''Romeo and Juliet'' is a filmed performance of the 2013 Broadway

theatrical production A theatrical production is any work of theatre, such as a staged play, musical, comedy or drama produced from a written book or script. Theatrical productions also extend to other performance designations such as Dramatic and Nondramatic theatre, a ...

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'' starring

Orlando Bloom Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Copeland Bloom (born 13 January 1977) is an English actor. He made his breakthrough as the character Legolas in ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series ''The Fellowship of the Ring'' (2001), ''The Two Towers'' (2002), a ...

and

Condola Rashād Condola Phylea Rashad (born December 11, 1986) is an American actress best known for her work in the theatre. She first broke out with a critically acclaimed performance in Lynn Nottage's off-Broadway play ''Ruined'' (2009), which won a Pulitzer ...

which was produced as a 2014 film by

BroadwayHD BroadwayHD is an on-demand digital streaming media company. Based in New York City, the company records and distributes live theater performances and previously recorded theatrical productions through its platform. History Stewart F. Lane and ...

and

Fathom Events Fathom Events is an entertainment content provider that broadcasts entertainment events in movie theaters throughout the United States including Metropolitan Opera Live in HD, the performing arts, major sporting events, and music concerts. The ...

Plot

Classic retelling of Romeo and Juliet storyline with Shakespeare play dialogue. However the play is set in modern-day with Romeo arriving on stage riding a motorcycle in blue jeans and sunglasses. The Montague family is all white and the Capulet family all black adding a new dimension of racial conflict between the two families. Balcony scene remains unchanged and the ending is still a tragedy that unites the families.

Cast

– Romeo *

–

Juliet Juliet Capulet () is the female protagonist in William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. A 13-year-old girl, Juliet is the only daughter of the patriarch of the House of Capulet. She falls in love with the male protagonist R ...

* Brent Carver – Friar Laurence *

Jayne Houdyshell Jayne Houdyshell (born September 25, 1953) is an American, Tony-winning actress known for her performances on stage and screen. Houdyshell made her Broadway debut in the 2005 production of ''It's a Wonderful Life''. The following year she earn ...

–

Nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

*Donté Bonner –

Sampson Sampson may refer to: Military * , several Royal Navy ships * , several US Navy ships * Sampson-class destroyer, a World War I US Navy class * Sampson Air Force Base, near Seneca Lake, New York, closed in 1956 * SAMPSON, a multi-function radar sys ...

* Christian Camargo – Mercutio *Joe Carroll – Balthasar * Chuck Cooper –

Lord Capulet William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'' contains a relatively distinctive cast of characters. In addition to the play's eponymous protagonists, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, the play, which is set in Verona, Italy, contains roles fo ...

Corey Hawkins Corey Antonio Hawkins (born October 22, 1988) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the TV series '' The Walking Dead'' and '' 24: Legacy'', as well as his portrayal of Dr. Dre in the 2015 film '' Straight Outta Compton''. In 2017, ...

–

Tybalt Tybalt () is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet''. He is the son of Lady Capulet's brother, Juliet's short-tempered first cousin, and Romeo's rival. Tybalt shares the same name as the character Tibert / Tybalt ''"the ...

Geoffrey Owens Geoffrey Louis Owens (born March 18, 1961) is an American actor known for his role as Elvin Tibideaux on ''The Cosby Show'' (1985–1992). He is the son of United States Congressman Major Owens. Early life and education Owens was born in Brookl ...

- Prince Escalus

Production background

It was the first Broadway production of the play ''Romeo and Juliet'' since 1977. The play ran on Broadway at Richard Rodgers Theatre from September 19 to December 8, 2013, for 93 regular performances after 27 previews starting on August 24 with

and

in the starring roles. On November 27, two performances of the production were filmed with nine cameras in high definition, and these performances were scheduled to be released in 2000 theatres on February 13 for the

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...

week in 2014 in the United States. The United Kingdom theatrical release date was April 1. Orlando Bloom Cannes 2013

This production depicts Romeo and his

Montague family William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'' contains a relatively distinctive cast of characters. In addition to the play's eponymous protagonists, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, the play, which is set in Verona, Italy, contains roles fo ...

with white actors, while

and her Capulet family are depicted with black actors. The production was a modernization featuring a Triumph motorcycle and zip-up jackets. The show marked Bloom's Broadway debut, and although Rashad had earned

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

nominations for both of her two prior Broadway roles, it was the first professional Shakespeare production for both stars. Therefore, the actors hired Patsy Rodenburg of Guildhall School of Music and Drama as a Shakespearean voice instructor.

Critical response

The play was met with modest reviews. Broadwayworld.com critic, Michael Dale, viewed the work as "lacking" in many respects. Despite the fact that Director David Leveaux uses a grand entrance for star Bloom on a motorcycle, the show is mostly "stale" according to Terry Teachout of ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

''. ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' David Rooney described the production as "snoozy". Nonetheless, the film received a fresh rating from 5 out of 6 reviewers at

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

Notes

External links

* * * * {{Romeo and Juliet 2010s English-language films Films based on Romeo and Juliet 2014 romantic drama films 2014 films Stage productions of plays by William Shakespeare Filmed stage productions Films about interracial romance