STORY STUDY - MEDIUM: THEATER - “After Juliet”

Anyone who follows any kind of popular series or franchise is aware of the fanfiction that’s on the internet. Stories that fans either want to see, or prefer to see after disagreeing with the latest episode or film. But then there are stories that are just fun “what-if” scenarios. That’s what I feel like what’s happening when I read After Juliet.

(The images are from various productions of After Juliet.)

(Oh, and spoilers for those who don’t know what happened at the end of Romeo and Juliet.)

Written by Sharman Macdonald, based on an original idea by Keira Knightly, and based around the world of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the story is about Rosaline, an unseen character from the original play, who is one of the many characters dealing with the aftermath of the deaths of Romeo, her ex-lover, and Juliet, her cousin.

In response to the deaths, the prince of Verona, Prince Escalus, has declared a truce to be held between the Montagues and Capulets, though neither side fully obeys this declaration. Rosaline aims to be elected the “Princess of Cats,” effectively giving her control of the Capulet household.

During these events, a trial is being held to determine the fates of Angelica the nurse, Peter the servant, Friar Laurence, and the apothecary of Mantua, all characters who had some involvement with Romeo and Juliet’s deaths.

Meanwhile, history repeats itself when Benvolio, Romeo’s cousin, falls in love with Rosaline.

The dialogue the characters speak is modern day, and personally, I’m glad because that just made the story easier to follow. The play does a good job showing the frustrations of people who’ve suffered a death in their family, and in Rosaline’s case, a family member and a lover.

After Juliet gives any production the freedom of deciding where and when the play is set. Anyone who has seen the 1993 Much Ado About Nothing (dir. Kenneth Branagh) and the 2011 Much Ado About Nothing (dir. Joss Whedon) knows how a break from traditional settings can be an interesting experiment and bring its own unique flare to it.

This will be a personal problem, but I feel like the supporting characters don’t really add much to the story. They exist to convince Benvolio and Rosaline to do or not do what they want to do… and that’s that. They don’t really have their own story arcs. Gianni and Lorenzo, two Capulets, have a funny introduction, but ultimately add nothing. I feel like the play would still be able to reach its conclusion regardless to the amount of characters featured.

After Juliet showed that if done right, a background character can have much to do when the spotlight is on them. It shows that when tragedy strikes, everyone’s voice will be heard.