Written by the summer teen intensive marketing team
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Welcome to the first blog post featuring our teen intensive shows, Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story! First, we’d like to talk about the history of our two shows, starting off with Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo and Juliet was believed to have been written between 1591 and 1595, and then was first published in 1597. Written by William Shakespeare, it is a timeless tale about feuding families and two fated lovers. Although Shakespeare expanded on many of the sub-plots and minor characters, he did not come up with the whole story on his own. He crafted his play from the numerous stories about forbidden love created before his time, such as the story of Pyramus and Thisbe from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. It is one of Shakespeare’s most widely performed shows, on stage and screen with many adaptations. The story has inspired multiple other stories and retellings, such as West Side Story.
The classic musical West Side Story, which has a score written by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, has seen many theaters. This popular production has even appeared on Broadway three times. The original Broadway production, which opened in 1957 and closed after 732 performances in 1959. This production won two Tony Awards: Best Choreography and Best Scenic Design. West Side Story was revived on Broadway in February in 1980 but closed after only 333 performances in November of 1980. The most recent time this show appeared on Broadway was in 2009. This production combined Spanish and English dialogue and lyrics to bring a more authentic feel to the show, courtesy of Lin Manuel-Miranda. The 2009 version closed after 748 performances in 2011.
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GET TICKETS
If you would like to see our adaptations of the shows, the Duluth Playhouse Family Theatre will be performing both shows in repertory style August 9-12 and August 16-19. If you would like to purchase tickets, visit duluthplayhouse.org/family-theatre or call the Duluth Playhouse Box Office at (218)-733-7555.
- When: August 9-19
- Romeo & Juliet – August 9, 11, 16 & 18
- West Side Story – August 10, 12, 17 & 19
- Showtimes: Thursday-Saturday @ 7pm, Sunday @ 2pm
- Where: Playhouse Family Theatre at the Depot (506 W. Michigan St., Duluth MN, 55802)
- Tickets: Online | 218.733.7555 | In-person at 211 E. Superior St.
- Price: Adults – $17 | Youth – $15