Starcrossed review – gay romance riff on Romeo and Juliet is a giddy light | Theatre | The Guardian

Contents:

• STARCROSSED REVIEW – GAY ROMANCE RIFF ON ROMEO AND JULIET IS A GIDDY LIGHT
• THE QUEER, QUEER WORLD OF ROMEO & JULIETMIL BOUCHER·FOLLOW4 M READ·JUN 25, 2018--LISTENSHAREPHOTO BY TYLER NIX ON UNSPLASHDISCLAIMER:I LOVE ROMEO & JULIET.THERE…I SAID , BUT I DO NOT LOVE HOW ROMEO & JULIET IS DONE.HERE ARE TWO WAYS THE SHOW IS DONE AND A THIRD POSSIBLE SOLUTN.THE “STRAIGHTS”THIS IS THE VERSN OF ROMEO & JULIET THAT HAPPENS AT YOUR LOL HIGH SCHOOL. YOU KNOW THE ONE…“THE GREATT LOVE STORY EVER TOLD…” YEAH, THAT’S THE ONE.WHY IS G OUR YOUTH? I’M GLAD YOU ASKED…THE SIMPLE FACT THAT A LOVE STORY SET VERONA, PLAYED BY WHE, STRAIGHT KIDS FOR OTHER WHE STRAIGHT KIDS IS MORALIZG FOR ANYBODY WHO DON’T F THIS ARCHETYPE.AS A FORMER STRAIGHT, WHE GUY, I TOO THOUGHT THIS WAS THE HEIGHT OF ROMANCE.IT GLORIFI ATH AND SUICI.DON’T BELIEVE ME? READ THE PROLOGUE:“A PAIR OF STAR CROSSED LOVERS TAKE THEIR LIFE…[AND] WH THEIR ATH, BURY THEIR PARENTS’ STRIFE.”“IF THE KIDS KILL THEMSELV THEIR PARENTS WILL STOP FIGHTG” DON’T SOUND LIKE A REASONABLE TERVENTN ON THEIR BEHALF.THE SOLE ACT THAT THE TWO, ABED KIDS ARE ABLE TO DO A WORLD THEIR PARENTS ROYALLY SCREWED IS TO KILL THEIR IENDS AND THEN THEMSELV.YEAH. THEY PERFORM THIS HIGH SCHOOL.THE “GAYBI”THIS IS THE VERSN THAT YOUR “EDGY” HIGH SCHOOL DIRECTOR DO.ROMEO & JUL…GET ? ’CSE THEY’RE GAY.ROMEA & JULIET…GET ? ’CSE THEY’RE LBIAN.THIS LEAV A WORSE TASTE MY MOUTH THAN THE “STRAIGHTS.”WHY?IT NTRIBUT TO THE IA THAT QUEER PEOPLE DIE AT THE END OF OUR LOVE STORI. (OR ANY STORY).YOU MAY BE WONRG… “DON’T THE STORY ABOUT THE STRAIGHTS END THE SAME WAY?”AND YOU WOULD BE RIGHT…IF THE STRAIGHTS DIDN’T HAVE EVERY OTHER LOVE STORY TOO.NO, THE QUEERS UALLY GET LOVE THAT ENDS ATH OR LOVE THAT ENDS ABE.THIS IS MY ISSUE: BY CHANGG THE PROTAGONISTS OM STRAIGHTS TO GAYBI YOU GO OM A STORY THAT DON’T (OVERTLY) VOLVE QUEER CHARACTERS (MERCUT LOV ROMEO) TO RERCG THE IA THAT QUEER KIDS DIE AT THE END.THAT ISN’T BRAVE; ISN’T NEW. IT’S TWISTED AND I HATE .THE QUEER WORLD (W/QUEER KIDS)
• IS MERCUT GAY?
• QUEERG ROMEO AND JULIET SOUTH KOREA: HOMONORMATIVY AS GAY UTOPIAN FANTASY
• LET'S HAVE A REAL GAY ROMEO OM MATTHEW BOURNE

STARCROSSED REVIEW – GAY ROMANCE RIFF ON ROMEO AND JULIET IS A GIDDY LIGHT

In addn, early morns did not e the terms “homosexual” or “gay.

As English scholar Ben Snrs says: “In the Renaissance, the love that dare not speak s name is not homosexualy, but rather any love that dar to pos a woman as worthy of a man’s plete votn.

Not all gay men are effemate, but what our culture has to offer straight culture is the possibily of lookg at societal norms a different way, and that’s what Shakpeare offers too. Image source, Gary CaltonImage ptn, Gee Caple (top) and Elltt Kgsley play Romeo and Juli at the Liverpool EverymanThere has been much speculatn about William Shakpeare's sexualy - so is there a chance that, if had been acceptable his time, he might have wrten his greatt love story about Romeo and Juli stead of Romeo and Juliet?"I thk he probably would if I'm hont," says Nick Bagnall, who's directg a new versn of Romeo and Juliet, as the Bard (maybe might possibly have) tend - wh two men the lead rol.We know Shakpeare tend Juliet to be played by a young man - all female rol were played by boys and men at that time.But this versn, staged by the Liverpool Everyman, is the first time a major Brish theatre has ma about gay lovers.One theory - put forward by Osr Wil, among others - says Shakpeare wrote Juliet and other girls' rol for a young actor who was the object of his affectns."There's a huge bate around what he thought about the actor playg Juliet," says Bagnall."I'm pretty good on the archiv and rearch, and I thk he probably would have que liked to have done that [wrten Juliet as a male] if he'd been allowed, I really do."Image source, Gary CaltonImage ptn, The pronouns have been changed, but the rt of the star-cross'd lovers' story stays the sameThe Liverpool productn keeps the play's origal tle, but the play self Juliet is now Juli - played by 20-year-old Elltt Kgsley."I thk he'd totally love ," Kgsley says, ntug the speculatn about Shakpeare's te feelgs."Shakpeare wrote this part for a man. But there's snt evince about who this figure was, or where the Bard's affectns lay.The ia to turn Romeo and Juliet to a gay love story me when an actor livered one of Juliet's yearng monologu durg an dn.Bagnall says: "Watchg a male speakg that rather feme language about the tratn of needg Romeo to e to him that night, I jt thought, I wonr [what would be like] if I read the whole play aga wh that md."And wh a few trims and changg 'she' to 'he' and 'mistrs' to 'master', I felt like I'd unearthed somethg really excg that play."Image source, Gary CaltonImage ptn, The show is part of the Liverpool Everyman's first rep season for 25 yearsIn the origal Romeo and Juliet, the hero is ially love wh Rosale before fallg for Juliet.

THE QUEER, QUEER WORLD OF ROMEO & JULIETMIL BOUCHER·FOLLOW4 M READ·JUN 25, 2018--LISTENSHAREPHOTO BY TYLER NIX ON UNSPLASHDISCLAIMER:I LOVE ROMEO & JULIET.THERE…I SAID , BUT I DO NOT LOVE HOW ROMEO & JULIET IS DONE.HERE ARE TWO WAYS THE SHOW IS DONE AND A THIRD POSSIBLE SOLUTN.THE “STRAIGHTS”THIS IS THE VERSN OF ROMEO & JULIET THAT HAPPENS AT YOUR LOL HIGH SCHOOL. YOU KNOW THE ONE…“THE GREATT LOVE STORY EVER TOLD…” YEAH, THAT’S THE ONE.WHY IS G OUR YOUTH? I’M GLAD YOU ASKED…THE SIMPLE FACT THAT A LOVE STORY SET VERONA, PLAYED BY WHE, STRAIGHT KIDS FOR OTHER WHE STRAIGHT KIDS IS MORALIZG FOR ANYBODY WHO DON’T F THIS ARCHETYPE.AS A FORMER STRAIGHT, WHE GUY, I TOO THOUGHT THIS WAS THE HEIGHT OF ROMANCE.IT GLORIFI ATH AND SUICI.DON’T BELIEVE ME? READ THE PROLOGUE:“A PAIR OF STAR CROSSED LOVERS TAKE THEIR LIFE…[AND] WH THEIR ATH, BURY THEIR PARENTS’ STRIFE.”“IF THE KIDS KILL THEMSELV THEIR PARENTS WILL STOP FIGHTG” DON’T SOUND LIKE A REASONABLE TERVENTN ON THEIR BEHALF.THE SOLE ACT THAT THE TWO, ABED KIDS ARE ABLE TO DO A WORLD THEIR PARENTS ROYALLY SCREWED IS TO KILL THEIR IENDS AND THEN THEMSELV.YEAH. THEY PERFORM THIS HIGH SCHOOL.THE “GAYBI”THIS IS THE VERSN THAT YOUR “EDGY” HIGH SCHOOL DIRECTOR DO.ROMEO & JUL…GET ? ’CSE THEY’RE GAY.ROMEA & JULIET…GET ? ’CSE THEY’RE LBIAN.THIS LEAV A WORSE TASTE MY MOUTH THAN THE “STRAIGHTS.”WHY?IT NTRIBUT TO THE IA THAT QUEER PEOPLE DIE AT THE END OF OUR LOVE STORI. (OR ANY STORY).YOU MAY BE WONRG… “DON’T THE STORY ABOUT THE STRAIGHTS END THE SAME WAY?”AND YOU WOULD BE RIGHT…IF THE STRAIGHTS DIDN’T HAVE EVERY OTHER LOVE STORY TOO.NO, THE QUEERS UALLY GET LOVE THAT ENDS ATH OR LOVE THAT ENDS ABE.THIS IS MY ISSUE: BY CHANGG THE PROTAGONISTS OM STRAIGHTS TO GAYBI YOU GO OM A STORY THAT DON’T (OVERTLY) VOLVE QUEER CHARACTERS (MERCUT LOV ROMEO) TO RERCG THE IA THAT QUEER KIDS DIE AT THE END.THAT ISN’T BRAVE; ISN’T NEW. IT’S TWISTED AND I HATE .THE QUEER WORLD (W/QUEER KIDS)

That rais qutns about attus towards homosexualy some untri and muni."It mak credibly excg and vastatg when we open up a discsn about young gay men certa untri around the world where, still happeng to this day, they're banished, tortured, abed, sent om their fai, disowned for beg a gay man."Wh the pany of people I'm workg wh, that's been que a big cisn that we've embraced - the race, and how you n jtify anythg, which the Capulets do anyway, wh the phrase ' God's name.'"Romeo and Juliet opens on Wednday, but the 14-strong pany has been together for three and a half months - performg the Liverpool Everyman's first rep season for 25 years.They are followg the footsteps of the lik of Julie Walters, Bill Nighy, Pete Postlethwae and Jonathan Pryce, who emerged om the illtr Everyman rep pani of the early 1970s.This year's pany started wh a five-star Fiddler on the Roof, followed by the surreal Conqut of the South Pole, children's show The Story Giant, stery mil The Sum, and endg wh Romeo and Juliet."If Romeo and Juliet had been the first show the season I don't thk I would be able to do some of the thgs I've been dog, terms of jt lettg your guard down," says Gee Caple, who plays Romeo."I genuely believe the work is better when people properly tst each other the room, which we all do."The class of 2017 - the pick of Liverpool Everyman's rep panyImage source, Gary Calton/Stephen VghanImage ptn, Left-right: Ey Hugh, Dean Nolan, Lra Dos SantosEy Hugh - has shone on her profsnal but wh a magic batn of brtlens and goofsDean Nolan - a huge prence who steals every scene, whether he's dog slapstick or soul searchg. A gay film versn of Romeo and Juliet seems h and new.

US playwright Rachel Gar has relegated Shakpeare’s famo lovers to the wgs and re-spun Romeo and Juliet as a tragic gay romance between Tybalt and Mercut. ”“If the kids kill themselv their parents will stop fightg” don’t sound like a reasonable terventn on their sole act that the two, abed kids are able to do a world their parents royally screwed is to kill their iends and then They perform this high “Gaybi”This is the versn that your “edgy” high school director & Jul…get ?

IS MERCUT GAY?

”And you would be right…if the Straights didn’t have every other love story, the Queers ually get love that ends ath OR love that ends is my issue: By changg the protagonists om Straights to Gaybi you go om a story that don’t (overtly) volve queer characters (Mercut lov Romeo) to rercg the ia that queer kids die at the isn’t brave; isn’t new. He is a possible love tert for Juliet, but he meets May and ’s not that he’s gay… he’s pansexual.

And talkg about inty beyond jt gay and straight, or your given birth genr.

QUEERG ROMEO AND JULIET SOUTH KOREA: HOMONORMATIVY AS GAY UTOPIAN FANTASY

LGBT is still a popular term ed to discs genr and sexual mori, but all GSRM are wele beyond lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr people who nsent to participate a safe space. Can anyone wre a versn of Romeo and Juliet the same time perd Verona Italy, but 's gay? Like, Romeo is a woman and Juliet is a lbian, or Romeo is gay and Juliet is a man.

LET'S HAVE A REAL GAY ROMEO OM MATTHEW BOURNE

In the scene where Friar Lawrence is marryg Romeo and Juliet, he's not disgted by Gay Marriage, he's like "Fally, a Gay uple!

Then before Romeo uld m suici, Juliet wak up, and they n away to Mantua to live their gay life! On the g of a most inic love story, another hidn romance blooms between the play’s sendary characters, Mercut and Tybalt, as they stggle and flirt a gay romance set amidst 14th century Verona.