The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey 2019 ROMEO AND JULIET: Know-the-Show Guide

Romeo
and Juliet
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Ian Belknap

Know-the-Show
Audience Guide
researched and written by
the Education Department of

Artwork by
Scott McKowen
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey 2019 ROMEO AND JULIET: Know-the-Show Guide

In this Guide
– The Life of William Shakespeare................................................................................................ 2
– Romeo and Juliet: An Introduction............................................................................................. 3
– Romeo and Juliet: A Short Synopsis........................................................................................... 5
– Who’s Who in the Play.............................................................................................................. 7
– Sources and History................................................................................................................... 9
– Commentary & Criticism........................................................................................................... 9
– Theatre in Shakespeare’s Day................................................................................................... 10
– Past Productions...................................................................................................................... 11
– Explore Online........................................................................................................................ 12
– Sources & Further Reading....................................................................................................... 13

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The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey 2019 ROMEO AND JULIET: Know-the-Show Guide

Life
The
William James I. While the plays were well-liked, Shakespeare’s work was not

Shakespeare
considered by his educated contemporaries to be exceptional. By 1608,
Shakespeare’s involvement with theatre began to dwindle, and he spent
more time at his country home in Stratford. He died in 1616.

Most of Shakespeare’s plays found their first major publication in 1623,

William Shakespeare, widely seven years after Shakespeare’s death, when two of his fellow actors put
recognized as the greatest English the plays together in the First Folio. Other early printings of Shakespeare’s
dramatist, was born on April 23, plays were called quartos, a printer’s term referring to the format in which
1564. He was the third of eight the publication was laid out. These quartos and the First Folio texts are
children born to John Shakespeare the sources of all modern printings of Shakespeare’s plays.
and Mary Arden of Stratford-upon-
Avon in Warwickshire, England.
Shakespeare’s father was a prominent
local merchant, and Shakespeare’s
childhood, though little is known
about it for certain, appears to
have been quite normal. In fact, it
National Portrait Gallery, London
seems that the young Shakespeare
was allowed considerable leisure
time because his writing contains extensive knowledge of hunting
and hawking. In 1582, he married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a
farmer. She was eight years his senior, and the match was considered
unconventional.

It is believed that Shakespeare left Stratford-upon-Avon and went

to London around 1588. By 1592, he was a successful actor and
playwright. He wrote approximately 38 plays, two epic poems, and
over 150 sonnets. His work was immensely popular, appealing to The Shakespeare Family
Coat of Arms
members of all social spheres, including Queen Elizabeth I and King
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 The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey 2019 ROMEO AND JULIET: Know-the-Show Guide

Romeo and Juliet the use of light and dark images. Predominantly, we see Romeo and
Juliet together only at night. The other characters in the play are seen
An Introduction almost exclusively in the daylight. The use of night imagery places us
in the private world of the young lovers, far from the public scrutiny
Romeo and Juliet contains all the elements of a great modern movie: of society and social responsibility. The only time Romeo and Juliet
suspense, action, romance, comedy and dysfunctional families! Written are seen together in the daylight is when they are secretly married; a
sometime around 1595, it tells the story of two young lovers separated hopeful attempt to have their love recognized by the very society that is
by their quarreling families in a world where peril and passion abound. forcing them apart. Even then, the scene takes place in the dim light of a
The play opens abruptly with a street fight, and shortly afterwards finds a medieval church. Night also invokes images of both romantic love and
young couple falling desperately in love. This leads to a secret marriage, death. These themes of love and death are intertwined until they are, in
which is spoiled by another street fight and eventually the demise of two the end, indistinguishable.
young men. Ultimately, the play ends in the disturbing double suicide of
its teenage protagonists. The action of the play all takes place over the WRITTEN IN THE STARS
brief course of a few days.
Though Romeo and Juliet are the most famous “star-crossed” characters
in Shakespeare, references to astrology abound in the Bard’s plays.
Like many of today’s television and film writers, Shakespeare wrote
for the masses and for all social levels. His job was to write plays
When the Duke of Suffolk is about to be murdered aboard a ship in
that people would pay to see. This is how he made his living, fed his
Henry VI, Part II, he says that “a cunning man did calculate my birth /
children, and contributed to society. One of Shakespeare’s greatest
And told me that by water I should die.”
assets was his power to observe. Unlike many other successful writers
of the period, he did not write only from his own life, but also from the
Julia in The Two Gentlemen of Verona puts faith in the stars, as she
vast world he saw around him. In Romeo and Juliet, for example, he
considers the fidelity of her love, when she states, “...truer stars did
wrote about the exuberant, transformative energy of young love from
govern Proteus’ birth.”
both a male and female perspective – one based probably on his own
remembrance of first love and one based on observation.
In Much Ado About Nothing, Benedict, having difficulty writing a love
poem, finds comfort in his knowledge that he “was not born under a
Unlike other plays of the period that were popular with the mass
rhyming planet.”
audience, Shakespeare’s work was of a superior artistic level. Many
consider him the greatest poet and dramatist that ever lived. A strong
Cassius reminds Brutus, pondering the rise of Julius Caesar, that the
example of his skill in Romeo and Juliet is found in his isolation of
fault “is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
the ill-fated lovers from the other characters. He achieves this through
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 The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey 2019 ROMEO AND JULIET: Know-the-Show Guide

not fall from greatness due to a “tragic flaw.” Romeo and Juliet can be
Young love is a central theme of the play. Romeo is at most eighteen simultaneously perceived as innocent victims of their own passions, their
years old, and Juliet is not quite fourteen. Their lack of experience parents’ feud, the violent society around them, and fate. References to
allows them to love each other without reservation or pre-judgment. omens and astrology abound, and a sense of doom hangs over the play
They approach love and sexuality with purity and innocence. Romeo from the Chorus’s opening lines of the Prologue.
instantly forgets his obsessive infatuation for a girl named Rosaline
when he first sees Juliet. Juliet prepares to marry Romeo the same night Whether a true tragedy or not, Romeo and Juliet is one of the most
she meets him. Their love is romantic and idealistic. popular of Shakespeare’s plays. It has been interpreted, adapted and
presented in a thousands of ways. From the classic Renaissance setting to
Their “dreamy” relationship is grounded by the Nurse and Mercutio, World War II Europe, from tropical islands to the gang-ridden streets of
who share their more worldly knowledge of love and sexuality with the New York, this classic tale has entertained and moved audiences for over
young lovers. Shakespeare uses these secondary characters to counter- four hundred years.
balance the sexual and romantic inexperience of the protagonists.

Shakespeare does not bring the fateful lovers together until the end THE BEST OF THE BARD
of Act I. This allows the audience to see how their union matures and The following phrases and sayings have
deepens them as individuals. A love-sick Romeo enters at the beginning their origin in Romeo and Juliet:
of the play pining for Rosaline, yet Shakespeare leads us to believe that
“A pair of star-crossed lovers”
his love for her is no more than the love of “being in love.” The poetry
that he uses to speak of her is generic and simple, easily transferred to “Sad hours seem long.”
another young woman. Juliet is vibrant and girlish, obeying her parents “You kiss by the book.”
without question. Despite this, even early in the play, she shows signs of
the maturing woman within her. She challenges her parents and is later “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”
forced to make difficult decisions on her own. Love awakens character “What’s in a name?”
traits in these adolescents that are only suggested in earlier scenes.
“That which we call a rose by any other
These traits become more fully realized as the play unfolds.
name would smell as sweet.”

The full title of Romeo and Juliet is The Most Excellent and Lamentable “Good night, good night.
Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, but many critics argue that it is not truly Parting is such sweet sorrow.”
a tragedy, at least by Aristotle’s standards, because its characters do “Thank me no thankings, nor proud me no prouds.”

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 The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey 2019 ROMEO AND JULIET: Know-the-Show Guide

Romeo and Juliet would create a scene at this festive occasion, berates him. When Romeo

A Short Synopsis introduces himself to Juliet, she is immediately attracted to him as well.
Only after their “love at first sight” encounter do each of them realize
they have fallen in love with their “enemy.” Later that night, Romeo
Please note: Below is a full summary of the play. If you prefer not to risks his life to climb back into the Capulets’ garden and see Juliet at her
spoil the plot, consider skipping this section. window. The young lovers profess their undying love for one another and
their desire for immediate marriage. Juliet sends Romeo away and awaits
Shakespeare begins the play with a brawl between the members of the confirmation of the marriage arrangements the following day.
Capulet and Montague households, who have been feuding since time
immemorial. The Prince breaks up the fight; incensed by the continual Early the following morning, Romeo informs Friar Laurence that he is no
strife. He threatens the Capulets and Montagues with death if they longer in love with Rosaline. His love is now set on Juliet. Friar Laurence
or their men disturb the peace of Verona’s streets again. We are then chides Romeo for his fickle passions. Romeo insists that he and Juliet must
introduced to young Romeo, the teenage son and heir of the Montagues, be married immediately. Though reluctant at first, Friar Laurence begins to
bemoaning his unrequited love for a young woman named Rosaline. see the marriage as a means by which the long-standing feud between the
two powerful families might be ended, and agrees to marry them.
Paris, a wealthy young nobleman, presses Lord Capulet for an answer
to his request to marry Capulet’s only daughter, Juliet. Capulet invites Leaving their wedding ceremony, Romeo encounters Tybalt on the street,
Paris to a party that he is throwing that evening to allow the nobleman but refuses to accept his challenge for a duel, trying to maintain peace
to meet and court his daughter. Romeo inadvertently discovers with the family of his secret bride. Mercutio, disgusted by Romeo’s
that Rosaline is included on the Capulet guest list, and with the passivity, fights Tybalt. Attempting to break up the fight, Romeo comes
encouragement of his cousin Benvolio, agrees to crash the party in order between the two, and Mercutio is fatally wounded. Tybalt escapes as
to see her. In the Capulet household, we meet Juliet and her Nurse. Mercutio dies. Enraged by his friend’s death, Romeo kills Tybalt. The
Lady Capulet tells Juliet that Paris wishes to marry her. Juliet’s Nurse Prince enters, finds the dead young men, and banishes Romeo from
is far more excited than Juliet, who responds to Paris’ intentions with Verona. Despite the violent bloodshed, Juliet swears her love for Romeo,
indifference. and they spend one last night together before Romeo flees to the
neighboring town of Mantua until they can be reunited.
Romeo and his entourage arrive at the Capulet party masked in order to
conceal their identity. As the guests dance, Romeo sees Juliet and falls Meanwhile, Capulet arranges a hasty marriage between Paris
in love at first sight. Tybalt, nephew to Lady Capulet, recognizes Romeo and Juliet in three days. Juliet begs her parents to delay the
and storms forward to confront him. Lord Capulet, furious that Tybalt arrangement. Capulet tells Juliet that she will be disowned
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 The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey 2019 ROMEO AND JULIET: Know-the-Show Guide

if she does not do as he wishes. Under the guise of seeking

absolution, she goes to Friar Laurence to seek his advice. WHAT’S IN A NAME
The Friar devises a plan to prevent Juliet’s marriage to Paris. “Volio” is a Latin root word meaning a person’s “will” or personality.
She is to go home and pretend to agree to the marriage. The prefix “ben-” means “good” or “well.” This leads us to believe that
On the night before the wedding, she is to take a drug that Shakespeare may have intended us to see Benvolio as a good-natured, good-
will make her appear dead the next morning. The Friar will willed person; a peace keeper.
inform Romeo of this plan. Romeo will then rescue her
from the family crypt, and Friar Laurence will help them “Romeo” comes from the same Italian root that we see in “roam.” Literally
escape. Juliet returns home, takes the potion and falls into a translated, Romeo is a wanderer or pilgrim.
deep sleep.
Though not derived from the same root word, we hear the word“jewel” in
The Nurse discovers Juliet “dead” when she goes to wake Juliet’s name. She is the jewel of her family, and later the jewel of Romeo’s
her for the wedding, and Friar Laurence quickly begins love. He, in fact, compares her to “a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear.”
the arrangements for Juliet’s funeral. Unaware of Friar
Laurence’s plan, Benvolio rushes to Mantua and informs “Mercutio” is named for his mercurial nature — the changeable
Romeo of Juliet’s death. Romeo sends Benvolio away and temperament and quick mood swings we see in him throughout the play.
goes to buy poison from an apothecary so that he may
kill himself and lie with Juliet forever in her tomb. Friar
A
Laurence discovers that his secret letter to Romeo was not T
delivered and races off to Juliet’s tomb in hopes of preventing a disaster. THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE Jo

The lines that Romeo and Juliet speak to one another upon
Romeo enters the Capulet tomb and, seeing Juliet’s “dead” body, kills
their first meeting form a sonnet, a 14-line poem with a
himself with poison. Juliet awakens to find Romeo dead as the Friar
specific, fixed rhyme scheme. The Elizabethan audience would
enters too late to save him. Friar Laurence attempts to remove Juliet from
have quickly heard this distinctive rhyme pattern. Why do
the tomb, but she refuses to leave Romeo. Once alone, she kills herself
you think Shakespeare chose to heighten the language at this
with Romeo’s dagger. The Prince and the parents of both households
particular moment in the play, making it even more formal and
enter. They discover the truth of their children’s demise in Romeo’s
musical?
suicide note. Out of grief, Montague and Capulet make their peace with
one another.
There are two other sonnets embedded in the play. See if
you can hear them as you watch the production.

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 The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey 2019 ROMEO AND JULIET: Know-the-Show Guide

Who’s Who
in the Play TYBALT – Juliet’s cousin, and a Capulet. He is aggressive and eager to
THE HOUSE OF MONTAGUE: protect the honor of his house against the Montagues. Tybalt’s fight
ROMEO – the only son and heir of the Montague family; Romeo with Mercutio is a turning point in the play.
falls head over heels in love with Juliet after a brief but intense NURSE – the nurse has cared for Juliet her whole life, from wet-nurse to
infatuation with Rosaline. Despite the seemingly insurmountable personal servant. While her earthiness provides comic relief, she is
barrier between the two young lovers, Romeo’s romantic, also Juliet’s loyal confidante.
passionate, and idealistic nature make him determined to woo and PETER – an illiterate servant of the Capulets who invites guests to the
wed Juliet Capulet. Capulets’ feast and, like the Nurse, provides comic relief.
LORD MONTAGUE – Romeo’s father and head of the Montague
family. At the beginning of the play, he is concerned about Romeo’s THE CITIZENS OF VERONA:
melancholic behavior. MERCUTIO – a close friend of Romeo’s, and a relative of the Prince,
LADY MONTAGUE – Romeo’s mother; She dies of grief after her son is Mercutio is a great wit. He teases Romeo and others, but is also hot-
exiled. (Note: Lady Montague does not appear in this production.) headed and eager for a fight, which leads to trouble with Tybalt.
BENVOLIO – a cousin and friend of Romeo’s; Benvolio often acts as PRINCE ESCALUS – the Prince of Verona. He is tasked with keeping the
mediator, trying to defuse his friends’ tempers; he attempts to get peace, and therefore appears after fights and public disturbances to
Romeo’s mind off Rosaline. deliver justice.
PARIS – Juliet’s handsome, wealthy suitor. Despite Juliet’s extreme
THE HOUSE OF CAPULET: youth, Lord Capulet encourages Paris to woo his daughter, and later
JULIET – the thirteen-year-old Juliet is the daughter of Lord and Lady pledges her hand in marriage to Paris. Juliet’s subsequent predicament
Capulet. Juliet seems dutifully resigned to an arranged marriage until precipitates the great tragedy of the play.
she sees Romeo and falls in love at first sight. FRIAR LAURENCE – a Franciscan friar who sympathizes with Romeo and
LORD CAPULET – the head of the powerful Capulet family, and Juliet’s Juliet and sees their marriage as a way to end the aggression between
father. He arranges what he thinks to be a good marriage between their two families. He secretly weds them, and then devises a plan to
her and Paris. He becomes enraged when Juliet defies him. reunite them after Romeo’s exile.
LADY CAPULET – Juliet’s mother. Like Juliet, Lady Capulet married FRIAR JOHN – a Franciscan friar tasked with delivering news of Juliet’s
young, but she lacks sympathy for her daughter when Juliet refuses false death to the exiled Romeo. He is held in quarantine because of
to wed Paris. the plague and never reaches Romeo.
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The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey 2019 ROMEO AND JULIET: Know-the-Show Guide

Sources version, it is the parents who must take responsibility for the fate of their
children.

History Luigi da Porta was the first to insist that the lovers were actual historical
figures; a conviction that still persists to this day, albeit with little real
evidence. Visitors to contemporary Verona can see the Capulets’ house
The plot of Romeo and Juliet is derived primarily from several tales and stand on the “actual” balcony where these lovers are believed to
preserved in collections of Renaissance Italian stories. The tradition of have first confessed their love.
the young Veronese lovers was a popular one in Italy, and it spawned a
number of poems, short stories, ballads and plays. While the tradition Though the first fully documented performance of Romeo and Juliet in
held that the historical Romeo and Juliet lived in Verona around 1300, England does not appear until 1662, we know the play was very popular
their story is very close to even older stories from classical Greece and in Shakespeare’s time. The 1597 First Quarto, the earliest printing of the
Rome, particularly the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe. Matteo Bandello’s play, stated it “hath been often (with great applause) plaid publiquely.”
Novelle (1554) included a Romeo and Juliet story which was translated
by William Painter in his collection The Palace of Pleasure. Arthur There have also been many modern adaptations of Romeo and Juliet.
Brooke also translated the tale into English in the form of a long In 1935, Sir Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud revived a popular
narrative poem entitled The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet. It was production of the play. In 1947, Peter Brook directed his production
this poem in particular that served as the basis from which Shakespeare in Stratford; and Franco Zeffirelli brought his new version to London
created one of the most famous plays in history. in 1960. Zeffirelli also directed a film version in 1968 that is now
considered a classic, and is shown in classrooms throughout the country.
Interestingly, Brooke’s In 1996, audiences were introduced to Baz Luhrman’s vision of these
ELIZABETHAN PARTY
version of the story feuding families in a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. In
CRASHERS
was a cautionary tale, 2000, Jet Li and Aaliyah starred in a flashy, fast-paced reinvention of the
alerting young people classic in Romeo Must Die.
It was a fairly common practice of
to the consequences of
Shakespeare’s time for small groups of
disobeying their parents Over 30 modern operatic versions of Romeo and Juliet have been
people to attend major social events
and elders. Shakespeare produced, the most famous musical adaptation being Leonard Bernstein’s
and parties uninvited. These “crashers”
refocuses the story and West Side Story. Other modern adaptations of the ever-popular classic
most often wore masks to hide their true
makes the two lovers the love story have included ballets and television productions.
identities, even if the party they were
victims of society and
attending was not a masquerade.
circumstances. In his

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Commentary all the more striking when we recall that Romeo and Juliet was performed
in full daylight, in the middle of the afternoon. The sense of foreboding

Criticism
night and pervasive blackness is conjured up entirely by and through
language.”
Marjorie Garber, Shakespeare After All

TENDER LOVE IN A VIOLENT WORLD: “Romeo and Juliet is a picture

DEFINING R&J: “There has been a recent fashion in the theatre to
of love and its pitiable fate, in a world whose atmosphere is too sharp for
define a certain kind of play as ‘black comedy.’ I would define Romeo
this, the tenderest blossom of human life.”
and Juliet as a ‘golden tragedy.’”
August Schlegel
-Dame Peggy Ashcroft

THE BAWDY BARD: “Directors and teachers do Romeo and Juliet a

WHERE IS THE “WHY?”: “One of the most quoted lines in the play is
disservice by making the play too ethereal and refined. Mercutio is one
also the most misunderstood in all Shakespeare. ‘Wherefore art thou
of Shakespeare’s most obscene characters, and Juliet one of his most
Romeo?’ is often assumed to mean ‘Where are you, Romeo?’ since
passionate. Make sure your edition is fully annotated, with all the bawdy
Juliet usually utters these lines while leaning over the famous balcony,
puns explained. Double entendres allowed Shakespeare to be sexual and
as if looking for her lover. Actually, what Juliet says is ‘Why are you
romantic at once.”
Romeo?’, that is, ‘Why must you be Romeo, a Montague, the enemy of
Norrie Epstein
my family?’”
The Friendly Shakespeare
Norrie Epstein, The Friendly Shakespeare
CRITIC’S CORNER
NO SPEED LIMIT: “Romeo and Juliet is a drama in which speed is the
medium of fate, though at first it appears that fate is only a function of “[Romeo and Juliet] offered a completely
speed. In the close, the awesome silent tableau prompts the audience novel experience, one disturbingly
to the recognition that the unique quality of this tragic experience is capable of challenging traditional
created by the impetuous rashness of youth. The myth is essentially authority. Romeo and Juliet was one of
dramatic.” the hits of the decade (the 1590s), at
Brian Gibbons, The Arden Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet least in part because it argued in favour
of marrying for love against marriage by
WE KISS IN A SHADOW: “Night is the interior world of Romeo and parental choice.”
Juliet, a middle world of transformation and dream sharply contrasted
Andrew Gurr
to the harsh daylight world of law, civil war, and banishment... This is
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The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey 2019 ROMEO AND JULIET: Know-the-Show Guide

WHAT DO I WEAR?
People often ask if shows

in Shakespeare’s Day at The Shakespeare

Theatre will be performed
in “traditional dress” or
SEEING A PLAY VS. HEARING A PLAY “like real Shakespeare.”
Modern audiences go to the theater to see a play; but Shakespeare’s This comes up even more
audiences would go to the theatre to hear a play. Because the often with the history
audiences were predominantly illiterate, they were much more attuned plays.
to the spoken language of the play, the inflections of the actors’ voices, Will Kempe in The Nine Wonders, ca. 1600.
and rhythms of the poetry. This is not to say that Shakespeare’s plays It is interesting to note
lacked visual interest, just that the visual elements were not nearly as that, though often sumptuous and expensive, the costumes used in
important as the language. Shakespeare’s plays were rarely correct to the period of the play. Most
often, actors were dressed in their finest attire (or clothes donated by
We see this is, in some ways, true today, at least in the words we use to wealthy patrons), and then these clothes were adorned with capes or
describe attending the theatre. People who attend the theater are most crowns or other items denoting the character’s status. The shows in
often referred to as an “audience” sharing the root of audio or sound in Shakespeare’s day were simply put up too quickly to create elaborate
the name. Conversely, people who attend movies are often referred to period-accurate costumes for the full company, nor did they have
as “movie-goers;” sports enthusiasts are often referred to as “spectators.” the money to do so. Therefore, despite popular assumption, a more
accurate “traditional dress” approach to Shakespeare plays would
be to dress actors in their finest contemporary clothing adorned with
capes and crowns to denote status.

Second There were also very strict laws in Shakespeare’s day detailing what
Globe clothes, styles, and colors citizens were allowed to wear. This was
Theatre, a deliberate maneuver to reinforce the class structure of the era.
detail from
Hollar’s Penalties for violating these Sumptuary Laws could be quite severe
View of ­— loss of property, imprisonment, fines, and even loss of title. These
London, Sumptuary Laws meant that fashionable clothes could only be worn
1647.
by the wealthy and were often only seen at a distance.

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The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey 2019 ROMEO AND JULIET: Know-the-Show Guide

2008: A very modern Romeo and Juliet

directed by David Kennedy. LEFT: Rebecca
Brooksher and Jordan Coughtry in the title
roles. BELOW: Mercutio (Shawn Fagan) with
Romeo (Jordan Coughtry).

Productions
1994: Romeo and
Juliet directed by
Jimmy Bohr. RIGHT:
Romeo (David Allen
Case) and Mercutio
(Sean Michael
Dougherty) with
the Nurse (Lola
Pashalinski). FAR
RIGHT: David Allen
Case and Arija Bareikis
in the title roles. 2019 TOUR: The Shakespeare LIVE touring production of Romeo and Juliet directed
and choreographed by Doug West. LEFT: Tybalt (Christian Frost) faces down Benvolio
(Juliet Perrell) as the Prince (Landon Hawkins) looks on. BELOW: Isaac Hickox-Young
and Billie Wyatt in the title roles.

1999: Romeo and Juliet directed by Bonnie J. Monte. Mercutio (Paul Molnar)
takes on Tybalt (Hayden Adams) as Benvolio (Curtis Mark Williams) and Romeo
(Mark Alhadeff) look on. Fight direction by Rick Sordelet.
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The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey 2019 ROMEO AND JULIET: Know-the-Show Guide

Explore Online
Photos and video clips from the LaScala Ballet production of
Romeo and Juliet, 2014 are featured on this web page.
https://palaceoperaandballet.com.au/production/romeo-and-
juliet

“The Teen-Age Lovers of Verona” is a documentary introducing

Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting to the world ahead of the
release of Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt0jW_1yayo

The stars of Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet are reunited on stage for
the first time since 1968 as part of the 2018 BFI and British Council’s
Shakespeare on Film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb3pC9PGq10

Ben Crystal discusses the Bright and Beautiful of William

Shakespeare and demonstrates how the verse would have
sounded in Shakespeare’s day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2QYGEwM1Sk

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The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey 2019 ROMEO AND JULIET: Know-the-Show Guide

Sources
Further Reading
THE ANNOTATED SHAKESPEARE, Introductions, Notes, and THEATRE: A WAY OF SEEING, Third Edition by Milly S. Barranger
Bibliography by A.L. Rowe THE ESSENTIAL SHAKESPEARE HANDBOOK, by Leslie Dunton-Downer
A READER’S GUIDE TO SHAKESPEARE by Muriel B. Ingham and Alan Riding
ASIMOV’S GUIDE TO SHAKESPEARE by Isaac Asimov SHAKESPEARE SET FREE, edited by Peggy O’Brien
THE COMPLETE IDIOT’S GUIDE TO SHAKESPEARE, by Laurie Rozakis SHAKING HANDS WITH SHAKESPEARE, by Alison Wedell Schumacher
FREEING SHAKESPEARE’S VOICE by Kristin Linklater
THE FRIENDLY SHAKESPEARE by Norrie Epstein
LECTURES ON SHAKESPEARE by W. H. Auden
THE MIRACLE OF LANGUAGE by Richard Lederer
SHAKESPEARE A TO Z by Charles Boyce
SHAKESPEARE AFTER ALL by Marjorie Garber
SHAKESPEARE FOR BEGINNERS by Brandon Toropov
SHAKESPEARE FOR DUMMIES by Doyle, Lischner, and Dench
SHAKESPEARE’S IMAGERY by Caroline Spurgeon
SHAKESPEARE IN PERFORMANCE, Consultant Editors Keith Parsons
and Pamela Mason
SHAKESPEARE: THE INVENTION OF THE HUMAN by Harold Bloom
SHAKESPEARE OUR CONTEMPORARY by Jan Kott

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