New look at the Bard’s famouslove story

Box Clever’s innovative production of Romeo & Juliet heads to Brighton Dome this spring following a highly successful run at The Unicorn in 2013.

It plays Brighton Dome Corn Exchange on Wednesday and Thursday, March 12 and 13.

Highlighting the universal themes of love and hate, youth and age, passion and responsibility, the production brings Shakespeare’s story to life with modern language relevant to young people but equally enjoyed by seasoned Shakespeare audiences.

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“By skillfully intertwining the original text with contemporary language, the theatre company create a world in which the lovers and their fate speak directly to a 21st century audience,” says spokesman Chris Challis.

“The production centres on a stunning heart-shaped metal set, designed by Lucy Osborne, which creates the ideal backdrop to and platform for the dynamic and engaging performances by the young and energetic cast. In addition, a live DJ set from Virgil Howe provides a soundtrack that intensifies the passion and tragedy of the two central characters.

“Michael Wicherek’s adaptation fully realises the characters of the lovers and brings to life their world: the sound, heat and colour of Verona, the dark threat of the feud between their families and the ever-increasing speed at which events hurry the lovers to their inevitable doom. It also, through the inclusion of the Narrator, ensures that Romeo and Juliet themselves do not remain literary creations, distant from the 21st century.

“The Narrator not only brings to life those characters that circle the lovers but also challenges the decisions and actions of Romeo and Juliet themselves in this abridged version of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy.”