by William Shakespeare • Directed by John Langs

 

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Director's Note
by John Langs

 

MYTH

The myth of Romeo and Juliet exist in every culture. The story gives rise to feelings that sit at the bedrock of our humanity. I attribute much of the staying power of this tale to our common need that in this impossibly chaotic world there is a hope that we can find our soul’s answer in the eyes of a stranger. That each of us has a love waiting for us that can inspire us to the heights of poetic expression. Who among us does not want to be loved like Romeo loves Juliet and vise-versa? Their untimely end is brutal, but it is a choice. They would rather be united forever in death than spend one moment away from that which makes them whole.

MUSIC

Like everyone else I came to this story with a great deal of history. I knew I wanted this journey to be emotional rather than intellectual in nature. In order to find my way into the heart of the play, I began to read the script with my iPod on my side. The language of rock-and-roll to me has so much in common with the feelings of young people and lovers everywhere. It was in the landscape of modern music that many of the feelings that inspired tonight’s performance took shape.

Fate

One of the most striking threads of Shakespeare’s setting of this tale is the ever present nature of fate. The lovers are marked to die, we are told, to end the mindless violence of the world they live in. Over and over again Romeo and Juliet speak of a sixth sense of the tragedy that awaits them. The idea that fate has designs on the best and the brightest to teach the world at large about their own humanity is one of the touches of genius of young Shakespeare’s writing. This thematic thread inspired, in this production, a question about the nature of the ending of the play. What happens to a great love in the face of an immovable obstacle?

We have tried to answer this question from the heart and very much hope you enjoy the ride.

 

 

John Langs
Director