Sunday, 18 May 2014

Unit 3: Romey & J (Blog 4)

If I were to choose a scene to perform from Romeo and Juliet, I would choose the fight scene after Mercutio's death when Romeo and Tybalt fight. The thing I love about this scene are the lines and the climax of the whole thing. When Romeo says something along the lines of "Mercutio's soul is waiting for one of our souls to follow him, it's either you or me, or the both of us" (well, I wrote it in modern English), I personally think that's one of Shakespeare's most awesome piece of writing, and although I'm not that quite fond of Romeo and Juliet, that scene is still awesome. I think this duel scene is influential and awesomely written, it would be even more awesome if it were dramatized.

Assuming, I'm the said director of this scene, I have to think about the staging, props, lighting, roles of characters, how the lines are said and also about some on-stage duel. I would set this scene in a more alternate format than what it shows in the exact movie representations, I want to thunk like Baz Luhrmann and set the scene differently. I think the scene would be more dramatic if it were to have happened in the marketplace, so I would set it there, but after the sun went down. The scene would start off with Romeo over Mercutio's body, and quite in shock and sadness, while Tybalt turns away to walk away and mark his victory, all of a sudden Romeo get's up and snatches Tybalt by the collar and deliver his lines about avenging Mercutio's death. Then Tybalt shoves him to deliver and then Romeo delivers his lines (that awesome verse) and the duel starts and ends with Romeo kneeling feet away from Tybalt's dead body in shock. I will include the original lines, and the following. But I want to avoid all male actors even though the scene includes all men.

Being that I'm the director, I would know how I want to Romeo's particular lines to be like, so I would make myself Romeo, regardless of the fact that I'm a girl. I think I need a serious actor to play the part of Tybalt, so I guess I would choose Minnies because she can be very serious in my opinion and I think the scene is supposed to look stiff and menacing and I think Minnie's good at being cute but she can seem very mean if she acts like it and that's what I need, stiff mean-ness.

Friday, 2 May 2014

Unit 3: Romey & J - Reduced Shakespeare Company

In class, we watched the following clips from the Reduced Shakespeare Company's production "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare":


What elements are being used in this particular performance? (Be specific, use examples and evidence to support your choices)

  • Some elements that I've noticed, that were being used is the use of male actors, and a bit of cue acting. 'Cue acting' was very popular during Shakespeare's time because actors were given their lines right before the play sometimes and/or didn't have time to rehearse so someone would whisper the lines to them from behind the curtains. They also used rhythm, repetition, rhyme, alliteration, and assonance in their dialogues even in the parts where it was modified or improvised. They also used some onomatopoeia like the original plays to emphasize sound effects. Onomatopoeia was used in Shakespearean times to emphasize sound effects, since they didn't have that many. ("The Theatre in Shakespeare's Time."The Theatre in Shakespeare's Time. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://alexryan8x.tripod.com/theatre.htm)


What changes have they made and why? (again, be specific and use examples)

  • They improvised a lot of the things and they were able to do it in under 15 minutes when the play is originally 2 hours long. They also skipped out a lot of the script, like the part where Tybalt comes in, Tybalt barely says anything but it finishes with the ending snippet when he is killed. They have also added some funny parts like the groping/kicking that would have been considered almost vulgar in the Shakespearean times. They also mixed in some modern jokes, modern lines and thing into the play, like at the end. And they had a minstrel/narrator who introduced the scenes and relayed the lines for cue acting.
Do you think this performance would be successful in Shakespeare's time? Why or why not?


  • I think this performance would be booed in Shakespeare's time because Juliet wasn't a prepubescent boy with a high-pitched voice. They also had groping and comedic things that would've been booed or considered vulgar in th Shakespeare's times. The audience wouldn't be amused by the joking in a tragic story like Romeo and Juliet. They were also exaggerating a lot that was more suitable to Commedia but it wouldn't have been acceptable in the Elizabethan era that came along. So they would probably get hit with rotten vegetables/fruits by the groundlings.