On the weekend of March 28, the University of Central Missouri’s Theatre Department showcased its twist on “Romeo and Juliet.”

What was the twist you may ask? It was set in the 2000’s. Although still speaking in the Early Modern English style of classic Shakespeare, the clothing and environment had a more modern take. Furthermore, it is set in Staten Island, NY. All of these things take an older story and bring it into a slightly more up-to-date timeline. This is what made it more than the classic tale and piqued my interest going into it. 

The set was the first thing that took me aback, with a tall built-up set, working garage door, and moving scaffolding. However, this set was the main set throughout the show, with no massive scene changes, which had a simplicity that I thought complimented the rest of the show. 

What was not so simple was the Shakespearean language. This was definitely an odd thing to adjust to coming into the show. How I described it to friends, was it felt similar to when you watch a show with subtitles. Despite the show characters not speaking English, you catch bits of the subtitles in the context, so that you understand the story nonetheless, and that was how I felt watching “Romeo and Juliet.” Although, the actors of this show delivered these lines in a way that didn’t muddle the context. As an audience member, you could tell that the actors knew what their lines meant, and acted with an intention that didn’t leave room for confusion of what the story was telling.

Personally, my favorite part of the show was the fight choreography. Everything from the choreography itself to the sounds made by the actors during the fights made the fighting in the show compelling to watch.

Going into this show, my only introduction to the Shakespearean classic “Romeo and Juliet,” was reading the story in a high school English class, along with “Hamlet,” “Julius Caesar,” etc. After being forced to read these I was never the biggest Shakespeare fan, almost had a distaste for it even. This show changed that, leaving me with my first enjoyable experience with a Shakespeare story. The actors and cast should be incredibly proud of the show they put on, and know that their work, fight choreography and knowledge of the language, played a massive role in the enjoyment of the show, and that work was able to be seen by the audience.

Estimated at 2 hours and 15 minutes, this show was not a short one, and you combine this with it being in a language that is not the most easily understood. With those facts in mind, this show could’ve been far more monotonous. However, it wasn’t, the storytelling through the acting abilities of the cast made the show more than just that.