The Wadena-Deer Creek Drama Department will present a fun-filled musical called "Romeo and Harriet" at 7:30 p.m. nightly this Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, Nov. 15-17 at Memorial Auditorium in Wadena.
This musical is a parody of Shakespeare's famous "Romeo and Juliet." Poor Romeo, played by Justin Tucker, falls madly in love with Harriet, played by Linn Bach.
All would be well, save for the fact that Romeo is a part of the Montague family and Harriet is a part of the Capulet family. Like in the original Shakespearean play, these two families do not like each other and Romeo and Harriet's relationship is on thin ice from the beginning. But the wedding must go on in spite of small impediments like shaky familial relationships. After all, Romeo and Harriet have known each other for all of 15 hours. Isn't that enough time?
The story is set in New York City instead of Verona, Italy, and is full of great musical numbers like "Wedding Bells," "Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow," and "'Tis a Night at the Globe."
How is this show different from "Romeo and Juliet"?
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"No one dies," explained Yolanda Nelson, a member of the cast. "And it's funny."
Members of the cast credited director Jay Patterson for leading a great production.
"You could call us a big family, and he's the dad," said Jessica Katzenberger.
The large cast plays roles with some of the same names as Shakespeare's original: Tybalt, played by Kevin Klawitter; Benvolio, played by Jeff Leslie; and Mercurtio, played by Juice Vallas. Friar Laurence, played by Caleb Bigham, insists that his real name is Friar Tuck of Sherwood Forest fame. He decides to marry the two star crossed lovers. It becomes a tragical comedy night that the whole family can appreciate.
Cast members include Bridgit Timm, Dani Schmitz, Jessica Katzenberger, Dan Berger, Ben Uselmann, Jackie Kramer, Yalonda Nelson, Matthew Fank, Jeff Leslie, Tess Kirkland, Seth Kellen, Juan "Juice" Vallas, Kyle Gedde, Elena Roggenkamp, Angie Lorentz, Kevin Klawitter, Britta Moen, Katie Anderson, Allie Olson, Avy Kurzenberger, Brittany Anderson, Justin Tucker, Linn Bach, Kelsi Vorderbruggen, Caleb Bigham, Brad Becker, Lindsey Juers, Brady Motchenbacher, Polina Belyashova, Mitch Girard, Trista Johnson, Jordan Irish, Maddie Eckmann, Kristen Rokenbrodt, Henri Arrigoni, Zach Norenberg, Taylor Snyder, Sophie Paul, and Paige Schiller. Crew members include Ashley Monson, Desiree Sibert, Shir Lassak, Keri Monson and Alysha Maxwell.
Tickets will be available at the door.
