Have you seen Romeo and Juliet yet? If
not, be sure to come to the Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse before the play closes
next weekend. And if you are sad that our
Romeo and Juliet is coming to an end,
perhaps you should take Benvolio’s advice to a doleful Romeo and “examine other
beauties” (1.1.236), specifically the many different versions and adaptations
of Romeo and Juliet that other
artists have created.
You can find the
influence of Romeo and Juliet in so
many mediums beyond the stage: songs, Broadway shows, films, paintings, ballets,
and operas. The sheer number of Romeo and Juliet adaptations is an
extraordinary testament to how the complexity and depth of Shakespeare’s famous
tragedy lends itself to investigation by all types of artists. Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” refers to Juliet
and Romeo while Sondheim’s West Side
Story is based on the feud between the Capulets and Montagues. The film adaptations of Romeo and Juliet range from the silly animated movie Gnomeo and Juliet to Zeffirelli’s more
traditional, classic 1968 film Romeo and
Juliet, to the modernized 1996 adaptation of Romeo+Juliet.
Here are three of my favorite
non-film works influenced by Romeo and
Juliet:
Frank Dicksee’s 1884 oil painting Romeo and Juliet, now housed in the Southampton
City Art Gallery in Southampton, England, highlights a touching embrace between
Romeo and Juliet. Visit the BBC’s “Your
Paintings” website to see Dicksee’s work:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/romeo-and-juliet-17438\.
Peter Martins’ choreography for the
ballet Romeo and Juliet beautifully
captures the exuberance of young love.
Visit the New York City Ballet’s website to view an excerpt of the pas
de deux between Romeo and Juliet: http://www.nycballet.com/ballets/r/romeo-juliet.aspx.
Charles Gounod’s opera Romeo and Juliet features a lovely aria
in which Romeo encourages Juliet to emerge from her room so he can woo
her. Listen to Lisa Simone’s commentary
and Romeo’s aria at World of Opera: http://worldofopera.org/operas/operas/item/2864-breaking-the-mold-gounods-romeo-and-juliet?pg=listen.
With so many adaptations of Romeo and Juliet, you can surely find
something to tide you over until ASC’s Romeo
and Juliet returns to our stage again.
Submitted by
Samantha Smith
