Comparing Luhrman's Romeo And Juliet

The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet was written by William Shakespeare, the most influential writer in all of English literature, in the mid-1590’s and was finally published in 1597. Since its publication, Romeo and Juliet, seems to have transcended, becoming so influential as to greatly affect the course of Western literature and culture (Sparknotes). This tragedy has been adapted for stages and films across the entire world, each putting their own spin on the classic tale. Whether it be through the original text, Baz Luhrman’s film of Romeo + Juliet, or Jennifer Toohey’s live performance of Romeo and Juliet, each have one thing in common: the universally accepted, archetypal love story. We owe this to the practitioner …show more content…
Although, she does a great job at keeping the audience engaged when meaning is needed outside characterization. The house lights went dark to signal the start of the performance and as soon as they came up, the brilliant actress was moving about the “theatre in the round” type stage. This method of stage design consists of a stage situated in the center of the theatre, with the audience facing it from all sides. The audience is placed quite close to the action which provokes a feeling of intimacy and involvement. As the actress recited the Prologue with great voice projection, she moved fairly quickly throughout the bare stage, changing two signs that were the only set pieces, to display the words “Montague” on one side of the stage, and “Capulet” on the other. Not only informing us where their homes were, but symbolizing that they were “both alike in dignity”, due to the regal font on the signs (Shakespeare). Toohey’s stage directions for this young actress were phenomenal, considering she was able to play to each side of the theater. Like Luhrman, Toohey also kept Shakespeare’s original text, but instead of portraying modern interpretation right away, the audience was left wondering how the actors were about to portray this classic tale. …show more content…
There was not much kissing in the live performance, but much more hand holding instead (which truly captured Juliet’s innocence). I found this directing choice to capture Juliet’s essence a bit more than Luhrman’s due to the fact that her characterization is supposed to be seen as innocent, frightened, and pure. I do not believe that Juliet would have been as intimately involved as Luhrman made her out to be in his pool scene. But to digress, Toohey’s scene was also set on a balcony with shrubbery surrounding it with a small bench in front of it for Romeo to stand on. The actress playing Juliet was absolutely radiant in character, and in the beaming spotlight upon her. She can also be seen as both a representational and presentational actor due to her emotion and her ability to truly look innocent. The way she was able to portray the “sparkle” in her eyes, continuously held her hands lovingly to her heart when speaking about Romeo, and her ability to “lilt” her voice were all key elements in her presentation of the character. Whether it be through her facial expressions or her hand movements, the audience could truly believe she has a young, fool in

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