This preview has been provided by Burning Coal Theatre Company.

Burning Coal Theatre Company will present Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet at the Murphey School Auditorium (224 Polk Street, Raleigh, NC 27604) Thursdays through Saturdays January 22nd-24th, 29th-31st, February 5th-7th, and 12th -14th at 7:30pm and Sundays January 25th and February 1st, 8th, and 15th at 2:00pm. Tickets are $25 for general admission, $20 for seniors (65+), and $15 for students or active military.  Burning Coal also offers group rates and $5 student rush tickets. All Thursday performances are $15. To purchase visit www.burningcoal.org or call the box office at (919) 834-4001.

About the Play

Written around 1594, Romeo and Juliet has been a favorite of audiences for over 400 years. Two young people, kept apart by their feuding families, decide to take fate into their own hands and pursue their love.  However, circumstances conspire to thwart their efforts as missed chances, poor timing, and individual errors prevent the lovers from finding happiness.  As their families unite, finally, in sorrow, the sacrifice of the young couple is a haunting reminder of the powerful force of young love and the folly of violence.  The play has inspired over 20 film adaptations, two operas, a Broadway musical, and countless dance interpretations, each finding new ways to interpret the classic tale.

About the Production

At age 14 Emily Ranii played Juliet in Burning Coal’s second season.  Sixteen years later she returns to direct Shakespeare’s best known drama of star-crossed lovers.  Love and violence, passion and youth, and the unforgiving hand of fate all flow through this timeless story of youngsters caught between the feuding families of Capulet and Montague.  The production will star Joey Heyworth and Emily Rose White as the titular lovers, Joel Oramas as Mercutio, Jeff Aguiar as Friar Laurence, and Erin Tito as the Nurse. Thaddeus Walker, Will Sarratt, Mark Filiaci, Matt Hager, Benji Jones, and Olivia Griego fill out the rest of the cast.  Jordan Jaked will design the set, Evan Prizant the costumes, and Ed Intemann the lights.