Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet is headed to the Sydney Opera House. In collaboration with producer GEA Live and Disney, Luhrman is bringing the 1996 hit film based on William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet to life alongside a live concert experience.
William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, starring Academy Award-winning Leonardo DiCaprio and Emmy-winning Claire Danes as the titular characters, captured audiences in the 1990s with its bold and daring take on the play that premiered more than 400 years ago. This September, the film will celebrate its 30th anniversary with the live-to-film event fusing cinema, theater, rock, orchestral music and the feverish visuals that made the 1996 movie a cultural landmark.
“Bringing this theatrical expression of Romeo and Juliet, the film to the Sydney Opera House is deeply personal as it was [costume designer] Catherine Martin and my creative home in the beginning of our journey,” Luhrmann said in a statement. “I couldn’t think of a better way of celebrating the 30 years that this film has managed to continue to touch audiences, of every generation, than by doing something special in the iconic creative home, the Sydney Opera House.”
Presented on a cinema-sized screen with the original dialogue and action intact, William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet Film in Concert features a 12-piece hybrid ensemble performing the film’s score and music live in sync with the full movie. Inspired by the film’s vibrant Verona Beach, the production surrounds audiences with iconic visual elements from Montague and Capulet family banners, to candles, neon crosses, red drapes, flowers and an altar-like DJ booth.
“When we made the film, it was really important to find a visual language where nothing in the film could actually be dated. It’s why we don’t have technology or any object that is time specific,” Luhrmann tells Billboard of the movie that transformed a 400-year-old text into a symbol of the ‘90s MTV-era. “I’m constantly surprised by the amount of very young and new audiences who know the film very well. The other exciting thing for me is recently learning the influence that the film has had on both anime and, in fact, K-pop producers and music. I think the play itself has a universality, and it speaks particularly to young people of any generation.”
The modern take on the play ushered in new fans with Luhrmann’s signature eye-catching visuals, as well as a soundtrack that brought in young listeners. The soundtrack includes instantly recognizable tracks including “Kissing You” by Des’ree, “Lovefool” by The Cardigans, “Talk Show Host” by Radiohead, “#1 Crush” by Garbage, “Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good)” by Quindon Tarver, “Young Hearts Run Free” by Kym Mazelle and “You and Me Song” by The Wannadies.
Courtesy 20th Century Studios
“Romeo + Juliet has always lived somewhere between cinema, theater, music video and fever dream, which makes it a perfect title for the in-concert format,” Floris Douwes, producer and managing director at GEA Live, said in a statement. “To launch this production at Sydney Opera House with Baz Luhrmann’s support is a huge occasion for the film 30 years later. Hearing it performed live adds a new charge from beginning to end.”
Luhrmann’s filmography includes 1992’s Strictly Ballroom, 2001’s Moulin Rouge!, 2008’s Australia, 2013’s Great Gatsby and 2022’s Elvis — all of which he believes could merit a run at the Sydney Opera House one day.
“All my films tend to have a theatricality in the cinematic language, so they naturally lend themselves to eventizing, and there’s no more honorable and personally fulfilling location that I can think of anything I’ve made being performed or screened in than the Sydney Opera House,” Luhrmann tells Billboard. “It’s actually the birthplace of my first works in opera and theater, and it’s really kind of a home for [Martin] and I and my whole team.”
William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet Film in Concert will premiere Sept. 29. Presale begins July 3 at 10 a.m., with tickets on sale to the general public on July 6 at 10 a.m.
