Scene 1: West Side Story's gym dance.
ba-BAM --->
Scene 2: Romeo and Juliet's ball.
ba-ba-BAMM -->
Wait, was that Paul Rudd? What the hell? Paul Rudd plays Paris in Romeo+Juliet. Alrighty then. HOORAY FOR LEARNING NEW THINGS!
Anyways, on to the main event. These scenes are important, as they are the first meeting's of the lovers.
Time period and setting are clearly worlds apart in the 2 versions. That being said, the basic skeleton of the scenes remain intact and the same. There are Jets/Montagues and Sharks/Capulets dancing, and the couple meets for the first time. They fall in love on sight (friggin' kids these days), kiss, and drama ensues. Baz Luhrmann's modern take on the Romeo and Juliet, along with WSS, is a great example of the flexibility of the show. Shakespeare's work was so dedicated to the language, that the shows themselves can adapt to virtually any setting and still work. New York in 1957? Yup. The 90's? You bet your bonnet.
As I draw this post to a close, it has occurs to me that I can't think of a way to give this post a satisfying, non abrupt ending.
Sorry Dawn... I know were supposed to post intelligent replies and I swear I will in other places... but LOL Henry, your comment about Paul Rudd made me laugh... Especially after the serious/romantic video before. :P
ReplyDeleteYes Dawn, I too apologize for focusing solely on the writing, but Henry I love reading your work because I can hear your voice come through whatever you type, in a sarcastic way almost.
ReplyDeleteCheers.
Gotta say, whenever I see Henry's posts, I have to read them a few times, cause I keep laughing and missing words.
ReplyDeleteI love how you bring up the flexibility of the plots/stories. Seeing Shakespeare influenced stories in our contemporary world (Not saying they're the same stories, cause WSS isn't quite R+J, etc.) makes such old stories resonate in our current situations.
I remember seeing a production of 12th Night set in the pre-Depression era and it made the whole world of sense, and know, thinking of it set it pirate-era, still makes a thousand leagues of sense. He's a versatile man that Shakespeare.
PS You blew my mind with the Paul Rudd comment. Now I actually have to see this movie...
DeleteNo problem. It is great to give a writer feedback about their "voice". R&J seems to adapt to different era-settings, do you think you could re-set West Side?
ReplyDeletehaha oh Henry, you prove a good point! and yes, I too can hear your voice perfectly throughout this entire post. I never realized that the two groups in each performance dancing and meeting were basically the same. Good eye!
ReplyDeleteI suppose the only difference in the two scenes would be that in West Side Story both groups are invited to the dance (right?), where as in Romeo and Juliet it's a Capulet ball and the Montague's sneak in.
ReplyDeleteJust to add to Henrys post, another example of the flexibility of Shakespeares plays is Bard On The Beach. They take Shakespeare plays and put modern twists on them.
ReplyDelete