Radio and Juliet

Picture this: an urban, modern, Slovenian retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet performed in the style of modern ballet, but all done to the music of Radiohead, oh and depicted in reverse. Needless to say, it was incredible!

My favorite part was the wildly (yet precise) choreographed fight scenes, and especially the death of Mercucio. It was a passionate display of dance that both told the story of Romeo and Juliet and drew upon some of the poignant themes of Radiohead's music, such as the opening and the wedding scenes being set to the lyrics of "Fitter Happier," a feeling-less diatribe on how to be fitter and happier which leaves us:

calm,
fitter,
healthier and more productive
a pig
in a cage
on antibiotics.

The performance was part of the Singapore Arts Festival, a month long series of performances from a plethora of genres, regions, and time periods. My friend Leah, who went with me to see Radio and Juliet, commented on the significance of the piece drawing from so many diverse backgrounds and on top of everything being premiered in Asia. With the festival, my group is going to another show on Friday and hopefully a few more before the closing ceremony in late June.

Check out these links to some videos of the performance:
1) Flashback / fight scene
2) Group dance with changing Romeos (to Idioteque)