A musical drama based on the play by Shakespeare

 September 24, Saturday, 7 pm, Palace of the Grand Dukes, Katedros a. 4

Romeo & Julia Choir (Sweden)

Director Benoît Malmberg

Lithuanian audiences are already familiar with the Swedish Romeo & Julia Choir that formed 25 years ago to perform musical interludes for Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet, staged by the Royal Theatre of Stockholm. Soon the collective started to appear independently in concerts, inventively combining music, dance and acting in their unique programs.

The musical drama based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth emerged almost by accident – the Choir had prepared a program based on Jannequin’s epic play, and the hymns and songs of Josquin Desprez. Yet the characters on stage, combined and twists and turns in the story, sparked a sense of déjà vu. Legendary director Ingmar Bergman, who came to one of the rehearsals, suddenly exclaimed: “This is Macbeth!” This new narrative about the tragic fate of a Scottish king is set to the texts of these Renaissance composers’ works.