Arvada Center revives "Romeo & Juliet" for modern audiences
The theater's most famous "star-crossed lovers" are on stage at the Arvada Center. The production of "Romeo and Juliet" has a modern feel, but leans heavily on the themes and language of William Shakespeare's original play.
"Shakespeare ... a lot of the importance rests in the words and what you're saying as opposed to what you're feeling. The feeling kind of comes from the language," said Henry Hawes, who plays Romeo.
The poetry of "Romeo and Juliet" is not always easy to understand, but Hawes as Romeo and Julia McGowan as Juliet have painstakingly honed the dialogue.
"This is hard, and if you keep doing it and keep drilling it, it will make sense to you," McGowan explained of the rehearsal process.
While Romeo and Juliet are falling head over heals in forbidden love, their relatives, the Montagues and the Capulets are fighting to the death every chance they get.
"His relationship with love throughout the show is something that I really enjoy exploring, and then also -- on kind of a more somber note -- his relationship with death," Hawes said of playing Romeo. "Romeo has a lot of premonitions and worries. He thinks that things are going to go this way, but he also kind of flies in the face of death and in the face of fate, so that was also really fun to play with."
Juliet has her own struggles including an impending marriage to Paris.
"I think I bring a lot of myself to it. In such a tragic play there definitely doesn't need to be a push for tragedy or a push for darkness, so I would like to say I'm bringing some lightness to it," McGowan said.
"I also think we've found a really goofy, fun, childish relationship and I think that brings out a lot of laughter and joy," Hawed added.
Despite the joy of young love, the director of this production finds modern meaning in the ancient family feud and the toll it takes on both houses.
"The Montagues and the Capulets -- it's a war, and it's this feud that Shakespeare never actually says what they're fighting about, which is purposeful ... maybe? We don't know, but very interesting. And in that, the younger generation ... if you look at the body count at the end of the play, it's the younger generation. It's a cast of eight and four of us are not there anymore," McGowan said.
The production is a cut-down version of the original play. It runs about 90 minutes, making it fast-paced and action packed.
LINK: For Tickets & Information about Romeo & Juliet
"Romeo and Juliet" runs through March 29, 2026 in the Black Box Theatre at the Arvada Center.
