Brought to you by the Falcon nest’s very own Liddy auditorium, this year’s 2018 play is… drumroll please …Romeo and Juliet! This performance was shown from November 2-4. Director Nic Anderson wrote his very own script while also adding a few parts from the original Shakespearean writing.

Most of us know the story of the girl and boy who fall madly in love within a matter of minutes at the expense of betraying their families’ wishes. The story didn’t change in this rendition of the play, but Anderson tried to add a modern twist in the writing and portrayal of the show, which helped explain the story in simpler terms for the kids and audience members.

Juliet, who was played by senior Lily Hancock, had the role of the innocent and smitten daughter from the Capulet family. Her partner was introduced as senior Xavier Thomas playing Romeo, the son of the Capulet family’s mortal enemy, and a contender in the Montague family. Both Thomas and Hancock mastered the art of acting with true passion and attraction, which made the show all the more interesting to view.

What was particularly impressive was the acting of the relationship between Juliet and her nurse, played by senior Olivia Wilber. In the original Shakespeare piece, it is to be said that the nurse is like a true mother to Juliet, while Lady Capulet, portrayed by junior Chris Call is the cold, not around much mother. Both Wilber and Call had much enthusiasm for their parts, and lived up to my expectations.

As the scenes continued and the story kept progressing, we met the character Friar Laurence, played by senior Robbie Greve, who had what I would say the most vital role in the story. The Friar had the most influence on the characters with creating the fake death poison, and going behind both of the families’ morals, along with lying to everyone involved, aside from Juliet of course. Greve did an impeccable job at adding a sarcastic and ironic tone to the sad tale, which definitely got many giggles from the crowd.

 Although the performance did take a modern tole on the ancient storyline, it did seem more modern at the beginning, while fading back into the old English writing format toward the end. Aside from the small script word changes at unusual scenes, the acting and overall performance blew the audience away, without a doubt.

For many of the seniors, it was also quite a sad feeling to endure at the final bow. Flowers and bottles of “poison” (crushed sweet tarts) were handed to students Caitlin Bauer, (stage manager), Emma Day (makeup artist), Gabe Gaghagen (Lord Montague), Rolando Gonzales (Benvolio), Robbie Greve (Friar Laurence), ShawnD Herrick (sound crew), Lily Hancock (Juliet), Sofeya Mewes (Petruccio), Zack Misner (Mercutio), Cailin Prunchak (Princess of Verona), Grace Shipley (Assistant Director), Xavier Thomas (Romeo) and Olivia Wilber (Nurse).

Every senior had a different story to tell, many of which involved forming the most important bonds all from their theater lives. Seeing the play and the interaction between characters and the actors themselves at the finale, I can officially say that acting has a new light around it for me and many others in the audience. The performance brought an individual twist on the plot, but did a great job at maintaining what mattered in the writing, true love.