Cappies Review: 'Romeo And Juliet' At Langley High School

By Kamryn Upson of Freedom High School

The stage lights come up, music plays, and the infamous prologue of Romeo and Juliet is recited. The extremely familiar Shakespearean tongue is being spoken, but it is not said in 16th century Verona. Langley High School's production of Romeo and Juliet took the audience on a journey through a very recognizable setting: the year of a 21st century United States presidential election.

Romeo and Juliet was written by William Shakespeare in 1595, and is one of his most popular and frequently performed works. This tragedy tells the story of two star-crossed lovers who attempt to navigate through their feuding families to be together. After a harrowing plot fails the two lovers, it isn't until their heartbreaking deaths that their families finally reconcile.

Leading this flawlessly modernized production were Cole Sitilides as Romeo and Hannah Cameron-Cadenazzi as Juliet. Their instantly undeniable chemistry was enough to warm the hearts of every audience member, and made it all the more poignant when the two parted, and later died in each other's arms.

The disputing Capulets and Montagues were portrayed as being the two opposing political parties of Republicans and Democrats, with Lady Montague (Lily Spiller) and Lord Capulet (Gunnar Peacock) as the presidential candidates. The two families successfully created a sense of resentment toward each other, and this was enhanced by the consistently energized ensemble as well.

Romeo's closest companions, Benvolio and Mercutio, portrayed by Leland Hao and Samuel Buroker, respectively. The chemistry created by these three comrades seemed exceptionally genuine. It was as if they had been friends since childhood, and they induced countless laughs from the audience through their playful relationship. Buroker delivered an especially hilarious performance as Mercutio, delivering his lines with silly and incredibly amusing physicality.

Samantha Brunjes also gave a fantastic performance as Nurse. Brunjes portrayed Juliet's selfless and loving aide marvelously. She delivered her lines with an impeccable British accent, which remained perfect through her comedic moments, and through very sorrowful scenes during which she presented emotions that were strikingly moving.

The technical elements of this show truly transported the audience to the updated setting created for this production. Right at the top of the show, images and lyrics were superbly projected onto two screens on the stage. This exquisite special effects work was done by Teddy Spaner, Mary Muir, and Kira Lentz, and it continued throughout the show using the projection of images to depict the location of each scene. These screens were part of a wonderfully devised set, designed by Mark Mahdessian. Although the set was quite simple, it served as a remarkably versatile set that the actors used to their advantage. This production also included a string quartet that played beautiful music between transitions. These extremely talented musicians were conducted by Cao Linh Pham, who also composed the gorgeous score.

With stunning performances by the actors and immaculate technical components, Langley High School's production of Romeo and Juliet transmitted a clear message of love and sacrifice in an ingenious and powerful manner that was undeniably prevalent.