Estro Fest

“Romeo, Romeo, Where for art thou, Romeo? “ Right in Atlanta’s very own Shakespeare Tavern, that’s where. Shakespeare was never meant to be read, it was meant to be preformed! And the marvelous people at The Shakespeare Tavern know it. They put on productions of a William Shakespeare play once every month, however they perform Romeo and Juliet year round for all of the high school students like myself, and they do an amazing job at that. Whether it be the amazing actors, the supreme lighting, or the venue itself The Shakespeare Tavern did not let down.

The audience’s favorite actor was by far Daniel Parvis, who did an extraordinary job at playing Romeo’s best friend, Mercutio. He made it much easier for Shakespeare virgins like myself to understand the complex language with his mannerism, and you could very well tell he knew exactly what he was talking about. He made eye-contact during his performance, making you feel so much more for his character so that when Mercutio died at the end of the first act it was not surprising to hear the surrounding awe’s coming from the female individuals in the audience – the fact that he wasn’t hard to look might have helped a little. Daniel Parvis made the first act comical and engaging, without him it became the tragedy that is, Romeo and Juliet.

When morning comes, you expect a sunrise. When Romeo was leaving Juliet’s room through the balcony the morning after their first night as man and wife, you get exactly that. A beautiful red-orange glow slowly lights up their faces as Juliet exclaims, “Nights candles are burnt out, and jocund day stands tiptoe on the misty mountaintops.” However, from the seats on the balcony it is hard not to look up to the close ceiling top at the source of the light. Though, if you are not the exceedingly curious person that I am, or if you aren’t sitting on the balcony, then you should be able to enjoy the exceptional lights that still allow you to appreciate the excellent acting.

The building itself sets the stage for the play. You feel as if you have stepped back in time, from the rustic wooden floors, tables, and chairs. Or the balcony surrounding the stage, it gives you the sense that you are in the late 1500’s with the characters you are seeing. On the other hand, you have to remember that The Shakespeare Tavern is a dinner theatre. Meaning, you eat while watching the performance. With only a fifteen minute intermission, it barely gives you enough time to eat. The rustling of bags, and opening of cans and wrappers was not the background noise I wanted to hear while Romeo poisoned himself as he kissed Juliet one last time. Although, I do imagine it would be different going for a dinner performance where you eat from their restaurant, and not at lunch when numerous teenagers bring their own pre-packaged food, hence the rustling of bags.

“Romeo, Romeo, Where for art thou, Romeo? “ Yes it was at Atlanta’s very own Shakespeare Tavern. That’s where I found my interest in Shakespearean theatre. For 12 dollars a ticket, a very reasonable price for the performance you are getting, I am already talking to my family about going next month to view their next production of one of Shakespeare play [note to self: re-write last sentence] The performance, the technical aspects, and the overall ambiance make this an experience you don’t want to miss.
thank you for pointing that out to me! I might not have noticed that otherwise. It it only a first draft and will be fixed before I hand it in to my teacher.
Also, I am aware that ‘wherefore’ means ‘why’. We went over the language in class while reading the play. I thought about that while writing it, but it was suggested by someone else. because I couldn’t think of a witty begining for my review….

I spent a small fortune to get concert tickets at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta GA. I have Row CCC in the Pit seats 14 and 15. Does anyone know if these seats are in the middle of the stage or offside? Every seating chart I’ve clicked on only shows the sections R and L, but not individual rows or seats. I have no idea how many seats per row in the Pit there even are.

We like museums, theater, cultural events and exploring by walking. This would be for about 3-4 days, likely without a car. What city(s) would your recommend and why?

Atlanta
Dallas
Quebec City
San Francisco
Toronto
Vancouver