CCRI Players Present Swing Era ROMEO AND JULIET

CCRI Players Present Popular Shakespeare Tragedy

One of William Shakespeare's most enduring and iconic plays returns to the local stage as the Community College of Rhode Island Players perform Romeo and Juliet. This play which has become the quintessential story of young love will be presented at the Bobby Hackett Theatre, Knight Campus in Warwick on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 2, 3, and 4, at 7:30 P.M., and on Saturday and Sunday, March 4 and 5, at 2 P.M.

Shakespeare did not invent the story of Romeo and Juliet. He did not, in fact, even introduce the story into the English language. A poet named Arthur Brooks first brought the story of Romeus and Juliet to an English-speaking audience in a long and plodding poem that was itself not original. Many of the details of Shakespeare's plot are lifted directly from Brooks's poem, including the meeting of Romeo and Juliet at the ball, their secret marriage, Romeo's fight with Tybalt, the sleeping potion, and the timing of the lover's eventual suicides. But Shakespeare's version of Romeo and Juliet distinguishes itself from its predecessors in several important aspects: the subtlety and originality of its characterization (Shakespeare almost wholly created Mercutio); the intense pace of its action, which is compressed from nine months into four frenetic days; a powerful enrichment of the story's thematic aspects; and, above all, an extraordinary use of language.

Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet in full knowledge that the story he was telling was old, clichéd, and an easy target for parody. In writing Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare, then, implicitly set himself the task of telling a love story despite the considerable forces he knew were stacked against its success. Through the incomparable intensity of his language, Shakespeare succeeded in this effort, writing a play that is universally accepted in Western culture as the preeminent, archetypal love story. When the play was rewritten in the eighteen century as The History and Fall of Caius Marius, the violent setting became that of a particularly discordant period in classical Rome; when Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein reconceived the play as West Side Story in 1957, they chose the violent world of New York street gangs.

In that spirit, Professor Theodore Clement, director of the CCRI Players' production, has envisioned another time and place which parallels the Italian city of Verona in which Shakespeare set the play's hostile action. "Our production of the play," says Clement, "is set at the height of the swing music era of 1935, and our "Fair Verona" will be reminiscent of gangland Chicago. I chose this era because of the natural parallels between this and the warring families of the original setting. The Capulets and the Montagues are two households locked in a bloody feud. The city is besieged with the violence between the two. To me that just screams organised crime and Mafia warfare."

This shift in setting has allowed for some other unique elements for the CCRI audiences to enjoy. "One of the more exciting components we'll have is a live swing band," notes Clement. "They will play throughout the show, enabling transitions and underscoring dramatic moments. They will also serve as a central feature of the Capulet's Ball."

Considering the perpetual popularity of Romeo and Juliet on stage and screen over the years, Prof. Clement observes, "The great thing about Shakespeare for any audience is how effectively his work reflects real life. He wrote honest characters experiencing life in ways that people understand because they tend to mirror the audience's own emotional experiences. This is very true of Romeo and Juliet, two teenagers in the throes of passion, who lose all sense of practicality, and choose love over comfort."

The CCRI Players' production of Romeo and Juliet features set design is by Luke J. Sutherland, costume design by Marilyn Salvatore, lighting design by Kathy Abernathy, assisted by Jamie Allstrom, sound design by Kaisey Caputo, makeup design by Tabi Baez, and technical direction by Justin Carroll. Jim Beauregard is the fight and dance choreographer and the bandleader is John McKenna. Raymond S. Legare is Assistant Director and dramaturge. The student cast includes: Meagan Brown of West Greenwich; Micaela Chille of Middletown; Marie E. De Libero, Julia Egan, and Joshua Fonseca of Cranston; Clarence Bernard Donath of Richmond; Carl J. Gerhard of Bristol; Victoria Ezikovich, Trey Hendley, and Jerry Middlemiss of Providence; Victoria Jessop of Swansea, MA; Isaac Larosee and Amber Pouliot of Warwick; Raymond S. Legare of Pawtucket; Tink Moretti of Wyoming; Kayla Renee of Riverside; Katie Russell of Newport; Chelsea Titchenell of Coventry; and Katie Westgate of Rumford. Kat Brown of Providence is the Stage Manager, assisted by Shoshana Adler of Cranston and Lourdez Mars of Warwick. N. Rachel Ihrig of is the Properties Master.

Tickets are $10.00 for the general public and $8.00 for students and senior citizens. Telephone reservations may be made by calling (401) 825-2219 at any time, or by sending an order by e-mail to CCRIPlayers@aol.com.

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