A scene from French musical "Romeo et Juliette: De la Haine à l’Amour." Photos courtesy of the organizer

“Romeo et Juliette: De la Haine à l’Amour,” a French musical based on William Shakespeare’s play, “Romeo and Juliet,” will return to Shenzhen in June with shows at Pingshan Theater. 

The musical premiered in Paris in 2001, featuring music and lyrics by Gérard Presgurvic. The production was directed and choreographed by Redha Benteifour, with costumes by Dominique Borg and settings by Petrika Ionesco. The producers were Gérard Louvin, GLEM, and Universal Music. Since its debut, the musical has entertained over 12 million audiences throughout Europe and Asia, and it has been translated into various languages, including Chinese, Flemish, Italian, Hungarian, Russian, English, German, Spanish, Romanian, Japanese, and Korean.

A scene from French musical "Romeo et Juliette: De la Haine à l’Amour."

In Shenzhen, the show will be performed in French with Chinese subtitles. During the two-hour-plus show, audience members will hear 37 catchy songs containing elements of electronic, dance, rock, and other modern music styles. Previous audience members have been stunned by its dazzling stage set.

The plot differs from Shakespeare’s original play. For example, the nature of the lovers’ death is different, and new characters such as Death and the Poet appear for dramatic effect. Lady Capulet plays a much more significant role and has an affair with her servant in the Hungarian version. The role of Tybalt has also changed slightly. He is portrayed as a more pitiful character due to his dark childhood and unrequited attraction to Juliet, which fill his heart with hatred.

A scene from French musical "Romeo et Juliette: De la Haine à l’Amour."

Time: 7:30 p.m., June 16-18; June 17-18 also at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets: 100-1,080 yuan

Booking: WeChat account “PingShanTheatre”

Venue: Pingshan Theater, Pingshan District (坪山大剧院)

Metro: Line 14 to Pingshan Square Station (坪山广场站), Exit D1