Romeo and Juliet comes to McMurry’s Stage with a Twist 

On the 26th of February McMurry Theatre debuts a Shakespearean Classic, the tale of the Star-Crossed Lovers, Romeo and Juliet with a contemporary change of scenery. Instead of the traditional battlements and bastions of 15th century Italy, the story and characters are supplanted into a 90’s Grunge aesthetic in setting and costume, while maintaining the Bard of Avon’s original dialogue. The performances are February 26th through the 28th at 7:30 PM, as well as matinee performances at 10:00 AM on both the 26th and 27th, and a competing performance the following week at the Christian University Theatre Festival hosted by Hardin Simmons University.  

To showcase a small piece of the show early, the McMurry Chapter of the Alpha Psi Omega (ΑΨΩ) Theatre Honor Society is working on their new “WE HATE SHAKESPEARE” event on February 24th at 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM behind the Cafe. Students will be able to throw “tomatoes” (red water-balloons) at Romeo and Juliet cast members performing their scenes and monologues outside for a small donation.  

In the directors seat is guest director and distinguished McMurry Alumni ‘23, Graci Melbourne. In Graci’s time at McMurry she wrote her show “Sugar” performed in the Ryan Arts building, and published her two act honors thesis, “Wherefore”, based on Shakespearean drama. She summarizes, “My thesis, WHEREFORE, a full-length play, follows Shakespeare’s most notable characters (Romeo, Juliet, Iago, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, and Lady Macbeth) as they challenge the archetypes they’ve been forced into. Through multiple, interactive theatre games, roles are rewritten and the popular adage, “To define is to limit,” is proven true.” 

Melbourne believes Shakespeare can be enjoyed by everyone from all walks of life, stating, “I love Shakespeare because it was, in its creation, entertainment for the people. Regular people. Hard-working, middle-lower class people. It was rowdy and subversive, an art originally supported by those who needed to get away from the grind and toil of their daily lives.” She explains, “Through the years, Shakespeare’s works have been sanitized. Royalty got hold of it and, suddenly, its reputation as art for the Everyman was scrubbed clean. It’s gone down in history as inaccessible, catered only to academics and scholars, when, truthfully, that is the antithesis of its messaging. Shakespeare tells stories about rebels and outcasts, those who flew in the face of the status quo to pursue their own desires. It was thrilling and, at times, quite raunchy.” 

She continues, “How exciting, to be able to expose people to the fact that these feelings and themes have always been (and always will be) relevant to the broader human experience. As tragic as the show may end, Romeo and Juliet has proven itself to be a hearty, dynamic coming-of-age story that addresses division, hate, and the dangers of ignoring and dismissing the thoughts of young people. It truly encapsulates the many highs-and-lows of teenagedom and, although it ends in blood, it reinforces the message: ‘The only thing stronger than hate is love.'”

The cast seems equally as excited about the story with Ian Chatman as Romeo of house Montague. Following his lead as Victor Fleming in Moonlight and Magnolia’s last semester, and performance as Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express at Western Texas College, he joins us as the original hopeless romantic himself. “I would say I am extremely excited to play Romeo and really look forward to the chemistry I’m getting to build with my fellow cast mates. This is definitely one of my highlight roles in college; however this is my first time performing Shakespeare in any form so I’ve been really enjoying the process. I have always been a fan of Shakespeare so what better show to start with than a classic like Romeo and Juliet!” Chatman said when asked about his role and experience.  

Romeo is advised by the kind and clever Will Anderson as Friar Lawrence who may prove critical in the fates of the Star-Crossed lovers. “I’m excited to play such a smart character with such a wide range of emotions. My most recent role was another Shakespearean classic, Julius Caesar, and I loved it. I really love Shakespeare actually, and Romeo and Juliet is one of my favorites. I’m sure this is going to be one of my favorite roles ever and I’m already looking forward to performing!” Stated Anderson, on his latest go-round performing Shakespeare’s dialogue.  

Mia McKean is Juliet of house Capulet, standing across from Romeo and the Montagues because of the eternal feud between their families. When asked about performing such an iconic role on top of her previous experience McKean said “I’m excited to grow as an actor through performing Shakespeare’s work. I was in every production last year and had my first lead role in college during Gruesome Playground Injuries last year.” She elaborates, “Romeo and Juliet is just so iconic that I can’t wait to bring my own spin to Juliet and bring her to our stage in the Ryan building.”  

Standing center of the feud Lauren Scott plays an overseer of this not-so-fair Verona, Mercutio. Scott has played many roles at McMurry even before she enrolled as a student such as Roxie Hart in Chicago, Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Mary Warren in the Crucible, Antigone in Antigone, and Ronette in Little Shop of Horrors to name a few. “I’m so excited to discover the nuances of my character. Mercutio definitely provides a comedic break for the audience, but his feelings and motivations are complex. I am looking forward to learning the words of Shakespeare and being able to convey every feeling and emotion Mercutio should encounter with full accountability and truth! I’m also really excited to sword fight!” Said Scott, when asked about performing Mercutio. “This will be my first Shakespeare show and I am so ready for the challenge!” She stated further on performing Shakespeare in particular. “I am very excited to take this classic show and establish a grungy twist. We are leaning heavily into the 90s grunge aesthetic which will present audiences a unique perspective. It has already been so fun working on the marketing for this production and I hope the new spin has enticed the community to see what we have to offer!” She states lastly about the stylistic twist this production is taking on.  

For updates on both Romeo and Juliet and “WE HATE SHAKESPEARE” follow @mcmtheatre on Instagram for the most up to date information.