Romeo & Juliet
Indifferently Reformed - Winnipeg, MB
V.1 - John Hirsch Mainstage 
Being in love isn’t easy. Especially when you’re young. And especially when your parents are in an intergenerational blood feud that’s turning the streets red.

Having last performed at the 2019 Fringe with our take on Twelfth Night, Indifferently Reformed now brings to the stage the classic Shakespearean comedy-drama Romeo & Juliet; a show full of humour, tragedy, sword fighting and, of course, romance.

Whether you’re a diehard Shakespeare fan, or you’ve never read a Shakespeare play outside of English class, this show is for you!

Cast:
Sophie Helmer, Lauren Andres, Ardyth Johnson, David Lange, Anna Verbytska, Laurel Fife, Victor Balmana, Liam Dutiaume, Griffin Kehler, Alaina Grueneklee, Christian M. Leeson

  		Show Info:
75 Minutes
Tickets:

Genre:
Play-Dramedy

Audience:
General

Warnings: Violent content

Thu July 14 8:15 PM
Fri July 15 10:00 PM
Sun July 17 12:45 PM*
*(2 for $12)
Tue July 19 2:45 PM
Wed July 20 6:15 PM
Fri July 22 12:45 PM
Sat July 23 11:15 AM
Sun July 24 6:30 PM

Romeo & Juliet

Indifferently Reformed—John Hirsch Mainstage

Shakespeare was never my thing in high school. Tried as I could, I could never understand the meanings behind Shakespearean English—I can decipher metaphors just fine but it’s hard to do that when you physically don’t know what they’re saying. In the modern era with the ease of adaption and access, I’ve been able to enjoy Shakespeare’s work in modern English and experience the works for the first time.

That’s why I hoped out of this performance but since they used Shakespearean English, most of it went over my head. Plus, the troupe conform the length of the play to fit the 75-minute time limit. Instead of paring in some areas, they sped up the pace of speech. I already had trouble interpreting what they said—add fast-speech to it and much of it felt like a foreign language to me.

The acting looked genuine and heart-felt. They put a lot of emotion into the performance but for me, I could only enjoy it so much without the basic understanding of the language. If you can enjoy Shakespeare in the Bard’s tongue, this is for you. If you need someone to translate for you, this might not be up your alley.

Ray Yuen