Romeo and Juliet
“Romeo and Juliet” – the first pop-rock musical staged by a professional musical theatre institution in Romania
Cast:
Romeo: Jorge (George Papagheorghe)/ Lucian Ionescu
Juliet: Diana Nițu/Cristina Bleandură
Lady Montague: Neli Niculae/ Adina Sima
Lady Capulet: Georgiana Mototolea/ Amelia Antoniu
Capulet Father: Orest Pîslariu-Ranghilof / Stefan Popov
Mercuțio: Victor Bucur/ Filip Ristovski
Benvolio: Adrian Nour/ George Călin
Tybalt: Ernest Fazekas
Nurse: Claudia Măru-Hanghiuc/ Raluca Stoica/ Mioara Manea-Arvunescu
Priest Lorenzo: Demeter Andras/ Nicolae Lupu
Paris: Florin Budnaru/ Matei Chioariu
Prince from Verona: Cătălin Petrescu/ Daniel Iordăchioae
With the participation of Ballet, Chorus and Orchestra of the National Theatre of Operetta and Musical “Ion Dacian”.
Description
The musical “Romeo and Juliet”, created by Gérard Presgurvic, premiered on the stage of the Operetta and Musical Theatre “Ion Dacian” in April 2009, being the first pop-rock musical staged by a professional musical theatre institution in the country. The production was successfully received by both the public and the critics, who called the musical “The show of the year 2009” within the Annual Awards Gala of the “Musical News” Magazine, 20th edition.
Based on the famous love story written by William Shakespeare, “Romeo et Juliette: de la Haine à l’Amour” (original French title), the musical does not deviate from the original plot, but repositioned and translates it today. Romeo and Juliet are two young people living in a universally valid drama, transmitted to the public through pop-rock rhythms, with accessible and recognizable lyrics in the language of today’s young people. Gérard Presgurvic’s choice of subject, as well as its transformation are captured in the following statement: “It is the most romantic and tragic piece in the history of literature. It’s hard to find a better subject for a good musical. It has all the necessary ingredients: hate, love, misunderstanding, destiny, death, wedding, freedom. Beyond all this, I tried to use this story to discover new but universally valid feelings in myself and in others”.
The production of this show was the second collaboration of the Bucharest musical institution with the Operetta and Musical Theater in Budapest (after the operetta “Merry Widow”), being part of the Open Operetta program, which involves long-term partnerships with institutions abroad, exchanges of experience and cultural residencies. Benefiting thus from the contribution of the creative team from Hungary, the Romanian version of the musical is like to the Hungarian, preserving the musical structure, choreography and costumes used in the Budapest staging, which later allowed a unique collaboration – a bilingual Romanian-Hungarian staging of the musical, with the participation of soloists from both musical institutions.
Show Details:
The show of 2009 – during the Annual Awards Gala of the Musical News Magazine, 20th edition
Musical by Gérard Presgurvic
After the play of the same name by William Shakespeare
Directed by: KERO® – Kérenyi Miklós Gábor
Translation: Ernest Fazekas
Conductor: Balázs Stauróczky
Master of chorus: László Kéringer, Gabriel Popescu
Choreography: Eva Duda
Scenography: Bela Gotz
Costumes: Rita Velich
Lighting Design: Peter Somfai
Assistant director: Raluca Popa
General Delegate Producer: George Calin
Co-production partner: Budapest Operetta and Musical Theatre
Press Articles:
“We are witnessing a modern adaptation of the famous play sung and danced about Love and Hate, Joy and Pain, Life and Death. A timeless and present show in which I subtly break through the earthquakes of our troubled times, devoid of love and faith. An underground tension is growing towards the end, when the two lovers hang inert from a rope. In this splendid dramatic-musical development we find irony, malice, satirical observation, tragedy, but also grace, tenderness, poetry”.