<P> Thomas Otway's The History and Fall of Caius Marius, one of the more extreme of the Restoration adaptations of Shakespeare, debuted in 1680 . The scene is shifted from Renaissance Verona to ancient Rome; Romeo is Marius, Juliet is Lavinia, the feud is between patricians and plebeians; Juliet / Lavinia wakes from her potion before Romeo / Marius dies . Otway's version was a hit, and was acted for the next seventy years . His innovation in the closing scene was even more enduring, and was used in adaptations throughout the next 200 years: Theophilus Cibber's adaptation of 1744, and David Garrick's of 1748 both used variations on it . These versions also eliminated elements deemed inappropriate at the time . For example, Garrick's version transferred all language describing Rosaline to Juliet, to heighten the idea of faithfulness and downplay the love - at - first - sight theme . In 1750, a "Battle of the Romeos" began, with Spranger Barry and Susannah Maria Arne (Mrs. Theophilus Cibber) at Covent Garden versus David Garrick and George Anne Bellamy at Drury Lane . </P> <P> The earliest known production in North America was an amateur one: on 23 March 1730, a physician named Joachimus Bertrand placed an advertisement in the Gazette newspaper in New York, promoting a production in which he would play the apothecary . The first professional performances of the play in North America were those of the Hallam Company . </P> <P> Garrick's altered version of the play was very popular, and ran for nearly a century . Not until 1845 did Shakespeare's original return to the stage in the United States with the sisters Susan and Charlotte Cushman as Juliet and Romeo, respectively, and then in 1847 in Britain with Samuel Phelps at Sadler's Wells Theatre . Cushman adhered to Shakespeare's version, beginning a string of eighty - four performances . Her portrayal of Romeo was considered genius by many . The Times wrote: "For a long time Romeo has been a convention . Miss Cushman's Romeo is a creative, a living, breathing, animated, ardent human being ." Queen Victoria wrote in her journal that "no - one would ever have imagined she was a woman". Cushman's success broke the Garrick tradition and paved the way for later performances to return to the original storyline . </P> <P> Professional performances of Shakespeare in the mid-19th century had two particular features: firstly, they were generally star vehicles, with supporting roles cut or marginalised to give greater prominence to the central characters . Secondly, they were "pictorial", placing the action on spectacular and elaborate sets (requiring lengthy pauses for scene changes) and with the frequent use of tableaux . Henry Irving's 1882 production at the Lyceum Theatre (with himself as Romeo and Ellen Terry as Juliet) is considered an archetype of the pictorial style . In 1895, Sir Johnston Forbes - Robertson took over from Irving and laid the groundwork for a more natural portrayal of Shakespeare that remains popular today . Forbes - Robertson avoided the showiness of Irving and instead portrayed a down - to - earth Romeo, expressing the poetic dialogue as realistic prose and avoiding melodramatic flourish . </P>

Who started the fight in romeo and juliet act 1 scene 1