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.