The 2018-2019 season opener is in the books for the Ohio Northern Theatre Department as the cast of “Romeo and Juliet” just completed their rendition of Shakespeare’s classic love story.
A tall gray stone wall was the backdrop of the tale of forbidden love in fair Verona. The focal point of an otherwise drab background was a simple balcony, framed by a beautiful stain glass window. Interwoven with bursts of cool and warm colors, the window symbolized the tangled relationship between the feuding houses. The characters had steampunk-inspired outfits: blue-colored if they were a Montague and red if they were a Capulet.
At floor level there was a platform about a half-foot tall in the shape of the capital letter “I”. A stone octagon was the lone prop on the stage, and the raised surface hid a track that it could move on. This versatile tool glided upstage, downstage, or even into the stone backdrop depending on what setting the scene required. The octagon served as the centerpiece of the town square during an intense fight sequence. Later, it was Juliet’s bed where she traded passionate kisses with her lover. Her bed was also where she drank the well-intended but doomed potion that aided in spiraling the play’s already complicated situation out of control.
The artists, designers, and performers involved in “Romeo and Juliet” spun this masterpiece in their own creative way. A unique element of this play from other productions in Biggs Theatre was that audience members could watch the story from a different perspective; they could sit on stage. There were three rows of seats on both stage left and stage right. Viewers were mere feet from the actors and could see the whites of their eyes as they battled in weapons combat, exclaimed with giddy excitement, and lamented their sorrows.
A post-show discussion with the performers and directors was opened up to the audience after the close of the final performance.
This question-and-answer session let the true personalities of the cast shine through and helped the audience gain insight about the production. One audience member asked how many cast members had never done a Shakespeare production. The percentage of hands raised was an astounding figure over seventy-five percent, which included many of the leads. There were a few audible gasps from audience members because the production was so well done that it did not seem like a first-time experience for many of the cast. This is a testament to the hard work of the individuals in “Romeo and Juliet” and to the Ohio Northern University Theatre Department.