Orpheus Theatre, HK Arts Centre Jan 13-16, 7.30pm; Jan 16-17, 2.30pm
Local theatre director Andy Burt has always wanted to stage Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet. 'It's probably the most beautiful love story that's ever been told. It's got some wonderful poetry, it's a very poignant story and it's quite an uplifting one is well,' he says.
But he could not find the right actors for the title roles. 'I've always had a bit of a problem with Romeo and Juliet being played by thirtysomething actors and so I never felt I could tackle it - until now,' says Burt.
It was during the staging of a play last year that Burt found his 'ideal Juliet' in Camille Ahern who played Thomasina in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia. Although only 15 years old, the French International School student shows 'an astonishing maturity and understanding of people and relationships, which allow her to come up with complex, truthful characterisations', the director says. 'And she has a wonderful sense of timing, which I don't think it is possible to teach someone.'
Playing her Romeo will be 19-year-old Phil McManus (left with Ahern) whose performance in Journey's End in 2007 had impressed the director, whose previous stage credits include My Fair Lady and Educating Rita.
Having found his leads, Burt decided to give the work a contemporary spin by injecting rock music into the show. Ronald Wan and James Smith are in charge of the production's musical direction and songs featured will include Get This Party Started, Bleeding Love and Chasing Cars.
While remaining faithful to Shakespeare's text, Burt says: 'I've always had an interest in how music fits into theatre but for this one I wanted to do something I'd never done before, I know nothing about modern music. When I was growing up I was always doing classical and baroque. Somehow modern music slipped me by. I thought it would be fun to do a play with rock music incorporated and I wanted to make Romeo and Juliet relevant for young people.
