‘Romeo & Juliet’ gets a female facelift

A new local theater company aims to bring classic Shakespeare plays into the 21st century; though modernization of his works have been done time and time again, many to great success, the New World Shakespeare Company adds a little something special. The company’s mission is to provide relevant, quality theater with a charitable angle.

Relying on Shakespeare’s most popular story, the company’s inaugural production is a same-gender version of Romeo & Juliet. “Our goal is to make this story relevant to this time and this place,” says director Blayne Wiley, and the story will incorporate modern twists. The Montague and Capulet families will come from different sides of political and economic spectra.  The Capulets could belong to the Tea Party while the Montagues would be lucky to be living in tents in a park.  When their daughters (Romeo and Juliet) fall in love, the stage is set for a clash of ideologies in the modern world. What ensues when tragedy bridges and reconciles opposing forces give this story a hopeful message, even in the wake of senseless suicides.

The cast includes Jill Stark and Melissa Cecala (pictured above) in the title roles, and  Zach Reynolds,Scott Balhmann, Dru Watts, Natalie Gerber, Hope Hartman, Eric Leckman, Camilla Laib, Tracy Hansford, Sam Mcginnis, Alisa Harris, John Rowland, Christopher Rose and Jim Stark.  All profits and donations for this production will be donated to the Suicide Hotline and to the children of Bradford Garrison, a fellow actor who took his own life earlier this year.

The show runs Aug. 15-18, The Murray Theatre, 4959 S. State St. Tickets $10, available soon at 801-355-ARTS or arttix.org.