Romeo and Juliet, a classic Shakespearean play, has been brought back to life in a modern semi-musical that is catching the attention of the biggest Broadway critics down to teenagers worldwide. Getting tickets to this show proved to be a difficult task. The ordeal started last school year on May 22nd, when 3 friends and I reloaded the ticket website all day, through classes, lunch, and even gym. We stayed relentless and persevered after getting kicked off the website multiple times when ultimately we scored 4 tickets. The wait was exhausting, but finally, half a year had passed, and the day had arrived.
From the moment you walk up to the Circle in the Square Theatre until you step out, the theme is on point and develops a mood. The entire place is redone with neon lights everywhere and themed props at every corner. Even the snacks and drinks are themed to the show, although this is common across all Broadway theatres. The show also uses their casting well for marketing, as their target audience is very familiar with the actors in the main 2 roles. The show puts up pictures of them everywhere making it impossible to have no clue who’s in the show, even if you went in not knowing anything. From the playbills to posters to signs outside, the names Kit Conner and Rachel Zegler are known to all who attend.
When I sat down, the first thing I noticed were screens around the entirety of the theatre, which is uncommon as shows tend to encourage the disuse of devices throughout the show. As it started, I came to realize they were closed captions, perfectly in sync with the timing and delivery of the actor’s lines. This may easily have been one of my favorite parts of the show because it helped to make it accessible to the entire audience, as the show remains in old English. This brings me to my second favorite part: the overall delivery and direction of the lines. Although it is in old English, the actors chose how they dictated their lines ever so carefully to the point that certain scenes became much funnier, and found a whole new life. I also loved how they maintained a small cast and had almost every person play multiple characters. It brought diversity, uniqueness, vulnerability, and even comedy to each role.
Overall, this show was a captivating experience from beginning to end and surely not one to miss. Tickets for this show are very difficult to get a hold of, and some can be quite expensive, ranging from $79 – $999. This theatre, however, has no bad seats, since it’s a tiny circle. Any seat you can get your hands on (or standing room too!) is definitely worth it.
0
0
Average Rating