Even old tales retain their freshness when told by talented storytellers.
The cast of ''Romeo and Juliet,'' especially the two leads, retell the tragic saga rife with symbolism and the wonder of young love with a capable touch.
Director Adam Hester deftly adds color to the industrial set and lights to create a different take on the time-honored story as the first show of the Abilene Shakespeare Festival opened Saturday night.
Joseph Clingan, as Romeo, and Amy Simpson, as Juliet, play the young lovers filled with innocence, sweetness and hunger for each other. Simpson is demure and fragile in dresses and flats, while Clingan gives his character a good balance between dashing and despair. The delight they take in each other wafts off the stage.
Trying to keep their love alive amidst a long-standing family feud and the deaths of family members drives them to the familiar sad ending.
But along the way, they receive great support from the rest of the cast, particularly Lauren Allred as Nurse and Bill Overton as Friar Laurence. Ryan Fonville brings a thuggish, angry air to Capulet cousin Tybalt, who bristles when Romeo turns up at a masked ball at the Capulet home.
Everyone wears the same blank, white-plastic masks, giving the scene an eeriness added to by spinning metal chairs, maniacal laughter and dizzying music. The cast also acted as crew, utilizing the stark chairs and wheeled backdrops to change the set.
Fonville struts and threatens as Thomas Chavira clowns around as Montague pal Mercutio. What follows spells only trouble for the young couple. Romeo and Benvolio (Ryan Massie) try to play peacemaker, to no avail. Though the show ran more than two hours without an intermission, the heart-wrenching love story kept me pinned to my seat.
DETAILS
''Romeo and Juliet'' (Abilene Shakespeare Festival)
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday and a matinee at 2 p.m. on Saturday in the Fulks Theatre; ''The Triumph of Love'' plays at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday in Culp Theatre.
Where: The Williams Performing Arts Center, Abilene Christian University
How much: Free, but reservations are highly recommended. Call (325) 674-2787 or 674-2303 for tickets.