Comparing Barnhart's Romeo And Juliet

Frank Barnhart’s directing of this play is brilliant. No one ever tires of Romeo and Juliet, a tale of young love destroyed by poor choices, bad luck, and conflicting families. It’s easy to think that the famous lines of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet will make the play easy to produce, but it can easily go wrong. The play must be passionately spoken and beautifully choreographed. Barnhart and his crew do a great job with this. The play is produced by Theatre Columbus State and performed at the Columbus State Community College Nestor Hall auditorium which has a proscenium stage. The stage manager, Jeremy Harrison, went simple with the stage set. There was the balcony where Romeo and Juliet will profess love for one another, and a couple of benches on stage. What's best about this production is the speed with which we go from tangoing to techno music, the lighting and “almost Elizabethan” costume design, and the sort of bombastic acting portrayed in the play.

The acting is somewhat bombastic, especially with Muncy. He is always looking to the audience, and making extensive gestures with his hands to portray a variety of emotions; love, frustration, anger, despair etc. Muncy is a poetic Romeo, totally believable as a young man in love with love who grows up instantly upon meeting Juliet. Moreover, he seems to have a tangible glow that separates him from the violence and hatred around him. Although the acting is brilliant, some of the action seems a bit exaggerated. For example, the physical gestures adding to the sexual imagery Shakespeare already provides. Mercutio humping the desk, Romeo and the nurse, who is played by Perry