Dear Friends-
Friday night was my fifth annual attendance at the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s Shakespeare in the Schools tour. I came hoping that the reviews I had thus far heard were unjustified, and I am quite pleased to report that I disagreed with their criticisms in nearly every whit. The troupe of players this year continued the fine tradition evident in years past of faithfulness to Shakespeare’s original intent and context as well as their acting acumen. It was well worth the price I paid as usual.
Certain aspects dictate more specific praise. I liked the simple, modern, and comfortable costumes. DaVinci is credited with linking simplicity with sophistication, and I have always enjoyed the focus on the players and the play rather than the distractions of set, costumes and other appurtenances. I liked that Juliet was appropriately played by someone who could convey the childishness of her actual age and couple that with the maturation process that accompanies love, marriage, and familial felicitations. I liked having slightly elder persons in the place of Tybalt/Lawrence and Lord Capulet, given that these were not blossoming youths. Your choices conveyed authority and legitimacy to those characters by coupling the character to someone of somewhat more mature stature.
Owing to your choices in the presentation and editing of the play, I was able to pay better attention to the story than ever before. I noticed some things that I did not notice over a dozen years hence when last I saw the play or in other modernized adaptations of late in cinema and on stage. My only lament is that unless one attends both public performances in Vegas and retains the retinue in remembrance can one remonstrate repeatedly on your recitation given that you disallow recording and do not even record it yourself. This particular troupe will never convene again in this way to present this play, and I think that other persons besides myself might be interested in purchasing copies of the performance for private home exhibition after you depart to other cities on tour.
I felt impressed to pass on my thoughts. I enjoyed your work. I wish you the best of success and maximum of safety as you continue the tour throughout the spring.
Sincerely-
Doug Funny
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