Stage Presentation Of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Gets Worldwide Broadcast

Lily James and Richard Madden star in Romeo & Juliet

The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company will broadcast their presentation of Romeo and Juliet to more than 1200 cinemas worldwide live from the West End’s Garrick Theatre on July 7.

The broadcast of Romeo and Juliet follows that of last year’s presentation of The Winter’s Tale which topped the UK cinema box office when it was broadcast to 520 cinemas across the country. Reuniting the stars of the celebrated film Cinderella, Kenneth Branagh and Rob Ashford will direct Shakespeare’s heartbreaking tale of forbidden love.

Meera Syal and Lily James in Romeo & Juliet

The full cast of Romeo and Juliet, the sixth production in the Plays at the Garrick season includes Lily James as Juliet, Richard Madden as Romeo, Derek Jacobi as Mercutio and Meera Syal as The Nurse.

“The live broadcast is so exciting because it gets the play out of the Garrick Theatre and across the world, opening it up to an entirely different audience,” says Lily James who plays Juliet, “When Ken first talked to me about Romeo and Juliet he described how we would really try and capture the thriller aspect of the story and set it in 1950's Italy, firmly in the world of la dolce vita. The feel would be monochromatic, like those beautiful old black and white movies of that time, and it all immediately felt very filmic anyway. I really think it's so exciting to see Shakespeare on film and to watch plays displaced from their original setting into a new medium. I can't wait!”

South Wales filmgoers will be able to catch The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company’s production of Romeo & Juliet at Newport’s Cineworld, Cwmbran’s Vue Cinema and Monmouth’s Savoy Theatre.

For more information visit branaghtheatre.com