Tag Archives: Romeo and Juliet

Fleeting: Modern Adaptations of Old Classics (Shakespeare Edition)

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Being a lover of Shakespeare, I am always on the look out of modern adaptations to some of Shakespeare’s works. Some have been hits (for me) others have been misses (you gotta have some) and some fall in the in between.

So what worked for me may not work for you guys, but hey, that’s what opinions are for, no?

Keep in mind these are adaptations that are also modernized… I will not be looking at pieces like Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet… which is essentially the play with a modernized feel, what’s the point.

ROMEO AND JULIET
West Side Story
This has got to be the most obvious. Taking a look of who kills who, what happens to whom and most of the ending (Juliet doesn’t really kill herself as much as she may want to). It is well written, well composed, and chock full of dancing, singing, and drama. Classic in a Romeo and Juliet piece.

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Review: Shaking Spears (a conglomerate of Shakespeare’s tragedies set to the music of Britney Spears)

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Yes you read that right… one of my theater acquaintances wrote a stage play taking four works of Shakespeare’s tragedies
– Macbeth
– Romeo & Juliet
– Hamlet
– Julius Ceasar
taking various aspects, storyline lines, and characters and created a singular storyline. Not only that, she had various characters (including two of the male leads) sing Britney Spears songs…

Now upon first glance this shouldn’t have worked, Shakespeare and Britney Spears? I could hear Shakespeare rolling in his grave. However, the truth of the matter is that somehow, someway it did and I will be the one that would grudgingly admit that I was wrong in my original take of this particular ditty (and I really don’t like having to eat my words).

Let me explain:

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