Sam Gold’s “Romeo + Juliet” Is Shakespeare for the Youth
Nov 12, 2024
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In this engaging discussion, director Sam Gold, celebrated for his innovative Shakespearean adaptations, shares insights into his youthful and vibrant interpretation of 'Romeo + Juliet.' He highlights the contemporary relevance of Shakespeare for today's teens, likening it to a 'Euphoria' vibe. Gold aims to address serious themes like teen suicide while making theater accessible and engaging. He passionately advocates for authentic connections to the text, emphasizing theater's potential to foster dialogue and mental health awareness among young audiences.
Sam Gold's contemporary production of 'Romeo + Juliet' aims to resonate with youth by blending Shakespearean language with modern cultural references and aesthetics.
The director's mission highlights the importance of audience engagement, striving to create a relatable theater experience that reflects contemporary emotional struggles.
Deep dives
Revamping Shakespeare for a Modern Audience
A new production of Romeo and Juliet is described as a fresh interpretation that resonates with today's youth, particularly influenced by the aesthetics of contemporary culture. The director, Sam Gold, aims to attract a younger audience, suggesting that the post-pandemic landscape has led to a renewed interest in theater among young people. The approach blends Shakespearean language with modern sensibilities, using relatable references and homages, such as incorporating a well-known pop song into the play. This production encourages an inclusive environment, allowing the audience to engage with the text meaningfully while experiencing the lively performance.
The Importance of Audience Engagement
Audience interaction and involvement are central to the production's design, aiming to create a relatable experience for those aged 18 to 25. Gold's vision includes making the characters accessible, reflecting the emotions and experiences of contemporary youth. This populist approach, reminiscent of how Shakespeare engaged his audiences in the past, emphasizes laughter and relatable moments that resonate through time. The director’s goal is to ensure that even while audience members recognize the characters' struggles in the narrative, they also connect with the sophisticated language and humor of Shakespeare.
Connecting Theater and Modern Pop Culture
Gold draws parallels between Shakespeare's work and modern pop culture, identifying shared traits with contemporary filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino. He emphasizes the duality of blending serious drama with humor, akin to how both Shakespeare and Tarantino engage their audiences through diverse tonal shifts. Furthermore, Gold recognizes the challenge of managing well-known actors hinting that their previous roles can overshadow their current performances. Ultimately, the goal is to draw in young people not only for the star power of the cast but also to create a genuine appreciation for the art of theater and Shakespeare's timeless narratives.
Sam Gold has directed five Shakespeare tragedies, but his latest, “Romeo + Juliet,” is something different—a loud, clubby production designed to attract audiences the age of its protagonists. “It’s as if the teens from ‘Euphoria’ decided that they had to do Shakespeare,” Vinson Cunningham said, “and this is what they came up with.” The production stars Rachel Zegler, who starred in Steven Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story,” and Kit Connor, of the Gen Z Netflix hit “Heartstopper,” and features music by Jack Antonoff. Gold, who cut his teeth doing experimental theatre with the venerable downtown company the Wooster Group, bristles at the view that his production is unfaithful to the original. “A lot of people falsely sort of label me as a deconstructionist or something, because they’re wearing street clothes,” he tells Cunningham. “I’m not deconstructing these plays. I’m doing the play. . . . I think it’s a gross misunderstanding of the difference between conventions and authentic engagement in a text.” Gold aspires to excite kids to get off their phones. “We are in a mental-health crisis [of] teen suicide. I’m doing a play about teen suicide, and all those young people are coming. And I think we can help them.”
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