PREVIEW
Shakespeare's R&J
Kill Your Television
Runs Jan. 18 to 28
Theatre Network – The Roxy on Gateway
8529 Gateway Blvd.
Tickets: $15 to $30. Available at door or at http://www.theatrenetwork.ca
"There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable." –Mark Twain
It's been about 20 years since American playwright Joe Calarco published Shakespeare's R&J, a radical treatment of The Bard's classic tale of star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet.
Kill Your Television first premiered the queer adaptation to Edmonton audiences in 2002. Audiences loved it and the two-act received a Sterling Award for Outstanding Independent Production.
The inaugural director Kevin Sutley helms a remount running Jan. 18 to 28 at Theatre Network – The Roxy on Gateway.
Written for a cast of four male actors, Shakespeare's R&J replaces the role of Verona's patriarchal society and boisterous masculinity by shifting it to an exclusive all boys Catholic prep school.
Four students, tired of the usual routines, rebel against restrictions in their lives. Romeo and Juliet is banned reading at the school due to its violence and sexuality. One student discovers a copy, and in secret they all take turns reading it out loud to each other.
Shakespeare's words gradually sweep them away, and soon they see parallels in their lives to that of the characters. Although all read the parts, two eventually emerge playing the doomed lovers. This romantic discovery introduces an entirely new dynamic to the foursome.
"To me it's more about experiencing issues around masculinity or identity," said Sutley. "The world has progressed as far as being open to the LGBTQ community, more so than 16 years ago when it was a shock to see two young men kissing on stage.
But we can't pretend homophobia doesn't exist. There's lots of positive movements, but we shouldn't pretend people are tolerated and accepted because it's not always true. If two people are in love, why feel the need to constrain them, ridicule them or hurt them?"
In this revival production, the cast features Oscar Derkx, Braydon Dowler-Coltman, Corben Kushneryk and St. Albert Children's Theatre alumnus Luc Tellier.
As one of Edmonton's hottest emerging young talents, Tellier added that this particular story was very personal to him as a gay man who went through Spruce Grove's Catholic school system.
"I'm taking this responsibility very seriously, and I'm happily playing Juliet and passing on the message about loving who you want."
At one point while growing up, Tellier was told that being gay was "wrong."
"It was awful. It was the worst thing I'd been through. But I was one of the privileged few that had strong allies in friends, family and teachers that came out of the woodwork, and of course St. Albert Children's Theatre."
Both Tellier and Sutley denounce the toxic masculinity, ignorance and fear projected by the world's Trumps.
"Right now it's about racism but there's tons of homophobic and xenophobic comments out there. For us it's a sad indictment considering how much progress has been made," said Sutley.
He concludes saying, "I think the most important thing is to love, be caring, have empathy and not worry about who is a boy and who is a girl. And we should forget about putting people in boxes if they don't fit."
