Medecine Mann productions musical adaptation of ‘Romeo and Juliet’, will give the tragic story of star crossed lovers a fresh and exciting perspective, by combining the original masterpiece with elements of contemporary urban and black culture.

Hip hop, gospel and R ‘n’ B will be seamlessly interwoven into the production alongside jazz, street and break dance.

The play aims to tackle important social issues and also celebrate Black presence in Renaissance Europe by presenting the Montague household as being of Black African and the Capulet’s as being of White European descent.

Amongst the professional cast and crew will be Jon Lee (S Club 7) whose West End theatre credits include ‘Les Miserables’ and ‘Oliver Twist’. Jon also provides the voice over for Max in The Disney Channel’s ‘The Famous Five’ and more recently has moved into film appearing alongside Kevin Spacey as Billy Fury in the blockbuster movie ‘Telstar’.

Nina Kristofferson also joins the cast with credits including ‘High Society’,‘Little Shop of Horrors’, ‘Porgy and Bess’ and ‘I Cover the Waterfront – The Spirit of Billie Holiday’.

Alongside the production, workshops will be held to promote discussion about issues surrounding young people today and to encourage and support young people's interest in the theatre and arts.

The wider aim of the project is to:

• Raise awareness about Black culture and history, whilst encouraging debate on important issues such as gangs, violence, weapons, teenage sex, the generational void, drug abuse and racial/social exclusion, by highlighting the parallels between the world depicted in Shakespeare’s tale and our own contemporary stories.
• Emphasise as Shakespeare does in the play, the importance of peaceful resolution.
• Give young people a creative voice by giving them opportunities to learn from a professional cast and crew.
• Encourage and foster young people’s interest in and appreciation/ understanding of the arts and history.

Medecine Mann have partnered with national charity UK Youth who offer a wide range of accredited programs delivered via arts, campaigning, volunteering, mentoring, music, sports, film and multimedia, journalism, as well as health and wellbeing programs that help young people develop their confidence and resilience, and help them engage more fully in their local communities, particularly those who may be excluded from formal education.

Romeo & Juliet – Fatal Loins opens on 23 January 2009 at the New Players Theatre, The Arches, Villiers Street, London, WC2N 6NG. www.romeojulietfatalloins.com