I would have the play set in nowadays, for people to find it easier to understand the language of the play. I would want the two families to be rival football fans, such as Millwall and Westham. It would be important for the fans not to be carrying a gun to be carrying something like an empty bottle or a baseball bat would be ideal. This would relate to the play well as people would believe the weapons more, as this sort of thing happens nowadays. The battleground would happen out in the street near each other’s homes. The two rival families would live near each other like two doors away from each other. Instead of the families living in mansions I would have them in council flats, in a rough estate. Both families felt strongly about their football team, and when the families found out about what happened the rivalry was even stronger, I would show this when Juliet’s father is provoked by her behavior in the play he hurts Juliet by saying that he is ashamed of her and is a fiasco to the family. I would emphasize this more by making Juliet’s dad more aggressive, by making him smash ornaments and items in Juliet’s room.
I would support these ideas by using dim lights, as street lights on the battleground. This would make the play look more realistic. I would have the two discrepant families in two different colours, so you could tell them apart from each other. I would have no music in the fighting scenes but in the romantic exhibition there would be a repeating rhythm, softly floating in the background. Also in the battle scenes I would want SFX maybe chanting and crowd noises
I chose a modernized language for people to understand, and follow the play better. I thought that that this updated language will appeal to my targeted audience young people, and they would prefer this, as they would apprehend the actions and the language and be able to grasp the play easier. The acting is fine apart from the guns, people would have to use baseball bats and broken bottles and just their fists. The cast would need to be young and strong. This is an extract from Romeo & Juliet;
Mercutio: I am hurt. A plague o’ both your houses! I am sped is he gone, and hath nothing?
Benvolio: What! Art thou hurt?
Mercutio: Ay, Ay, a scratch, a scratch; marry, ‘Tis enough ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man. Why the devil came you between us? I will hurt under your arm.
I would produce the play with modernized language;
Mercutio: ahhh, god, look what you’ve done to me; you’ve cut me, im bleeding im going to die. both your teams are as worse as each other.
Benvolio: Oh no, you hurt… You’re bleeding
Mercutio: ha ha ha (laughing) it’s only a scratch, a scratch that has KILLED ME dead over a feud that meant nothing.
So to conclude I have decided it would be exciting idea to set the play in the present where to rival fans battle out there loyalty for their sides, the reason I chose this idea is that nearly everyone finds it hard to cope with the primordial Romeo & Juliet. My version would especially help kids who are in school and are learning Romeo &Juliet at the current time.
