Romeo and Juliet
at Aliso Niguel High School

Reviewed on November 15, 2014

Chase Robinson
San Juan Hills High School
Submitted for publication to Orange County Register

Aliso Niguel breathes new life into ‘Romeo and Juliet'

Whether perused in the classroom or watched on the silver screen, the beloved tale of the star-crossed lovers is widely celebrated. Aliso Niguel High School reimagines the iconic tragedy by swapping the characters' genders during the play's first half to highlight its underlying themes of age, gender, and relationships.

The seasoned actors' ownership of both of their roles and mastery of Shakespearean verse serve as a true testament to their acting skill and dedication in bringing this innovative production to life.

Allison Cruz exudes boyish charm as Romeo and refined grace as Juliet. While she beams affectionately at her love as Romeo, she maintains a firm posture and delicate inflection as Juliet after realizing the consequences of her forbidden love. Playing opposite Cruz is Justin Benbrook. Benbrook provides an excellent contrast to Cruz's portrayals—illustrating Juliet's naivety and later Romeo's concern.

As Mercutio, Danielle Darling is both daring and comical. She youthfully strides across the stage with a confident swagger, as she prepares to duel with Tybalt. Additionally, Darling captures the humor of her character when she pokes fun at Romeo's lovesickness.

Alike Darling, Tyler Wilson is hysterical as the vulgar Nurse. Wilson exhibits the character's eccentricity through wide eyes and precise comedic timing while he caresses Juliet's stomach and advises her to conceive a child quickly. As Wilson presents the Nurse's uproarious nature, Hana Veneracion portrays her softer side. She achieves this with her airy voice and solid composure.

The Chorus, Koa Flores and Morgan Lavenstein Bendall, utilizes graceful and fluid movements to propel the plot forward from the show's prologue to its conclusion. This effective duo provides an exceptional balance to the drama of the play—functioning like yin and yang.

Each technical aspect employs contrasts to symbolize the two separate households: the Montagues and Capulets. As costume designers Mackenzie Marr and Ashton Wilson stitch luminous sun and moon insignia to actors' clothing, Melanie Miller adds hints of gold and silver to actors' faces to distinguish between the rival families respectively. Also, Ambra Barker's lighting plan utilizes red, blue, and purple to accentuate everything from lust to revelry, while Savi Nasiri's strikingly realistic props such as torches and rapiers accurately reflect the time period.

Aliso Niguel High School's fresh rendition of "Romeo and Juliet" proves a classic story still has plenty of truths to tell.

Madison Roush
San Juan Hills High School
Submitted for publication to Orange County Register

Seeing Double in ANHS' production of ‘Romeo and Juliet'

Aliso Niguel High School gives the classic tale of the famous star-crossed lovers a twist by gender swapping the roles in act I and keeping a traditional cast in act II. This double casting enhances the comedic aura of the first act and gives a remarkable contrast to the traditional and tragic plot of the second Act.

In Act I, Allison Cruz conveys Romeo as a loving and eager young man by broadening her shoulders, lifting her chin and using hushed tones when speaking of Juliet. In contrast, Justin Benbrook portrays a sullen and mournful Romeo in Act II, with his slumping in grief and woeful expressions. Danielle Darling portrays the essence of the bold and cheeky Mercutio through her manly stance, high energy and powerful voice. Darling's clear pronunciation and expressive gestures make it easier for the audience to understand the language of the show. Similarly, Tyler Wilson-as Nurse- gives the audience a clear understanding of the Nurse's wit through his impeccable comedic timing, larger than life gestures and clear vocalization.

Not only the cast but also the crew emphasizes duality through the details in makeup, costumes and the set. Costume designers, Mackenzie Marr and Ashton Wilson use embellishments on each costume to symbolize each house- a sun for the house of Montague and a moon for the house of Capulet. Similarly, Melanie Miller's makeup design of gold highlights for Montagues and silver for Capulets make it easier for audiences to recognize each family member.

Marr and Wilson's design professes the symbolism of the chorus-as characters between both houses-by creating a split gender costume with coordinating colors for each house. Miller's placement of stars on the chorus' faces further shows that they are of both houses – since stars are between the sun and moon. The set, as well creates a visual to recognize each house with two drops – one with the Capulet coat of arms and one with the Montague coat of arms. Lighting designer Ambra Barker helps the audience distinguish the setting by lighting each drop in correlation with what house each scene takes place.

ANHS uses both its actors and its technicians to successfully bring this classic tragedy to life through their strong emphasis on the theme of duality and expressive acting.

Katie Kivinski
SOCSA Dana Hills
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook

Aliso Niguel Presents "Romeo and Juliet" with a Unique Twist

"What's in a name?" asks the desperate and love-struck Juliet. Aliso Niguel High School's production of the time-honored tragedy "Romeo and Juliet" poses an entirely different question: What's in a gender?

In the unique and thought-provoking first act, all female roles are played by males, and all male roles are played by females. In the second act, the play is performed traditionally. In this one-of-a-kind swap, the performers explore gender roles and portray not only two distinct characters, but two separate genders.

The prologue is delivered by the Chorus in stunning gold and silver costumes. Designed by Melanie Miller, Mackenzie Marr, and Ashton Wilson, they appear half man and half woman to represent the themes surfacing due to the creative twist on the classic.

Romeo, played by Justin Benbrook in the second act, invokes laughter and tears as he conveys his character's emotional breakdown and throws himself on the floor in his hopeless love for Juliet. Allison Cruz is powerful and dreamy-eyed in her virile portrayal of Romeo, but her elegance in her role as Juliet shows her desperation and despair in the second act.

A major standout is the saucy Mercutio (Danielle Darling) as she uses suggestive gestures and forceful delivery to incorporate Shakespeare's intended humor. All of the performers demonstrated their understanding of their lines and helped the audience appreciate the sheer cleverness of the script.

The set includes two enormous banners reading "Montague" and "Capulet" that are separated by a balcony, representing the two feuding households that are connected and eventually unified by the love of Romeo and Juliet. This divide is also represented in the artwork of programs and posters in an effort to publicize the event. Distinguishing the characters, the Montagues have black and gold costumes with the symbol of a star, while the Capulets have silver and purple with the symbol of a moon. When a scene is taking place, a banner is illuminated to signify the location of that scene. The work of designer Ambra Barker, the lighting dims as Romeo and Juliet walk towards each other and are married, setting the mood by showing their intimate, loving relationship.

In the two hours' traffic of their stage, as Shakespeare would say, the talented cast and crew of Aliso Niguel High School collaborate to shed a new light on this timeless script.