Shakespeare for Modern Teens

I took my daughter to see Romeo and Juliet at the Kansas City Rep last Friday night. We really enjoyed the show, and I highly recommend it. You'll find it an entertaining way to spend your evening, even if you're a little intimidated by Shakespeare. This production is very easy and approachable, so that even my fourteen-year-old had a good time. The set was somewhat minimalist, effectively implying a Renaissance Verona without being overbearing. In fact, all the staging and most of the costuming was subtle, allowing the characters, action, and dialogue to be the focus of the evening.

The dialogue. That's the reason we go to watch Shakespeare, after all; to be enthralled by the pen of the Bard come to life for a brief hour before us. This cast did a great job making the text their own. They seemed quite comfortable with their lines, as if they were accustomed to using Elizabethan iambic pentameter in their daily conversations. There were no stertorous attempts at stuffy British accents, which made the phrases seem wholly natural. With very few exceptions the dialogue didn't seemed forced or stilted. During the intermission my daughter queried me, asking if those were Shakespeare's actual words. I assured her that they were. She was surprised, because it seemed to her so modern.

In fact, that was what struck her most about the production: it seemed so relevant. She found in Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio, and Tybalt some of her own high-school acquaintances. I suppose teenagers haven't changed much in 500 years.