1Did you make notes while you were watching the performances of Romeo and Juliet, Gemma?
2Yes, I did. I found it quite hard though.
3I kept getting too involved in the play.
4Me too.
5I ended up not taking notes.
6I wrote down my impressions when I got home.
7Do you mind if I check a few things with you?
8In case I've missed anything.
9And I've also got some questions about our assignment.
10No, it's good to talk things through.
11I may have missed things too.
12OK great.
13So first of all,
14I'm not sure how much information we should include in our reviews.
15Right. Well, I don't think we need to describe what happens.
16Especially as Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare's most well-known plays.
17Yeah, everyone knows the story.
18In an essay we'd focus on the poetry and Shakespeare's use of imagery etc.,
19but that isn't really relevant in a review.
20We're supposed to focus on how effective this particular production is.
21We should say what made it a success or a failure.
22And part of that means talking about the emotional impact the performance had on us.
23I think that's important.
24Yes.
25And we should definitely mention how well the director handled important bits of the play -
26like when Romeo climbs onto Juliet's balcony.
27And the fight between Mercutio and Tybalt.
28Yes.
29It would also be interesting to mention the theatre space
30and how the director used it
31but I don't think we'll have space in 800 words.
32No. OK.
33That all sounds quite straightforward.
34So what about The Emporium Theatre's production of the play?
35I thought some things worked really well but there were some problems too.
36Yeah. What about the set, for example?
37I think it was visually really stunning.
38I'd say that was probably the most memorable thing about this production.
39You're right. The set design was really amazing,
40but actually I have seen similar ideas used in other productions.
41What about the lighting?
42Some of the scenes were so dimly lit it was quite hard to see.
43I didn't dislike it.
44It helped to change the mood of the quieter scenes.
45That's a good point.
46What did you think of the costumes?
47I was a bit surprised by the contemporary dress, I must say.
48Yeah - I think it worked well, but I had assumed it would be more conventional.
49Me too.
50I liked the music at the beginning and I thought the musicians were brilliant,
51but I thought they were wasted because the music didn't have much impact in Acts 2 and 3.
52Yes - that was a shame.
53One problem with this production was that the actors didn't deliver the lines that well.
54They were speaking too fast.
55It was a problem I agree,
56but I thought it was because they weren't speaking loudly enough,
57especially at key points in the play.
58I actually didn't have a problem with that.
59It's been an interesting experience watching different versions of Romeo and Juliet, hasn't it?
60Definitely.
61It's made me realise how relevant the play still is.
62Right. I mean a lot's changed since Shakespeare's time,
63but in many ways nothing's changed.
64There are always disagreements and tension between teenagers and their parents.
65Yes, that's something all young people can relate to -
66more than the violence and the extreme emotions in the play.
67How did you find watching it in translation?
68Really interesting.
69I expected to find it more challenging, but I could follow the story pretty well.
70I stopped worrying about not being able to understand all the words and focused on the actors' expressions.
71The ending was pretty powerful.
72Yes. That somehow intensified the emotion for me.
73Did you know Shakespeare's been translated into more languages than any other writer?
74What's the reason for his international appeal, do you think?
75I was reading that it's because his plays are about basic themes that people everywhere are familiar with.
76Yeah, and they can also be understood on different levels.
77The characters have such depth.
78Right - which allows directors to experiment and find new angles.
79That's really important...