Juliet is referred to as "beautiful" more times than I cared to count in the text. Romeo falls in love with her when he sees her. In their last moments together, while she is unconscious, all his poetry is about her beauty - "Why art thou yet so fair? ... Death hath had no power yet upon the beauty... Beauty's ensign yet is crimson in thy lips and cheeks..."
And it's not just Romeo. "My daughter's of a pretty age", her mother says. "Thou wast the prettiest babe that e'er I nursed" says her nurse. Even the friar. "The roses in thy lips and cheeks..." Everyone seems to know that Juliet is pretty. (Or, perhaps this is Shakespeare's way of repeatedly reminding his Elizabethan audience that the boy playing Juliet is supposed to be a gorgeous young woman, just in case they forgot between scene changes.)
I found this to be the most intimidating part of the role. I frequently made jokes throughout rehearsals at my own insecurity - "Guys, I'm SO pretty" I'd sarcastically declare with a hair flip. I know that if someone is referred to as "pretty" at least 3 times, the audience is checking out that actress to see if she really lives up to it. I'm first of all a 28 year old playing a 13 year old - a fact that made me have some interesting dreams about my hair turning gray, and had me studying the lines on my face in the mirror. In life, am PROUD of the laugh lines I have earned and look forward to deepening the crows feet by my eyes. I don't think these things make someone un-beautiful. But to serve a story where I need to play a convincing child... I might have gotten a little nervous.
Plus, the quintessential Juliet we've all seen in English class looks like Olivia Hussey, and there's just no living up to that.
And it's not just Romeo. "My daughter's of a pretty age", her mother says. "Thou wast the prettiest babe that e'er I nursed" says her nurse. Even the friar. "The roses in thy lips and cheeks..." Everyone seems to know that Juliet is pretty. (Or, perhaps this is Shakespeare's way of repeatedly reminding his Elizabethan audience that the boy playing Juliet is supposed to be a gorgeous young woman, just in case they forgot between scene changes.)
I found this to be the most intimidating part of the role. I frequently made jokes throughout rehearsals at my own insecurity - "Guys, I'm SO pretty" I'd sarcastically declare with a hair flip. I know that if someone is referred to as "pretty" at least 3 times, the audience is checking out that actress to see if she really lives up to it. I'm first of all a 28 year old playing a 13 year old - a fact that made me have some interesting dreams about my hair turning gray, and had me studying the lines on my face in the mirror. In life, am PROUD of the laugh lines I have earned and look forward to deepening the crows feet by my eyes. I don't think these things make someone un-beautiful. But to serve a story where I need to play a convincing child... I might have gotten a little nervous.
Plus, the quintessential Juliet we've all seen in English class looks like Olivia Hussey, and there's just no living up to that.
I don't usually put any stock into reviews in my town, but I am sensitive when it comes to feminine beauty on stage. It seems our reviewers (all male) tend to at least touch upon a woman's height, face, legs, or figure no matter who she's playing. I get a little riled up if I notice that a friend of mine was reviewed on her appearance first and her skill second, if at all. This is just a standard in the industry - thus far I've escaped any commentary on the pretty factor. (I think I've gotten "impish" and comparisons to Charlie Chaplin and Bugs Bunny, but that may be because I've been avoiding "pretty" roles like Juliet altogether.)
Here's a whole paragraph that came out of today's review of our Romeo and Juliet:
Here's a whole paragraph that came out of today's review of our Romeo and Juliet:
All too often, Juliet's fair beauty is emphasized in an actress' performance at the expense of her wit. Grace DeWolff is the one actress I've ever seen totally dive into the wit of the character and allow THAT to be the source of the character's charm rather than allowing more of a superficial prettiness of poise and tone to carry the performance. Not content for her portrayal of Juliet to be pretty, DeWolff makes it irresistibly beautiful. There’s an smart, active independence about the her in the role. DeWolff’s balcony scene with Cotton may have been a simple set-up on a technical level, but it had a more textured comic and dramatic resonance than I'd ever seen in any other production.
Yeah... remember how I said I don't take stock in reviews?
This one hit home and made my heart sing.
There is no substance if you play "tone" and "poise" - I have no interest in playing "pretty." I decided early on to let the text say "pretty" a bunch of times, and I'll just act like Juliet. (Same approach to Laura in the Glass Menagerie. When our director said "I don't want a powder puff or a dish cloth," I said "Well, good, cuz you cast ME.")
If I get type cast FOREVER as "the actress who makes audiences realize the pretty roles have brains first", I will be eternally happy.
I feel so vindicated.
And rully full of myself for geeking out about it.
But I worked hard on that wit.
On to perform another...