Juliet and Romeo all grown up

The dancer, actor and stand-up comic Ben Duke and his company Lost Dog bring their own '“ very entertaining - version of Shakespeare's most famous romantic tale, Juliet and Romeo, to Amble.
Ben Duke and Solene Weinachter in Juliet and Romeo- A Guide to Long Life and Happy Marriage by Lost Dog @ Battersea Arts Centre. Conceived and directed by Ben Duke
(Opening 14-02-18)
©2018 ROH. Photographed by Tristram Kenton. 
(3 Raveley Street, LONDON NW5 2HX TEL 0207 267 5550  Mob 07973 617 355)email: tristram@tristramkenton.comBen Duke and Solene Weinachter in Juliet and Romeo- A Guide to Long Life and Happy Marriage by Lost Dog @ Battersea Arts Centre. Conceived and directed by Ben Duke
(Opening 14-02-18)
©2018 ROH. Photographed by Tristram Kenton. 
(3 Raveley Street, LONDON NW5 2HX TEL 0207 267 5550  Mob 07973 617 355)email: tristram@tristramkenton.com
Ben Duke and Solene Weinachter in Juliet and Romeo- A Guide to Long Life and Happy Marriage by Lost Dog @ Battersea Arts Centre. Conceived and directed by Ben Duke (Opening 14-02-18) ©2018 ROH. Photographed by Tristram Kenton. (3 Raveley Street, LONDON NW5 2HX TEL 0207 267 5550 Mob 07973 617 355)email: [email protected]

Broadly based on Shakespeare’s deeply pessimistic teenage love story, this highly entertaining, extremely amusing and occasionally quite tender evening of theatre and dance is performed by Lost Dog’s artistic director Ben Duke and Solène Weinachter.

This clever, funny production explores contemporary culture’s celebration of youth and how it creates unrealistic expectations around love, sex and relationships.

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Ben said: “I hope audiences will be entertained and moved by the work. It’s a piece that allows people to consider the nature of their own relationships, something we could all do with reflecting on.

London, UK. 12.02.2017. Lost Dog presents "Juliet and Romeo: A Guide to Long Life and Happy Marriage", at Battersea Arts Centre.  Conceived and directed by Ben Duke. Devised and performed by Ben Duke and Solene Weinachter. Artistic Collaborator: Raquel Meseguer. Lighting design by Jackie Shemesh, costume design by James Perkins. 
Juliet and Romeo - A Guide to Long Life & Happy Marriage is co-commissioned by Battersea Arts Centre, The Place, and Warwick Arts Centre. The work is funded by Arts Council England via Grants for the Arts. Production time supported by Lancaster Arts. Ben Duke is a Work Place artist.
Photograph © Jane Hobson.London, UK. 12.02.2017. Lost Dog presents "Juliet and Romeo: A Guide to Long Life and Happy Marriage", at Battersea Arts Centre.  Conceived and directed by Ben Duke. Devised and performed by Ben Duke and Solene Weinachter. Artistic Collaborator: Raquel Meseguer. Lighting design by Jackie Shemesh, costume design by James Perkins. 
Juliet and Romeo - A Guide to Long Life & Happy Marriage is co-commissioned by Battersea Arts Centre, The Place, and Warwick Arts Centre. The work is funded by Arts Council England via Grants for the Arts. Production time supported by Lancaster Arts. Ben Duke is a Work Place artist.
Photograph © Jane Hobson.
London, UK. 12.02.2017. Lost Dog presents "Juliet and Romeo: A Guide to Long Life and Happy Marriage", at Battersea Arts Centre. Conceived and directed by Ben Duke. Devised and performed by Ben Duke and Solene Weinachter. Artistic Collaborator: Raquel Meseguer. Lighting design by Jackie Shemesh, costume design by James Perkins. Juliet and Romeo - A Guide to Long Life & Happy Marriage is co-commissioned by Battersea Arts Centre, The Place, and Warwick Arts Centre. The work is funded by Arts Council England via Grants for the Arts. Production time supported by Lancaster Arts. Ben Duke is a Work Place artist. Photograph © Jane Hobson.

“I love the fact that people come along to see the show because it’s happening in their theatre or their village hall, and that means they arrive with no expectations, even though there are the names of two very famous literary characters in the title of the piece.

“I love the intimacy of smaller venues as well – there’s nowhere to hide.”

He added: “I’ve allowed myself to imagine an alternative version to Shakespeare’s original.

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“In this work Juliet and Romeo have been together about 25 years and they are in something of a marital crisis. They love each other, but sometimes they wish the other one were dead – the bloom of teenage romance has definitely faded, but it still haunts them.

“Romeo is in the middle of a mid-life crisis; he is trying to let go of the passionate teenager he was and become a man. But he doesn’t have any clear idea what that man should look like so he is in limbo.

“Juliet is very attached to the extraordinary teenager she was and is finding the ordinariness of her current life a struggle.

“There have been a few changes to the show since we first performed it, but the heart of the piece is the same. Juliet and Romeo are still trying to work out how to continue in this complicated game that is their relationship.”

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The show is being brought to Amble thanks to Highlights Rural Touring Theatre, which gives smaller venues and communities the opportunity to host top class shows.

Juliet and Romeo will be performed at Amble Parish Hall on Saturday, October 20.

Tickets are £10 per adult, £8 concession and £5 per child. Book tickets online at www.highlightsnorth.co.uk

The show starts at 7.30pm.

Highlights is a network of 90 volunteer groups.

Together, they organise more than 160 high quality, professional events each year in village halls, schools and community centres.

These include theatre, dance, music and children’s shows.

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