A young man’s thoughts turn to love

By JIMMY LOWE
For the Daily Times

GLASGOW Sat, May 17 2008

— They used to say that in the springtime a young man's fancy turned to thoughts of love. I wondered if that were still true.
So after his final performance last Sunday as Romeo in the Young Performers production of “Romeo and Juliet” at the Kentucky Repertory Theater, I talked with 15-year-old Matt Wallace.
Surely Matt would know about that after having assumed the role of one of the most famous young men ever to declare his love onstage.
“What have you learned from becoming this character whose name is synonymous with love?”
Matt responded slowly, like someone who was talked out after having spent his energy in nine public performances and who-knows-how-many rehearsals. “In some ways I can relate to him,” Matt said. “But in other ways I view him as fickle.”
“How’s that?”
Matt explained, “In the opening scenes, Romeo is in love with Rosaline. Then he quickly falls in love with Juliet after just meeting her.”
“Do you think it’s possible to fall in love so quickly?”
“No,” Matt responded. “Not in love-love.”
“And what is that?” I prodded.
He was not using a script now and he thought a while before responding. “I believe love is completely knowing and trusting a person and loving them for who they are. Love is something that will last.”
“Then,” I concluded, “you don’t look to Romeo as a model?”
Matt said a better model for true love might be Odysseus from Homer’s “Odyssey.” He said he admires Odysseus because “he was faithful to his wife during the 20 years it took him to get back to her.”
Then Matt had a twinkle in his eye. Maybe it was left over from staring into the stage lights for so long. He remarked, “Romeo sure had a way with the ladies.”
“So what insights have you gained from Romeo concerning how to treat the ladies?”
“Be wary. Don’t fall in love too fast. It might not be a love that would last. But Romeo was a gentleman with girls. I want to be that kind of gentleman.”
Matt did confess that there were a couple of lines from the play that he might use on some girl sometime in the future. I couldn’t get him to quote those lines or give me any more information on them.
Matt’s parents, Tony and Vicki Wallace, are proud of their son’s work in the play. They were especially pleased that he kept his good school grades while involved in the theater experience.
Vicki predicted that their son would one day make a fine boyfriend for some young lady.
“A girl would be lucky to fall in love with Matt,” Vicki said. “Because he's just like his daddy.”