Romeo & Juliet has been one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays for centuries, with countless re-stagings, retellings, and adaptations worldwide. Its ubiquity and single-thread plotline make R&J one of the most accessible plays in the Shakespearean canon and a surefire draw for audiences around the globe. Its themes of division, hate, and, ultimately love, remain powerful messages even in the modern day.
This adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy moves the story forward seven centuries from 14th-century Verona to a modern-day high school in southwestern Ontario. Romeo, the 18-year-old daughter of single mother Montague, has known since she was little that boys were never in her future. With the support of her progressive mother and her accepting circle of close friends, Romeo has blossomed into her sexuality and is proud and out in her high school, despite the negative opinions of some others in town. Juliet, the 18-year-old daughter of the ultra-conservative Capulets, has always thought her life was pre-destined: once she finishes her education, she will make the seamless transition from obedient daughter to the obedient wife of town golden boy, Paris. However, when she meets Romeo at the Capulet’s annual fundraiser, she starts to question the values with which she was raised, the future that’s been written for her, and even her own feelings. As young love blooms amongst bigoted hate, tragedy is sure to strike.
Presented by Western Summer Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet will be performed outdoors in the Beryl Ivey Garden, Western University, at 6:30 PM each night from August 7 to August 10.
