New Adventures’ production of Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet will be screened in cinemas across the UK and Ireland from 22 October. The production has had a fantastic response during its tour, and now has the opportunity to share it with as many people as possible across the world.
Matthew Bourne believes this timeless story of forbidden love, repressed emotions and teenage discovery is no better told than by the young, and he has been inspired by what his team of young dancers and artists have brought to Shakespeare’s iconic tale of tragic conflict and young love. It is a passionate and contemporary re-imagining of the classic story, and is set in the not-too-distant future in ‘The Verona Institute’. Here ‘difficult’ young people are confined by a society that seeks to crush their youthful spirit and individuality. The two young lovers must follow their hearts as they risk everything to be together.
Filmed live at Sadler’s Wells in London especially for cinemas, Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet stars Cordelia Braithwaite as Juliet and Paris Fitzpatrick as Romeo. Bursting with youth, vitality and Matthew Bourne’s trademark storytelling, the UK’s brightest young dance talent join the New Adventures company, with direction and choreography by Matthew Bourne, design by Lez Brotherston, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by Paul Groothuis and new orchestrations of the Prokofiev score by Terry Davies, played live by the New Adventures Orchestra conducted by Brett Morris.
Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet is directed for the screen by Ross MacGibbon and produced by Illuminations. It is being screened in cinemas worldwide by More2Screen; in 2018, More2Screen won the Screen Award ‘Event Cinema Campaign of the Year’ category for the live broadcast of the musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. The company has previously distributed four of Matthew Bourne’s award-winning productions to cinemas: Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, The Car Man and Cinderella.