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Recently, the King’s College Theatre Department gave their first major performance of the year. As usual, they chose a William Shakespeare play to start the fall semester. This year’s choice was the classic, Romeo and Juliet.
When entering the theatre I was amazed by the stage design. It was a beautifully crafted structure that made the audience members feel as if they were in Verona. The set may have been the highlight of this production.
I have to admit that I was unsure of how much I would enjoy a college production of a play I was overly familiar with, but my doubts were soon put to rest. The opening sword-fighting scene was incredibly choreographed and performed flawlessly. It was one of the only stage productions that made sword-fighting look real. It was much more than just actors flailing around long pieces of plastic and imitating the motions that they have seen in movies.
Most of the actors did well, too. Of course there were some minor mistakes in the dialogue among other things, but it was still an enjoyable performance. Colin Walsh and Stephanie Gawlas were fantastic in their roles as Romeo and Juliet, respectively, but Drake Nester’s portrayal of Mercutio stole the show. During intermission and after the play had concluded all I heard nearby audience members speak of was the greatness of Mercutio’s performance.
The lighting was a minor problem in the production, though. It did not seem as if there were any lighting mistakes, but they were too bright. Instead of shining mostly on the characters and the stage, the lights illuminated the entire room. Your concentration was easily diverted by simply turning your head.
Overall, it was a great performance. I was very impressed with the cast and the set, and enjoyed the story that I’ve heard and seen performed so many times before. I look forward to seeing more King’s theatre productions and hope that they will be as good as Romeo and Juliet. |
