Contemporary ballet and a modern soundtrack is being used to produce a fresh and modern retelling of the classic Shakespeare romance tale, Romeo and Juliet.
The music of British rock band Radiohead, best known for Fake Plastic Trees and Motion Picture Soundtrack, is accompanying the performance, using the distinctively gloomy sound of Radiohead to compliment the devastating story.
Ballet dancer Brooke Widdison-Jacobs returns to the role of Juliet after playing the infatuated lover two-and-a-half years ago and said the ballet helps convey the strong emotion throughout the story.
“It’s a new modern take on a very famous story but there are some differences, in this version Juliet is still young and naive and she has to find who her Romeo is among six men,” she said.
“Romeo and Juliet is a very emotionally charged story and dance gives the performers another avenue to explore and convey that emotion.
“I found it easy to portray the story through dance too because it’s easy to convey love, loss and sorrow through movement.”
Ms Widdison-Jacobs said through her history with the role she’s been able to make the character of Juliet very much her own.
“I’m the only female performer on stage throughout the show, so it’s been very easy for me to take the role, run with it and make Juliet my own,” she said.
“When I perform it’s all me, the character becomes me and I’m able to identify with Juliet a lot, I’ve been given a lot of liberty with the character.”
The addition of the Radiohead soundtrack is another aspect of the show Ms Widdison-Jacobs hopes audiences will find fresh.
“The music is put together in a way that it compliments the themes of the production and elicits the right feelings in the show,” she said.
“We’ve had a really positive response from audiences, I hope they’re leaving the theatre feeling like they’ve seen something fantastic.”
“I overheard a couple of ladies who thought the Radiohead aspect might turn them off from seeing the show but I hope it doesn’t, because the music is very relaxed and suits the story.”
Radio and Juliet comes to Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre Saturday, October 1 at 8pm, for more information and tickets visit bunburyentertainment.com or visit the box office.