Casting of the Romeo and Juliet
             William Shakespeare, sixteenth century poet, is present in almost all aspects of our society. He can be found in our textbooks, on television, and in our theaters. His plays portray our life and our culture. They are performed around the world in many different languages, and even to this date are one of the most popular plays performed in modern theaters. To show how much influence his plays have on our society today, other writers have modernized his works to attract new audiences. For example, West Side Story places Romeo and Juliet in New Your City.
             During his early years in the theater, Shakespeare wrote primarily history plays, with his romantic comedies/tragedies emerging in the 1590s. One of his most popular romantic tragedies, Romeo and Juliet, was written and first acted in 1595. It is a tragedy about a perfect pair of lovers who are beautiful, young, noble, and who are rich. Romeo and Juliet, the play, no meter how many times seen, always has the audience thinking what would have happened if this or that little thing had been changed, they would still have been alive. To make a play even more influential on the audience it is extremely important to cast the perfect actors and actresses for such a popular play.
             One of the plays goals is to purge the hatred between the two families, Montaque and Capulet, so that a new, more peaceful society can emerge. Friar Laurence, one who married Romeo and Juliet, is one character that is really concerned about the peace in Verona. He agrees to merry Romeo and Juliet hoping to bring peace into the city. He tries to help the lovers, but his actions lead to their suffering. A good match for the Friar would be Rade Serbedzija. He is a foreign actor who was in movies such as Eyes wide shut and The Saint. His physical appearance, long gray hair, fits for someone who will play a friar and that is the main reason he wa...