Come out and support the TRU Actors Workshop’s first show of the year as they take on the humorous Ann-Marie MacDonald play, Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet). The production, which began on Sept. 21st and runs until Sept. 30th, gives you an inside look at the talented performers of our university.
Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) follows the story of Constance Ledbelly, an eccentric assistant English professor who has worked for years to prove that Romeo and Juliet and Othello were originally written as comedies and encoded in a document called the Gustav Manuscript. After reading a page from the manuscript, Constance is transported to Othello, where she has the chance to turn the famous tragedy into what it was always intended to be: comedy.
The TRU version of the performance directed by Catriona Leger only has 5 actors who take on the challenging task of playing 15 characters. Shade Arendt gives life to Constance Ledbelly, whose amazing comedic timing and energetic performance throughout the play kept the audience lively as laughs and cheers were heard for the two-hour duration of the show.
Bryce Craig, whom many may recognize from previous TRU plays, takes on 4 characters, all drastically different from each other but performed remarkably well. From a somewhat narcissistic professor to Juliet’s lovely nurse, Craig pulled off every character perfectly.
In her stage debut, Sophia Dimopoulos takes on 4 characters, the standout being Desdemona. From singing to fighting, Dimopoulos does it all, taking every character and making it her own. With this being her first show with TRU, we can surely expect to see even more greatness from her.
Finally, we have our Romeo and Juliet. Through this creative retelling, the audience experiences a ‘what if’ story of their marriage, which does not disappoint. Oscar Kolotylo and Juliana Tajan played their roles beautifully, delivering powerful performances whenever they took to the stage.
With a show like this, props and costumes play a significant role. Every character and scene change went swiftly, while the lighting throughout the show helped bring life to the play, captivating the audience.
The play is packed with sarcasm and humour, making the serious undertone of the story more lighthearted, featuring perfectly choreographed fight scenes and performances that may be considered truly top-tear acting.
As the students took on the stage for the last time of the night, they received a well-deserved standing ovation from the audience.
Being the first of the year, this play sets expectations high for what’s to come next. For anyone interested in checking out the play, tickets can be found on a link at the TRU’s Actors workshop’s Instagram, as well as the box office, which is open from Sept 25th- 28th, Monday to Thursday from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm or on the evening of the show.