Romeo, Romeo, where fort art thou, Romeo

"Two households both alike in dignity” the iconic words to one of the best-known plays which have swept over the world. Last night I attended the play Romeo Y Julietta, which was a bilingual adaption on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. As a die-hard romantic and possessing an affinity for Shakespeare, this was right up my alley. I’m happy to say I was immensely impressed. The mixed two things that only a few understand, Shakespeare and Spanish-  and made it so children could comprehend the story. I argue that how they portrayed Romeo and Juliet made more sense, because at least when they died it was because a language barrier was between them. I have always loved the scheme of the star-crossed lovers. Everyone in this show as on their game and ready to perform. One instance that I thought was particularly great was when Mercutio and Benvolio were hassling Romeo about going to the party, and how he falls in love so quickly that no one can keep up with him. Two girls played his friends, and yet they pulled it off so well, that no one would have known the difference. They all also added their own sound effects and noises, which added another element to the play. While I am a traditionalist and a purist in most situations, it was refreshing to see something that usually would have never piqued my interest. I was impressed by how easy it was to understand even if my Spanish only leads to "Hola" and "Como Estas". There was something warm and genuine about all the cast members and how they interacted with the guests. All in all, it was an honor being amongst all the talent in the room. Mercutio, Tybalt, Benvolio, the nurse, and of course Romeo and Julietta. There is no one I could praise more than the other and it made strides for both the artistic and theatre community. Well done, BYU Young Theatre.