Over the last two weeks, close to four hundred Carmel College students have been lucky enough to see William Shakespeare’s iconic ‘Romeo and Juliet’ performed by the Pop-Up Globe Theatre Company. 2020 sees an end to an era as, after five years performing for New Zealand audiences, the Pop-up-Globe will leave NZ to travel around the world.

As one of the Year 13 Drama students lucky enough to go, this was the first time I’ve seen a funnier rom-com side (in terms of performance) to the famous play which is traditionally presented as a tragedy. From Romeo’s classic banana costume to Benvolio’s excellent trombone playing, the comedic aspect of the play was brought to life and we all laughed so much we thought we’d burst! In another vein, the tragic turn was made all the more heart-wrenching, as we came down from the fun high moments to be confronted, sadly, with the sorrowful, tragic end. Being able to attend this play was an enriching experience for all of us as students and actors and I would highly recommend seeing the play in full—this is Shakespeare like you’ve never seen it performed before.

Madi Taylor, Year 13