In Fair Verona…
As I related below, we’ve been coming to Ashland for plays for 12 years or so, but I’m not sure I’ve approached the plays I’ve seen on dramatic terms. I’ve never acted, nor been around the production of a play, and I tend to deal with plays in terms of literature. I always try to read the Shakespeare plays that we’re going to see, just to relieve me of concentrating on dialogue, releasing me to appreciate nuances in the performance.
This approach is probably about 70% effective, since a good play must have character, plot and language. The parts I miss out on through ignorance are the stage design, costumes, “dramaturgy” (as I understand it, the conversion of the written script to vocal delivery and, in the case of “legacy” plays like Shakespeare, what to cut, and whether to modernize any language). I’m thinking I might benefit from some sort of drama classes in order to advance to a new level of understanding. It may be a good idea to consult Christopher (!) Key for further guidance.
We saw a production of Romeo & Juliet the other night. Heretofore, the best productions I’ve seen have been the Zefferelli and Luhrmann films. While the Zefferelli was probably more classically complete, the Luhrmann was the first instance where I felt the participants were really teenagers, awash in testerone and bad judgement, and not 35-ish actors trying to play teenagers.
The production this year borrowed some aspects from the Luhrmann film: big silver pistols, a black Mercutio break-dancing, a hispanic Tybalt - and the actors were unrelentingly young. All these had a positive effect, and I was happy to have seen it. I still think, however, that Paul Sorvino deserved a Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Juliet’s father in the Luhrmann film.
