The University of Iowa theater company will debut its rendition of Shakespeare’s classic “Romeo and Juliet” on Oct. 1o. Reimagined by graduate student Søren Olsen, it takes the story that we all know and love and adds a modern twist.
“Hot-mess celebrity parties, perilous make-outs, and passion-fueled duels collide in this director-designer’s vision of theatrical candy,” the UI theater company describes on their website.
For Olsen, the draw to do this show was its relevance through time. Throughout the centuries, the play has become the blueprint for a tragic love story. But for Olsen, a fundamental question has lingered with him regarding the play.
“ Why do we keep letting love die?” he asked
When it was his turn to make his mark on this Shakespearean staple, he added his own details to the story. “ Anytime you’re doing something that’s been performed like thousands of times, you are looking for a way to make it feel relevant,” he said. “Even if you’re doing a period version of this or a restoration, you’re still looking for ways to make it feel fresh.”
These original details include using modern language in place of some of the prose and verse within the original text, whether to add a contemporary feel or comedic aspect. The breaks from the traditional script serve a purpose to more effectively communicate the story to the audience.
The costumes and set pieces also reflect a more modern era, with the Capulets dressed in more relaxed or new money attire, while the Montagues are dressed more classically or like old money.
The set pieces are dynamic, with large columns and various geometric shapes being pushed around the stage by crew members and actors to establish the different locations within the play. They are lit through LEDs and projection, turning a dark story into a lit-up spectacle.
The play stars Hunter Meyer and Nicolette Mayer as the star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet. Taking on a classic role can come with its own challenges. Famous actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Kit Conner, or Tom Holland have all portrayed Romeo, and each has brought their own personal take on the character.
For Meyer, a UI graduate student, the creative differences at the core of this show are what are allowing him to bring his personal style to this iconic role.
“The sort of modern take that we’re putting onto it makes it feel like Romeo and Juliet, but it’s not directly from the script of the play, so I feel more at liberty to not play Romeo like everybody else has played. Romeo. I can kind of play him almost like me or the parts of me that I feel I identify with Romeo,” Meyer said.
The most notable difference about this play is what stage manager Maggie McClellan, another UI graduate student, calls the cyclical theme.
“ With the end of the show, I think it’s current,” McClellan said. “The fact the beginning and the end really tie together, that’s going to give people a sense of why situations like this always happen.”
The show may seem like a retelling of a story everyone knows, but the emotion is meant to remain fresh.
“ I want the audience to be sad. I want them to feel something when they’re watching the show,” he said. “That’s the real goal. To have nice and fluttery emotions from love, and having questions about morality and tragedy, and why tragedy continues? Why can’t we learn the lesson of tragedy?”
The play will be performed in the E.C. Mabie Theatre and will open on Oct. 10. It will run through Oct. 18.