Night of the Hats

  Juliet & Romeo (2024) In Verona, two families, the Montagues and the Capulets are feuding. This is given a certain amount of historical context as one family supports the Pope, the other the Emperor, reflecting the conflict between the Guelphs and Ghibellines in medieval Italy. Juliet Capulet, daughter of Lord Capulet, returns to Verona from studying abroad. In an effort to keep the conflict under control the Prince of Verona arranges for a (non-lethal?) fight between champions of the families. Romeo of the Monatagues ducks out fighting Tybalt Capulet (Juliet’s cousin), admiring this new woman. The fight turns into a brawl, Romeo and Juliet like each other but are then distressed to discover they are on opposite sides of the feud – but not enough to cut off contact. Meanwhile The Friar (Derek Jacobi) offers advice and spiritual comfort. He’s also learning from an Apothecary, who explains the details of several extraordinary potions. Lord Capulet is trying to get Juliet...