Aquila's unique approach to two classics
The Bermuda Festival comes to an end this week when the Aquila Theatre Company makes a welcome return to City Hall stage to present its unique version of two productions: Shakespeare’s immortal love story, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and Chaucer’s ‘The Canterbury Tales’.
Romeo and Juliet: The New York-based company is renowned for its innovative and bold productions which reinterpret the Bard in a fresh and interesting way, and promise its audiences a thoroughly entertaining evening.
Described by one critic as “an extraordinarily inventive and disciplined outfit”, Aquila’s approach to Shakespeare is new and different, and designed to connect with young audiences in particular.
Rather than assign roles in the traditional way, every member of the company learns all of the parts, and the audience will be allowed to choose which actors play which parts, regardless of type, age or gender.
“We want them fully engaged and committed, desperate to follow the play to its well-known end, rediscovering Shakespeare, and sharing in the communal experience of bold, courageous and risk-taking theatre, founder-artistic director Peter Meineck says.
Performances of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ take place tonight and tomorrow night, beginning at 8 p.m.
The Canterbury Tale: Aquila’s production (pictured) brings new life to the many charming, hilarious and often poignant themes contained in this hugely important work.
Written in the late 14th century, the tales chronicle the experiences of a collection of pilgrims from all walks of English Mediaeval life on their journey from south London to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury.
Adapting Chaucer’s Middle English poetry in a dramatic tour de force, seven of the most famous story lines will be explored in detail, during which audiences will be allowed to come in contact with Chaucer himself, whose running commentary will be interwoven into the comic and rancorous dialogue of the pilgrims.
“We ask all who come to see us to drop all that is of today’s world and transcend time and space to a different, yet uncannily familiar place, and to let your imagination be your guide,” associate director Robert Richmond says. Performances on March 1 and 2 begin at 8 p.m., with the first performance being preceded by a special talk at the Bermuda National Gallery beginning at 7 p.m.
