William Shakespeare’s timeless play, Romeo and Juliet, has been adapted into the musical genre countless times! There is Robert Wise’s West Side Story, The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride, Down Argentine Way, and several adaptations throughout India. Timothy Scott Bogart’s Juliet & Romeo transforms one of Shakespeare’s iconic plays into a pop-inspired musical with historical fiction elements. We are transported to Verona in 1301, in a time when Italy had not been united as a country. Rome wants to claim this region as part of its unification under Pope Boniface VIII. The Montagues and Capulets are fighting to preserve their realm. Prince Escalus (Rupert Graves) has arrived to end this longstanding feud once and for all.
Romeo (Jamie Ward) is not favored by his father, Lord Montague (Jason Isaacs). His father prefers Mercutio (Nicholas Podany), who honors the family name. Juliet (Clara Rugaard) has arrived home from school; little does she realize her mother, Lady Capulet (Rebel Wilson), has arranged for her to marry Lord Paris (Dennis Andres). In an original subplot, Friar Lawrence (Derek Jacobi) is befuddled by an Apothecary (Dan Fogler), who is crafting potions that can temporarily make people “dead” for a short period of time. All the familiar plot beats are shaken up with original songs by Evan Kidd Bogart and Justin Gray, which are tonally similar to the music from The Greatest Showman and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. Bogart’s film incorporates a bizarre plot twist that will give you a WTF reaction to the play’s famous ending.
“Romeo and Juliet’s romance is reimagined through a YA romcom lens; it surprisingly works!”
This musical is for the TikTok crowd. Bogart’s screenplay gives the story a spunky energy. The dialogue has a contemporary feel and includes snippets of the Bard’s legendary text. Romeo and Juliet’s romance is reimagined through a YA romcom lens; it surprisingly works! The star-crossed lovers are performed well by Jamie Ward and Clara Rugaard, and vocally they complement each other.
The songs are a mixed bag. “I Should Write This Down” is a quirky comedic tune that imitates Lin-Manuel Miranda’s fast-paced rapping. “Better Than This” is a decent upbeat anthem, which would be perfect on a party or prom playlist. While the songs are integrated organically into the plot, they lack personality. Bogart’s screenplay introduces an interesting concept where Juliet and Romeo’s love transforms their feelings from prose to poetry. This is underutilized, as Shakespeare’s innovative use of the English language is ripe for the musical genre. As it has successfully been done before, Cole Porter intelligently carried the Bard’s wordplay into Kiss Me Kate (1953). Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein memorably reimagined Shakespeare’s iambic pentameter into the pseudo-operatic tone of West Side Story (1961). Jeff and Rick Kuperman’s choreography modernizes medieval dances. These dance numbers feel confined as the film is shot in real medieval castles.
Bogart’s film is great on a visual level. Production designer Dante Ferretti cleverly uses blue, red, and orange. Luciano Capozzi’s costume design is velvety and colorful, and may be a nod to Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet. Juliet & Romeo is worth seeing for audiences curious about new interpretations of Shakespeare’s works. As a musical, it is fine. I would recommend the film for the teen audience. It is a neat way to get future generations interested in the brilliant talent of England’s literary master.
"…worth seeing for audiences curious about new interpretations of Shakespeare’s works."
