ROMEO AND JULIET ADAPTATIONS

Adaptations
There have been many adaptations of Romeo and Juliet, created for many media.

[edit] Plays
Other versions of the Romeo and Juliet play have been made, which had the "culture" of where the play was made as the "setting". For instance, a version of the play which had Romeo as a Palestinian and Juliet as a Jew in Israel and the Palestinian territories were made, which criticizes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.[citation needed] Similarly, versions have also been devised dealing with apartheid in South Africa, in which Romeo is black and Juliet is white.
A Native American version called "Kino and Teresa" was first produced in 2005 by Native Voices at the Autry in Los Angeles. Written by James Lujan, the historical play was set in 17th Century Santa Fe, seventeen years after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 and revolved around the conflict between the Pueblo Indians and Spanish colonists.[citation needed]
An updated version of Romeo and Juliet called Romeo/Juliet Remixed (or R0M30/JUL137 R3M1X3D) is set to a rave dance floor background with a kick-boxing Juliet and an Ecstasy-taking Romeo. Before the play begins, this interactive show features a choice of glowsticks (pink if one chooses to be a Montague, yellow if one chooses to be a Capulet,) an escort to a mock dance club called "Club Verona" where "theater"-goers dance and mingle with the cast and other audience members, as well as the chance to cheer on a crew of breakdancing Montagues or Capulets, and a chance to be on the venue's big screen. Romeo and Juliet communicate via cell phone and text messaging.

[edit] Opera
The story was converted into the opera Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod in 1867 with a libretto written by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré.
The Romeo and Juliet story was also the subject of Vincenzo Bellini's opera I Capuleti e i Montecchi, although Bellini and his librettist, Felice Romani, worked from Italian sources, and these were only distantly related to Shakespeare's work.
In 2004 American composer Lee Hoiby also adapted "Romeo and Juliet" to write an opera of the same name.

[edit] Ballet
Several ballet adaptations of the story have been made, the first written in the 18th century. The best known feature music by Sergei Prokofiev, and a variety of choreographers have used this music. The first version featuring Prokofiev's music was performed in 1938. See: Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev)

[edit] Musical
The musical West Side Story, by Leonard Bernstein and librettist Stephen Sondheim, also made into a film, is based on Romeo and Juliet, updating the story to mid-20th century New York City and the warring families to ethnic gangs.
In 1999, Terrence Mann's rock musical William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, co-written with Jerome Korman, premiered at the Ordway Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was not a critical success.
Roméo et Juliette, de la Haine à l'Amour, a musical by Gérard Presgurvic, premiered on January 19, 2001 in the Palais de Congrès in Paris, France. By 2005, it had already attracted some six million people.
The song "Exit Music (For a Film)" by Radiohead was made for the 1996 movie version (see below) of Romeo and Juliet and is sung from the point of view of someone waking up his lover and inviting them to join them in escaping from the oppression of their respective families through suicide.
Romeo and Juliet is also the name of a song by the British rock band Dire Straits.
The Reflections reached #6 on the pop charts in the summer of 1964 with the song "(Just Like) Romeo & Juliet".

[edit] Instrumental music
Among the instrumental pieces inspired by the play are Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet, Overture-Fantasy and Hector Berlioz's Roméo et Juliette "Symphonie dramatique", although the latter does have substantial vocal parts. Prokofiev also created three orchestra suites and a piano suite, Romeo and Juliet: Ten Pieces for Piano, based on the music from his ballet.

[edit] Film versions
See also Shakespeare on screen (Romeo and Juliet)
There have been over forty movie versions of the tale, with the first made in France in 1900. Some of the more notable adaptations include:
1908 - Romeo and Juliet, a silent film made by Vitagraph Studios.
The first American production, it was directed by J. Stuart Blackton, the film starred Paul Panzer as Romeo and Florence Lawrence as Juliet.
1936 - Romeo and Juliet, produced by Irving Thalberg and directed by George Cukor
The 1936 screen version was one of the more notable of Classical Hollywood. Thalberg spared no expense, and showcased his wife, Norma Shearer, in the lead role. Romeo was played by Leslie Howard, John Barrymore was Mercutio, and Andy Devine was Peter, the servant to Juliet's nurse. However, the film was criticized because Howard and Shearer were both considerably older than the scripted roles.
Academy Awards nominations:
Best Picture - Irving Thalberg, producer
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Basil Rathbone - as Tybalt
Best Actress - Norma Shearer
Best Art Direction - Cedric Gibbons, Fredric Hope and Edwin B. Willis
1954 - Romeo and Juliet directed by Renato Castellani.
A notable British/Italian production with a colourful setting. The cast includes Laurence Harvey as Romeo, Susan Shentall as Juliet, Flora Robson as the Nurse and Mervyn Johns as Friar Laurence.
1968 - Romeo and Juliet, directed by Franco Zeffirelli
Filmed in Italy, the performance of the young Olivia Hussey as Juliet is a defining feature. It won Oscars for best cinematography and best costume design, and was nominated for Best Director and Best Picture. It also starred Leonard Whiting as Romeo - he was seen as 'the next big thing' in film at the time, but his career did not match up to expectations.
1978 - Romeo and Juliet, directed by Alvin Rakoff
for the BBC Television Shakespeare series. This production is generally unregarded due to its inexperienced stars and low production values, although Alan Rickman's Tybalt is notable.
1983 - Romeo and Juliet, directed by William Woodman
This film features an excellent set of costumes. The cast includes Alex Hyde-White, Blanche Baker, Esther Rolle, Dan Hamilton, and Frederic Hehne.
1996 - Romeo + Juliet, directed by Baz Luhrmann
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the title roles, Luhrmann gave the famous tale a modern setting. The production uses Luhrmann's signature flamboyant color and stylization. Besides the modernization it is notable for significantly tweaking the ending, so that Romeo and Juliet get a final scene alive together.
At the Berlin International Film Festival 1997, it won:
Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio)
Alfred Bauer Prize
Academy Awards 1996 nominations:
Best Art Direction and Set Decoration (Catherine Martin and Brigitte Broch)
1996 - Tromeo and Juliet, directed by Lloyd Kaufman
The Troma team put their own inimitable spin on the story, setting it in Manhattan in a punk milieu. Lemmy from Motörhead narrates.
2000 - Romeo Must Die, directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak
With Jet Li as Han Ling (the Romeo of the story) who is out to avenge his brother's murder. He meets and eventually falls in love with Trish O'Day (the Juliet of the story, played by Aaliyah) who is the daughter of a rival American mob boss. Apart from the main characters being the son and daughter of bitter rivals, the plot has practically nothing to do with Romeo and Juliet the play.
2005 - Romeo & Juliet directed by Dave LaChapelle
Featuring Tamyra Gray as Juliet, Gus Carr as Romeo, and Mary J. Blige, this is a 10-minute promotional advertisement for the H&M clothing company. Released in September 2005, this commercial was shown online (H&M website) and during the trailers of certain theatrical films, and featured the new "&denim" selection. In this musical remake which features background music provided by Tamyra Gray and Mary J. Blige (both songs are from the musical Dreamgirls), Romeo is gunned down in a drive-by shooting and Juliet sings over his body while he bleeds to death on the street. Due to complaints that the commercial glamorized gang violence and was H&M's attempt to use gun culture to sell their jeans to teenagers, H&M subsequently withdrew the ad from Canadian & U.S. markets and issued an apology.
2005 - O Casamento de Romeu e Julieta, directed by Bruno Barreto.
This is a Brazilian adaptation of the text that is actually a romantic comedy set amid a bitter soccer rivalry.
2006 - Romeo and Juliet, directed by Yves Desgagnés.
This is a Canadian, québecois adaptation. The two principal roles are played by the newly discovered actors Thomas Lalonde and Charlotte Aubin, whose were both chosen during auditions. It was due for release on 15 December 2006.
The film West Side Story set in 1960s New York City was loosely based on the story of Romeo and Juliet, with the Montagues becoming the Jets and the Capulets becoming the Sharks.
The film Shakespeare in Love is a fictional account of how Shakespeare writes the play against the clock inspired by his love for a noble woman. The movie also describes the start of Twelfth Night, inspired by the same woman's ultimate fate.

[edit] Television
The Canadian-produced animated television special Romie-0 and Julie-8 (1979), is a science fiction adaptation of the play, recasting the lead characters as robots.