Since Classic Stage Company opened Romeo
& Juliet, all of the NextGen students have had the chance to
see the play and offer their feedback. This entry will feature quotes
from the student's personal responses to the performance. Across the
board the students were intrigued by
the different way it captures this classic tale.Since most of the students saw the show during press weekend, they wrote their responses in
the style of a review on the show.
DESIGN
“I absolutely loved the minimalist set design of
the play. When a set has minimal props/furniture, the focus is
especially on the acting. The play is no longer based on the
extravagance, it is not blinded by the physical but rather by emotion exuded by
the characters. The lack of props allowed the characters to shine, and it made
the play phenomenal not because of the anything other than the amazing acting. I
have always felt that true New York theater needs not extravagant props or set
designs because of the high level of acting which is found here.” – Victor
“The bright pink lighting was just stunning and
gave the entire set this beautiful glow.”- Loylia
“When the music was playing, I notice how when
an actor would speak, the music was lowered, but you can still hear the
vibration almost as if you were in a night club and went to another room but
would still hear the music playing and the beat vibrating off of the
walls.” – Loylia
DIRECTION/STORYTELLING
"Once broken down to its core, Romeo
and Juliet is a simple love filled with the passions of youth
transcending even death. The white walls
gave the audience the ability to feel the emotions the actors gave the
Shakespeare’s words beyond the costumes and extravagant backgrounds.” –
Carla
"I felt that the separation of the Capulet
and Montague supporters, divided by the prince, right in the start of the play
gave me a solid understanding of who was who. Almost immediately, the conflict was clear and the story revolved
very well around the conflict. I loved the modern humor that was added to the
play." -Angkur
“Another thing that I enjoyed was the use of several aspects of Hispanic culture in the play, as a Hispanic girl myself I really related to that, and found it hilarious.”-Kathia
ACTING
"Both actors
displayed the innocence and intensity a teenager would have falling in love.
Olsen played a beautiful Juliet, proving how ravishing, yet headstrong her
character could be. Likewise, Cihi did a great job playing a hopeless teenage
romantic. The two were a true dynamic duo." -Caitlin
"Mercutio played
by T.R. Knight was my favorite character in the show. I felt he
brought a lot to the character and his death scene really entertained me in a
way that I felt very upset when he died. I almost wanted to yell at
Romeo myself for letting him be killed". -Shivani
"My favorite
character was Mercutio! I think T.R Knight did a fantastic job of portraying
his character; his transitions from sadness to anger, and confusion to mockery
were flawless. If I could ask him one question it would be-Was there
ever a time during the play where you’ve kind of lost yourself in this
character- as twisted and cynical as he is?"- Quiana
OVERALL
Although all of the
NextGen students were able to find at least one element of the production that
interested them, there was still some criticism of the production, Shivani commented that she "did not feel the chemistry
between Romeo and Juliet." and Caitlin commented that "I
wouldn’t come running to see the play again, but I do encourage for people to
go see it." However, even with some slightly mixed reviews, the majority of the kids ended their review with something along the lines of
"I would definitely recommend others to see this play because in a sum of three words, IT WAS AMAZING."- Loylia
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