Shakespeare's R&J - Acting Edition (Acting Edition for Theater Productions) Paperback – October 1, 1998

I was so excited for this play to come in. I expected a complex mix of the oppression of Catholic school life and the beautiful poetry of Shakespeare's most famous lovers. Instead we get what is basically the script of Romeo and Juliet with lackluster stage directions and zero characterization. There are glimmers of characters, but we never get more than what we would get in some sort of table read. That's what R&J is, essentially: a table read. I wanted so badly for the characters to blossom and for this play to take over their lives, but instead they read it and are done with it. And so am I. Do yourself a favor and just read Romeo and Juliet.

Brilliant. Once I opened it to read I couldn't put it down. The imagery, even as I was just reading the text, was so gripping.

Reading Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet becomes the vehicle for four schoolboys to express their previously repressed sexual fantasies. If you enjoy watching schoolboys act out their homosexual fantasies, or if you know Romeo and Juliet well enough that you would enjoy identifying the passages as the boys read them without expression, it might be worth the price of a ticket. Otherwise, go see the real play.

I am giving an HONEST review based on SEEING the production of this script at the FOLGER Shakespeare Theater in WASHINGTON D.C. a few years ago. ( I didn't actually READ the script which is the only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5! I don't actually KNOW if there are any limitations in the script for directors/actors!)After having studied SHAKESPEARE extensively in a college ENGLISH program I believe this will become a favorite for college professor's use in the classroom. The story is reminiscent of the story of DEAD POETS SOCIETY in the coming of age comraderie of the boys in the prep school. Shakespere himself included the sexual ambiguity of Murcutio... so it wasn't such a unique insight, yet Calarco developed this theme to its fullest extent beautifully.This adaptation stands alone on its merits, yet used in conjunction with Shakespeare's work empahsises that more subtle sexual identity theme as well as the other more obvious social issues typically discussed. I personally think this wouldn't be suitable for high school students UNLESS it were a small group that was mature enough to capably handle the subject matter.

Joe Calarco's SHAKESPEARE'S R & J is a revisionist tale of love and discovery in the unlikeliest of places: a New England all-boys prep school. Calarco's production was applauded by critics for its unique placement of ROMEO AND JULIET with the sexually charged world of male adolescence. Calarco's four actors are students at the prep school who, during a break from their arduous and uneventful studies, decide to recite Shakespeare's famous play aloud. In a evening of all four male performers reciting R & J as it was originally performed--with male actors playing all of the roles--two students begin to singularly read Romeo and Juliet. As unconventional a love story as its original, SHAKESPEARE'S R & J presents young men searching for answers to their own lives and loves, using one of the most famous texts as a tool for self-discovery and expression. Though much of the text is pulled directly from Shakespearean text, we are watching an entirely different story unfold. And, with a few exceptions, it is mostly successful, and entirely theatrical.

A fabulously adapted script! Calarco is an absolute genius at rearrangingShakespeare's text to reveal the full implication of how Shakespeare is fully applicable to today's society.

Set in the world of a repressed Catholic school, 4 boys discover Shakespeare's incredible love story of Romeo and Juliet. What starts off as an introductory reading of the text becomes an impassioned and honest performance of the piece without the restrictions of gender, race, or sexuality. With 95% of Shakespeare's own words being used, Calarco brilliantly adds his own words and stage direction to subtly convey commentary on a variety of social issues.It's a great play for actors and an even better play for a director.