Shakespeare Saturday

Ben had treated me to tickets for Romeo and Juliet at the Abbey theater, but with his sudden departure to the States, I had to find a new date. Katrin agreed to be my date for the night. It was a very modern take on the play when it came to costumes and music. Crumbling public buildings covered in scaffolding set the mood. There was even raining on the stage during the main killing scene. It is so different hearing this play with Irish accents, since I have heard it with American and English. The machismo of the Montague and Capulet lads is played out in Dublin accents in a city distracted by newly acquired affluence, while the Apothecary is a drug-dealer in a hoodie. The lovers' midnight tryst on the balcony is composed and lit like a Renaissance painting, and the feast at the Capulets' house bursts into life in a mad blend of jive (Amy Winehouse) and 1980s disco, switching into slow motion at the moment when Romeo first sets eyes on Juliet. I am just glad that they stuck to swords instead of guns like they tried to do in more recent movies. The newly remodeled theater looked great and we enjoyed a nice drink in the bar overlooking the street that looked up to the quay. I look forward to seeing other plays with Ben, but for those that he does not want to see, I think Katrin will happily be my date.