by Sebastian Marcu
Juliet & Romeo, a bold new pop musical film adaptation of Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy is coming to London’s big screens this summer. Directed by Timothy Scott Bogart, the film transports the audience to 1301, blending the historical end of the Medieval era with a fresh soundtrack of original pop music crafted by Grammy-winner Evan Kidd Bogart.
Featuring Clara Rugaard and Jamie Ward as the iconic leads and supported by a stellar cast including Rebel Wilson, Jason Isaacs, Rupert Everett, and Derek Jacobi, this reimagining is a dazzling collision of classic romance with modern musical flair.
The two young lovers from Verona are back on the big screen with a story that stays true to Shakespear’s classic tale but retold through a friar’s confession that finally reveals what happened after the lovers’ tragic death.
The film is a poetic metaphor for the enduring nature of love but the young protagonists here resonate a lot with a contemporary audience. Juliet (Clara Rugaard) is curageous and outspoken (she kisses Romeo first) whilst Romeo (Jamie Ward) is vulnerable and thorn by internal conflict. The narrative in the spoken word but more so in the song lyrics are imbued with references to modern themes like the freedom of expression or the search for one’s identity and self-discovery “I am more than the crown I wear”.
Although we knew the story, it didn’t fail to take us though an emotional rollercoaster helped by the beautiful songs and the pretty good vocal abilities of the cast. We could listen to Jamie Ward singing all day long! And then, there are the fabulous costumes, the choreography and the setting – the Romeo & Juliet Piazza looked great!
And the scene where Juliet is wearing her white dress at the masked party is one of my favourite scenes from the whole movie, both in terms of the emotion but also through great cinematic brilliance.
The presence of Derek Jacobi portraying an old, mischievous and clever friar is a real treat; he plays a pivotal role as the tragedy unravels and he is also the one that reveals the ending of this story. One of the best interpreters of Shakespeare roles, his part here highlights his acting versatility in both comedic and dramatic roles.
There is a lot of theatrical metaphors used to bring feelings to this story: the historic conflict between the two families is depicted as a fighting cage, the colour of costumes is used to show political division, or through songs lyrics ‘…this mask I wear’ that show one’s powerlessness to act on their beliefs. And then, there is the scene at the end where the two families are united in grief for their children under the dome of a church and with the friar compelling them to think how things could change: “this is where history is made!”.
The new Juliet & Romeo cinematic musical is the freshest perspective of the age-old tale of love and conflict we were waiting for. Would our young lovers change things for the better or make a difference this time around? There is only one way to find out.
Juliet & Romeo will be in UK Cinemas for one night only on 11th June.
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