Shakespearean tale of star-crossed lovers heads to the Opera

“Never was there a tale of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”

The final line of the classic Shakespearean play sums up the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet, which opens 8 p.m. Friday at the Musical Arts Center. “Romeo et Juliette” is presented by IU Opera Theater as the second opera of the season.

According to the Jacobs School of Music Web site, the opera itself, created by Charles Gounod,is an adaptation from the classic Shakespeare play.

“It’s almost like a paraphrase,” graduate student Lacy Sauter said.

Sauter, who plays the role of Juliette, said the production does justice to the story with help from the director.

“Michael Ehrman has done a wonderful job directing,” she said.

The cast has been rehearsing since the first week of classes, said doctoral student Daniel Shirley, who plays Romeo.

“We typically rehearse for five hours a day,” Shirley said.

The familiarity of the story line eased cast members into the difficulty of learning the arias and acts.

“Everything has to be ready to perform in a short period of time,” graduate student Andrew Kroes said.

Kroes plays the role of Frere Laurent, who consults Romeo and weds him to Juliette.
He added that the familiarity of the story line will also help audience members follow along with the subtitles displayed on a screen above the stage.

“When there was a monologue in the play, there is an aria in the opera, and the scenes are in general the same,” Kroes said.

The cast members said they encourage students to come see the performance because of its similarities to the original play.

“The opera stays faithful to Shakespeare with a few significant deviations,” Shirley said.

Sauter added that the beauty of the music and the action on stage creates a performance that everyone can enjoy.

“This opera has something for everyone,” she said.