Fitchburg State theater students drew rave reviews for their production of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. The production was adapted from the version presented on campus to great acclaim last fall.

The players, accompanied by Professor Richard McElvain (who directed the production), Director of Cultural Affairs Mary Chapin Durling and librarian Jenny Fielding, flew to Scotland on Aug. 10.

The website Broadway Baby, which reviews fringe festival productions, raved about the Fitchburg State production.

“Romeo and Juliet is a story that has been told countless times on stage and screen, in almost every guise under the sun,” wrote Broadway Baby reviewer Sam Waddicor. “It is therefore very difficult to create a performance that feels fresh and original. Yet that is exactly what Fitchburg State University (has) managed to do. … The acting is polished and smooth, with scene changes happening almost instantaneously – a skill that is not only essential for the Fringe in order to keep running time down, but also helps to keep the dialogue feeling fresh. This is a highly polished production with skillful sword fights and acrobatics.”

Jessica Reid, reviewing for Edfringe Review.com, touted the university’s production as “highly physical, bawdy, vibrant and loud. To me, its robustness seems greatly American.” She also praised the performances of Tommy Karner and Kim Connor as the titular star-crossed lovers.

The cast and crew also includes Jameson Kebba, Derek Bousquet, Brendan Wilkins, CJ Mulhern, Eric Oliveira, Justin Nelson, Shannon Gugarty, Ken Clancy, Rachel Ide, Sam Reynolds, Tom Ryan, Dominque Bertel, Ian Vincent, McKegg Collins, Davis Bannister, Jamie Hayes, Veronica Morales, Krystal Dawson, Chris Gonsalves and Morgan Butler.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world and takes place every August for three weeks in Scotland’s capital city.

Every year thousands of performers take to a multitude of stages all over Edinburgh to present shows for every taste. From big names in the world of entertainment to unknown artists looking to build their careers, the festival caters for everyone and includes theatre, comedy, dance, physical theatre, musicals, operas, music, exhibitions and events.

More on Fitchburg State’s production, including video interviews with the players and scenes from the play, can be found here.

Fans can also follow the local production’s Facebook page.

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