“Romeo and Juliet” by Shakespeare (drama)

After reading a play then comparing it to watching it live makes it feel like two different experiences. The live performance made me feel as if I was present with the characters. The live performances stage production really enhanced the whole meaning and the dynamic of the play. The use of the setting, props and stage design, is what made the show come to life and become far more interactive with the audience. It was really intriguing to watch because of all the technology.

As a Junior in high school, I had to read the book of Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, which I loved reading, so I decided to watch the live play to see what it was like and to see if it similar. While reading the play the language was very intricate. It’s written in Elizabethan language which can be difficult to understand. Compared to the play, it helped me have a better understanding. It made it easier for me to comprehend.

The design of a theater can bring an audience to another period of time, taking you to another era like the book. The setting is one of the main aspects of a play. Most people that come to watch a play know exactly what the plot and anticipating what the play will look like. Yet, when the stage design is top quality, it can paint a brand new picture for the audience as it did for me. It’s also a big advantage when you have a lot of money like a broad way show so it could look so surreal and high-top quality.

The physicality of the stage design when Romeo was waiting for Juliet by her balcony in this particular scene was perfect. The creativity of every costumes but everything was like the book but even better in live performance which made it ten times better. Although this show was made in this generation, so it had a more up to date on clothing like a more natural look more than you’d picture in the book in the early age.

The objective of performance is to move the audience and make them feel like they’re in it. What makes a story come alive at theatre performances is the way characters develop and express their emotions. It could be a little gesture like a smirk or eye roll, it’s the little things in theatre performances that captivate the audience in a intimate and relatable away. This is exactly what I felt I saw. One of the best parts of live performances is the personal connection between the audience and the actors. Stage performances have a way of connecting the performer and the viewer. When watching a live show, all the elements of theatre like props, actor, sets, costumes etc, work together to bring the audiences into the world. It makes the audience suspend their belief and feel like they’re actually stepping into someone else’s shoes instead of watching from the outside. Different from a movie that you’ve seen many times, theatre productions have the element what is going to happen next. There are so many things that could go wrong during a theatre production such as forgotten lines, costume malfunctions, etc but as they say, the show must still go on. Slight changes and little accidents make the performance what it is, an experience that is unique to that particular audience. Each day the show is different each day even though they’re performing the same play. It’s the little things like they say, like perhaps the day I went to watch the play, maybe they did a better change today then, they did the other day, forgot lines, weren’t 100% and emotionally in the play. We don’t notice how different that could make our experience. For example, in a staging aspect, during fighting scenes, the understudy stepped back behind the scene and pretended to control the stunt person who fought the battle. Also, during many scenes, Lilith’s understudy had to read her lines off of a script. This makes the flow of the playa tad bit off compared to the others. It’ not the actual lighting, stage design or setting that made this show different, but more so that the difference in the way it was played out made these simple features appear different. I could only imagine their audience being so distracted by the script she’s holding and watching out for her mistakes, instead of recognizing and appreciating the stage design that takes you into their world.

While reading the play, I found it difficult to keep up with the words in the book so it took longer to comprehend but when I watched the play, I understood it more easily and I could simply recognize the setting changes and the importance of what they meant to the plot. It’s a stunning example of the power of live theater; plus, it’s heartening to see geekery rendered so lovingly on the stage. It made me feel as if I was present with the characters, and I appreciated that effect because reading the play was a lot less enjoyable. The live performance’s stage production really enhanced the whole meaning of the play. The use of setting, lighting and stage design, is what made the show truly come to life.     

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