated to fall in love and die to end the fighting of their families.
What is an example of love and hate in Romeo and Juliet? ›
In Act 2 Scene 2 Juliet makes a comment that displays both love and hate. 'If they do see thee, they will murder thee'. In this quote the love is between Romeo and Juliet as she fears for his safety at the hands of her kinsman. The hate is of Romeo by the kinsman as they are after him prepared to kill. …
