Torn by a tragic love affair, Romeo and Juliet have gone down in history as the couple that didn’t have the best of luck.
But on Wednesday, the star-crossed lovers lived a different story.
This time, it wasn’t royal rivalries that kept the two apart, but rather a restraining order. In this version, the characters were called Haza, who was beautiful and bald, and Bert, whose belly turned Haza on.
And their tale had a happy ending. Instead of suicide, they decided to “hump.”
This was just one of the improvised scenes presented at the annual Pocket Playhouse celebration of “William Shakespeare’s Birthday.” The performance has been a Pocket tradition for years.
With the EMU Amphitheater as the stage, the group presented a two-hour show, reciting Shakespeare sonnets and plays in an original style that brought loud cheers and laughs from the scattered crowd.
Dressed in black clothes and wrapped in silky, colorful scarves that flowed around them, a few actors also passed out roses and oranges to the “ladies and gentles” to help set the 17th century mood.
Pieces from “Taming of the Shrew,” “Hamlet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” were just a few of the plays included in the act.
Some participants also created their own “Shakespearean” work, using creative dialogue and humor to produce innovative acts. Theatre arts majors Phil Meyer and Tyler Holden acted out an original piece called the “Sonnetarians,” a story of two men who unsuccessfully try to write love poems.
The scene was one of the acts that brought roars of laughter from audience members.
Junior theatre arts major Jocelyn Fultz said the presentation was a new and entertaining way to present Shakespeare’s work.
“It was a good show to bring people into the fun of Shakespeare and let them know that’s it’s not just about people in big boots,” she said.
The improvisational student group Absolute Improv also participated in the show, acting out — in Shakespeare fashion, of course — different scenarios thrown out by the audience. These included star-crossed-lover acts where viewers decided what obstacle stood between the couple and the story’s ending.
Kirsten Schmieding, a senior Absolute member who has been involved with the celebration for the last two years, said acting out the scenes was a fun and different experience.
“You have to use what’s at the top of your head and attempt to make it in Shakespeare style,” she said.
Pocket members also read a list of the top 10 things William Shakespeare would do if he were still alive today. The audience’s favorite list items appeared to be “hunting down and killing Keanu Reeves” and “having lots of sex.”
Karen Law, funding coordinator for the Pocket board of directors, said Shakespeare’s work is many times a favorite for drama students because of the legendary poet’s personal background.
“The physical life of Shakespeare is something that’s really interesting,” she said. “It’s so dramatic.”
The Pocket, which stages entirely student-run productions once a week, also hosts the celebration to give students a taste of what kind of shows the theater generates, said Kari Adwell, Pocket programs coordinator.
“It’s showcasing University talent and promoting our theater,” she said.
Law added that more than anything, the actors just want to share their work with campus.
“It’s all about having fun — not being the best or anything,” she said. “It’s completely original and completely cool.”