reflections of Juliet
fiction
edward w pritchard
Juliet, the actress had played Juliet the heroine of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet on and off Broadway for eleven years; and she was tonight thoroughly weary of her role. Romeo's bad breathe, her nurse's trite advice and the predictable ending to the angst and pains of her love life were sapping her will to continue playing the role of Juliet.
Tonight, far off Broadway, in the theater district of Cleveland, Ohio, here called playhouse square, Juliet did the unthinkable. Juliet left the stage about twenty minutes before showtime and took a seat in the third row of the audience. Sitting in the best seats, among the well dressed theater patrons, Juliet relaxed and prepared to enjoy the play. To Juliet's surprise when the curtain rose, she was staring at a large mirror, running completely across the front of the stage. Apparently every theater patron would watch themselves and their reflected image during the complete performance of Romeo and Juliet. Startled, Juliet wondered if in fact, in all the performances she had appeared in as Juliet, for the last eleven years, if the audience had been indeed staring at a large mirror of their own reflection; instead of watching her inspired performances.
With a long sigh, Juliet returned backstage and prepared for her entrance as Juliet, tonight here in Cleveland.
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