Teen angst, obsession and drama: It’s not Twilight, it’s Romeo and Juliet.
Shakespeare is rarely seen on the Neptune stage but this year its season opens with the well-known classic.
And playing the only daughter of the Capulets is Dalhousie University grad and Halifax native Sarah English.
“I never really saw myself as a Juliet, but it’s been really wonderful to find that side of me,” she said. “I put a tomboy spin on her.”
Although the play is 400 years old, English said it’s a story everyone still takes to heart.
“Everyone can relate to when you meet someone and there’s that instant click,” she said.
“It’s just about two people fighting to get what they want. It’s still relevant because everybody gets love, right?”
Derek Moran is no stranger to playing Romeo. This is his second time in tights and cape to play the role.
And while familiar, the role is still challenging and rewarding, he said.
Chemistry is critical for actors in a romance. Soon after the casting was announced, English and Moran made a point of getting to know each other in Toronto, where they live.
“We’re both pretty geeky so we realized we’re probably the geekiest Romeo and Juliet,” English said.
Tickets for Romeo and Juliet are available through www.neptunetheatre.com. Adult tickets start at $27.
Neptune’s season inspired by the Bard
Shakespeare was absent from Neptune Theatre for a decade and Romeo and Juliet hasn’t graced the stage in 25 years.
George Pothitos, the theatre’s artistic director, said Shakespeare can be a hard sell and expensive to produce. But it’s a 400-year-old play that’s still relevant and accessible today.
“What child hasn’t said these words, but in a different way, to their parents? And what parent wants their child not to date somebody?”
There’s what Pothitos calls a “Shakespearean hat trick” going on this season. Along with Romeo and Juliet, Rick Miller will perform Shakespeare in the voices of The Simpsons in his play, MacHomer. Then there’s West Side Story, a famous musical inspired by Romeo and Juliet.
“These three (performances) are coming together to demonstrate how Shakespeare has been used,” Pothitos said.
