Bard to the bone | Auckland Entertainment | Events, Movies and TV Guide for Auckland

Shakespeare's way with words proves enlightening for a fresh, young actor from Mangere, writes Sharu Delilkan.

Student actor Paul Fagamalo admits Auckland Theatre Company's production of Romeo & Juliet is the first Shakespearean play to give him a keen grasp of the bard's dialogue.

"It's probably because of the way the other actors rehearse and deliver their lines. Like when Stuart [Devenie] starts reciting his lines, his voice is so arresting. I didn't expect the other actors to be so mind-blowing," he says.

The cast mine a rich vein of theatrical experience and professionalism with Geraldine Brophy, Sam Bunkall, Kip Chapman, Peter Daube, Catherine Downes, Benjamin Farry, Dan Musgrove, Gareth Reeves and Elena Stejko, also in the play.

Fagamalo, a Pacific Institute of Performing Arts student, says his first appearance with ATC is very different from his earlier experience in musicals. In Rent, recently presented in Auckland, he played Benjamin Coffin III.

The 22-year-old from Mangere says musicals were an obvious choice for him, after considerable exposure to music at school and at church. But the spoken word, rather than lyrics, has captured his attention now. "I'm really enjoying being in a drama and the direction our director's [Willem Wassenaar] has taken, which is a retrospective look at what happened through Benvolio's memory of the events. It makes it all the more poignant."

Playing Sampson, one of the Capulet family's servants, has, says Fagamalo, given him a sharper insight into human nature. The Capulet and Montague servants, just like the patrician families they serve, are also feuding. "My church upbringing and the biblical stories I've read have helped me understand what loyalty means."

Learning how to wield a sword in the first act's fight scene has been another new experience. But the thing that's made an indelible mark is the main theme: "Forsaking the family for one person. It's something I find most mind-boggling, especially since I've grown up knowing that family comes first."

Romeo & Juliet, Maidment Theatre, 8 Alfred St, until Aug 14. Times vary. Tickets: ph 308 2383 or see www.maidment.auckland.ac.nz