A cinematic live-to-film event presenting Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film Romeo + Juliet with the original dialogue and action intact, accompanied by a hybrid ensemble performing the score live.
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet - Film in Concert comes to York Barbican on Thursday 21 October 2027, starting at 6:00pm. It's a live-to-film event: Baz Luhrmann's 1996 Romeo + Juliet plays out on a cinema screen with the original dialogue and action intact, while a hybrid ensemble of rock and orchestral musicians performs the score live in sync with the movie. The ensemble blends vocals, electronics and a DJ, mirroring Luhrmann's original mix of classic storytelling and contemporary sound.
The film is as much about its soundtrack as its story, and that's what this concert leans into. The 1990s score is remembered for tracks like Des'ree's 'Kissing You' and The Cardigans' 'Lovefool', and hearing them played live alongside the scenes they belong to is the whole point of the evening. The film itself was a bold reimagining of Shakespeare's tragedy, and the live music brings that same energy back to the foreground.
It's the 30th anniversary of the film, which starred Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio and Emmy winner Claire Danes as the titular lovers. Director Baz Luhrmann has spoken about the film's ability to find new audiences over the last three decades, calling it 'the enduring magic of Shakespeare and cinema'.
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The York date is part of a wider UK tour presented by Communion One and GEA Live, in collaboration with Disney Concerts and Baz Luhrmann, which also visits Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Birmingham and Manchester. It starts at 6:00pm at York Barbican on Thursday 21 October.
