When all the lights in the world fade out and all the sounds vanish, the glimmer and the songs in the story of Romeo and Juliet last. The classic love story was performed by TNT Theatre Britain in Yunshan Hall on the North Campus of GDUFS on December 5th 2017.
The auditorium was filled with excited audience
The audience filled the seats, talking about the coming surprise excitingly before the show. Then, with lights fading out, the story was ready to be retold. Six performers for over 15 characters, the performers did a flawless job shifting between characters, showing the love story with powerful performances. And with long-lasting applause and fading lights, the cast bowed and left the stage. We then got to know more about the play backstage.
The audience screamed when Mercutio jumped on one of the seats in the first row, applauding for his contagious performance and attracted by his passion. When asked about the interaction with the audience, Adrian Decosta, the actor playing Mercutio, said that the director of the fabulous play wanted adequate participations for the audience and that it was the interactions and passionate performance that brought the play and emotions of the audience to its highest point, on account of which included the audience in the joy of the performance. And maintaining the “language of the rhythm” was the point to hit the huge success.
Romeo dated with Juliet in secret
Talking about the emotional outbreaks during the scene, the two fabulous performers playing Romeo and Juliet, Jerome Dowling and Aimee Hislop, both agreed that the last scene was rather touching yet heart-breaking. And they said that for Romeo and Juliet, the relationship is too oppressive that dying seemed to be the only way out for a satisfying ending. And when it comes to the concept of love, Aimee said that the love between Romeo and Juliet was real and forever, yet rather difficult, which the performers all strongly felt during the play. Nevertheless, as far as she was concerned, the young love was changing and was more like a rush, which could be shown through Romeo’s change of heart for Juliet during the play.
Rosie Strobel, who shaped the image of the Nurse flawlessly, is just as important as the two leading characters. It’s her very existence that accelerates the marriage of Romeo and Juliet. And what impressed the audience most would be her exaggerating and unique laughter. The actress willingly shared the experiences of her imitating different kinds of laughter from TV shows and people around her. Applying those various kinds of laughter to the play as she did back on the stage can set a merry atmosphere.
Juliet and her nurse
David Chittenden, the actor who played Lord Capulet and Benvolio, told us that the shifting between the two characters is subtle yet not that hard to balance, once knowing the chief distinguishing features of them. Lord Capulet, for example, is always hateful, angry and loud while Benvolio is obviously the opposite – he is always quiet and innocent like an infant – and therefore it is easier to distinguish them by changing his tones and gestures. “I hold my head up when playing Lord Capulet and stoop a bit and lower my voice when playing Benvolio,” said the actor. The audience, as an indispensable part of the play, was highly praised by the actor. He said that the play wouldn’t be so successful and complete without the lovely audience because the tragedy speaks for itself, yet comedy requires interaction to drive the plot. It was the joint efforts made by the audience and actors that actually pushed the play forward.
When the hall was empty and the performers had taken off their costumes, it was time to bid farewell to the thrilling adventure led by TNT who brought a novel performing version of Romeo and Juliet as well as a new dimension of love to the world at the same time. And the passionate songs that rang the night would keep haunting around in the welkin of GDUFS.
