Putting on Shakespeare's R + J in England and Japan

JOE CALARCO: In other countries, in Japan, in Australia, in England, the reviews all commented on it that it seemed to excavate, the "original energies" was often the phrase used, and that it seemed— People said they'd always dreaded seeing the play, and that R & J seemed to reawaken the play to them as if they'd never seen it before. That was my first intent with it, was to find the energy and passion and violence of the play. And then taking it to England, I thought of it, those qualities, as very stereotypically American.

And I think I became more aware, going to London, just because of the way the world was also in some ways thinking of the US. So I use it in very negative terms—brash, in your face, who gives a damn and loud and obnoxious. So to me, that's what felt American about it, which is a stereotype, and having done it in other countries now, like having just done it in Japan, it seemed to fit them well. That part of it didn't seem odd on them, the sort of rambunctious quality. Other aspects of it, just because culturally, like the physical intimacy of it, seemed stranger on them, but culturally that's just something that's not done. But the violence of it, and even the passion of it, physically fit very well on them. But just the true, sort of gentle intimacy of it was very strange. It didn't seem to work as well to me.

The show to me very much is about exploring what it is to be a man and boys becoming men. And stereotypically, violence is a very male trait. So, maybe that completely crosses all cultural differences, I don't know.