Shakespeare’s tragedy of star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, lives on in the next Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (klpac) production. ‘After Juliet’ tells the story of the aftermath of the lovers’ deaths and how some feuds, like sappy love stories, refuse to die.
Running from 15-18 July at klpac, After Juliet was written by Sharman Macdonald. Award-winning playwright Macdonald is not quite as well-known as her actress daughter Keira Knightley who came up with the idea for the play.
As the play opens, we see the warring Montagues and Capulets temporarily setting aside their differences after the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. In an ironic twist, Romeo’s best friend Benvolio now finds himself enamoured of Juliet’s cousin, Rosaline.
Rosaline, unlike her dead cousin, has her heart set not on romance but revenge.
All the drama unfolds in a post-apocalyptic world in the near future, a re-imagining that gives the play a more contemporary feel.
Directing the play will be klpac’s resident director, Kelvin Wong with a cast of 11 actors at his disposal. The ensemble: Sally Ann, Devyani Gupta, Kimmy Kiew, Ashvina Marie Naidu, Jeremy Ooi, Gowri Paary, Shiva Shobitha, Freddy Tan, Payal Vashist, Nabihan Yaacob and Nur Zakuan.
Funnily enough, Wong has chosen to cast women in two of the male roles. How will that work out? You’ll have to come see the play to find out.
Event details:
Venue: Pentas 2, klpac (location shown in attached Google Map)
Dates: 14 July (preview), 15-18 July
Ticket prices: RM35 (Adults), RM23 (students/disabled). Preview night tickets will be sold at RM23 flat.
For groups, buy 8 tickets and get 2 free (not applicable on preview night).
Ticketing: Call 03-4047 9000 or walk in to klpac, The Actors Studio @ Lot 10, Axcess headquarters, Axcess 1-Utama outlet or Axcess Alamanda Putarajaya outlet to purchase tickets. For more information, visit www.klpac.org.
CJMY
