Why would you want to 'modernise' it? Why wouldn't you just recognise its beauty, its profundity, and its truth - and just do it? Why would you want to put something into it which isn't there, rather than bringing out of it something which is there? Which is ( and has been for hundreds - perhaps thousands - of years ) called acting and which is your job? Why would you be so disrespectful to the genius who created this stuff ? I think it is all an enormous rationalisation. I think the R.S.C. cannot stand Shakespeare, is ashamed of Shakespeare, has bought into the mindset that Shakespeare is boring, difficult, irrelevant, old- fashioned, not cool, tedious, without meaning - and therefore has to try to make Shakespeare the opposite of all those things - which actually don't exist.
Oliver Price-Walker I agree Romeo and Juliet are one of the greatest plays and loads of people acknowledge and it’s the directors choice if he wants to set it in modern times
Think of it less as modernising and more as contextualising. And then go seek out some scenes from this production. I think, then, you'll see how these versions that contextualise Shakespeare's incredible texts in the reality and cultural moment we're in now, are incredibly interesting and valuable. Don't worry though, the traditional Elizabethan productions will always be there for you to view at your leisure, no one is taking them away from you :)
so inspiring!
Why would you want to 'modernise' it? Why wouldn't you just recognise its beauty, its profundity, and its truth - and just do it? Why would you want to put something into it which isn't there, rather than bringing out of it something which is there? Which is ( and has been for hundreds - perhaps thousands - of years ) called acting and which is your job? Why would you be so disrespectful to the genius who created this stuff ? I think it is all an enormous rationalisation. I think the R.S.C. cannot stand Shakespeare, is ashamed of Shakespeare, has bought into the mindset that Shakespeare is boring, difficult, irrelevant, old- fashioned, not cool, tedious, without meaning - and therefore has to try to make Shakespeare the opposite of all those things - which actually don't exist.
Oliver Price-Walker I agree Romeo and Juliet are one of the greatest plays and loads of people acknowledge and it’s the directors choice if he wants to set it in modern times
Think of it less as modernising and more as contextualising. And then go seek out some scenes from this production. I think, then, you'll see how these versions that contextualise Shakespeare's incredible texts in the reality and cultural moment we're in now, are incredibly interesting and valuable. Don't worry though, the traditional Elizabethan productions will always be there for you to view at your leisure, no one is taking them away from you :)