Julie (Maggie Birgel) talks to the nurse (Madison Rigger) in "Romeo and Juliet" at Davidson College. (Bill Giduz photo)
By KATIE LOVETT
DavidsonNews.net
Davidson College Theatre Department kicked off its 2011-2012 Mainstage Series this weekend with a rendition of “Romeo and Juliet.” A cast of 13 students, freshmen and seniors alike, ranging from biology to German majors, performed William Shakespeare’s famous work with intense energy, passion, and their own unique twist on a classic play.
Director Mark Sutch joined the Davidson faculty in 2006 after five years with the Rhode Island Trinity Repertory Co. Serving as the artistic associate and casting director, he directed productions of “Suddenly Last Summer” and “A Christmas Carol,” while also logging time on stage in “Peter Pan,” “The Henriad,” and “A Christmas Carol.” Since arriving at Davidson, Mr. Sutch has brought many exciting productions to Cunningham Theatre and Duke Family Performance Hall, including “Dark Ride,” “Women Beware Women,” “Hamlet,” “Leading Ladies,” and “Into the Woods.”
Maggie Birgel and Brandon Smalls star in "Romeo and Juliet" at Davidson College. (Bill Giduz photo)
Senior Brandon Smalls and sophomore Maggie Birgel star as Romeo and Juliet. Both are veterans of the theater department and have been involved in a wide variety of theatrical productions.
Smalls, a theater major from LaGrange, Ga., said he was “staggeringly excited” to be performing in his very first Shakespeare play. He has participated in more than six theater department plays, with his favorite roles being Sir William Lucas in ‘Pride & Prejudice,” Butch in “Leading Ladies,” and the Mouse and Dormouse in “Alice in Wonderland.”
Ms. Birgel, a fellow theater major from Warren, Pa., is well known on campus for her performance as Little Red Riding Hood in the spring 2011 performance of Into the Woods, for which she received a Metrolina Theatre Assocation (MTA) nomination. She also has taken on roles as Lydia Bennet in “Pride and Prejudice” and Lily/Sarah in “Women and Wallace.”
The supporting Romeo and Juliet cast fills the play with sword fights, fistfights, instrumental accompaniment, and Shakespearean puns galore, both on stage and in the aisles of Duke Family Performance Hall. Senior Ryan Chiles plays the impassioned Capulet Tybalt, who duels and murders the Montague Mercutio (sophomore Allen Rigby) in a blood-pumping sword fight scene. Set Designer Joe Gardner designed the stage to extend over the orchestra pit, bringing the violence, love, lust, and drama right out to the audience.
Romeo and Juliet at Davidson College. (Bill Giduz photo)
Other notable performances included Madison Rigger’s rendition of the Nurse. A senior biology major from Decatur, Ga., Ms. Rigger counts Romeo and Juliet as her third mainstage production at Davidson, having served in other vital roles such as Granny in “Into the Woods” and Mrs. Bennet in “Pride & Prejudice.” Her perfectly pitched humor never fails to earn laughter from the audience.
Parents attending the play may want to leave children at home with a babysitter. The climactic Romeo and Juliet love scene does feature mature content and a scanty level of clothing.
WANT TO GO?
Davidson College’s production of “Romeo & Juliet” continues Friday, Oct. 28, at 8:15 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 29, at 8 p.m. at Duke Family Performance Hall. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $11 for seniors, $9 for faculty/staff, and $6 for students. For more information please visit: http://www3.davidson.edu/cms/x44256.xml To buy tickets: http://www.davidson.edu/tickets
Death of Juliet, in Davidson College's "Romeo and Juliet." (Bill Giduz photo)
