Get your best Renaissance-meets-nineties fit ready, because Verona Beach is coming to the Palais Theatre.
Baz Luhrmann’s version of William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet Film in Concert is coming to Melbourne’s Palais Theatre next May, 2027.
Marking 30 years since Baz Luhrmann’s genre-smashing 1996 classic first hit cinemas, William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet Film in Concert sees the entire film played on the big screen while a live hybrid band performs the score and soundtrack in real time underneath it.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes still headline as the star-crossed lovers, with the production blending rock and orchestral musicians, vocalists, electronics and a DJ to recreate Luhrmann’s genre-blurring sound live.
William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet Film in Concert
- Perth – 25 May, Riverside Theatre
- Brisbane – 27 May, Great Hall, Brisbane Exhibition and Convention Centre
- Melbourne – 28 May, Palais Theatre
- Sydney – 29 May, Darling Harbour Theatre
- Tickets here
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
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Originally released in November 1996 and landing at number one at the US box office, Romeo + Juliet turned Shakespeare’s tragedy into a maximalist, MTV-style pop opera that’s stayed lodged in the pop culture consciousness ever since.
The soundtrack is arguably just as iconic as the film itself, packed with ’90s staples like Kissing You by Des’ree, Lovefool by The Cardigans, Talk Show Host by Radiohead, hashtag-1 Crush by Garbage, Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good) by Quindon Tarver, Young Hearts Run Free by Kym Mazelle and You and Me Song by The Wannadies.
Luhrmann remains one of Australia’s most successful filmmakers, with four of the country’s top-ten grossing films to his name, including The Great Gatsby and Elvis, the latter shot entirely on the Gold Coast and nominated for eight Oscars. Romeo + Juliet was the second instalment in his Red Curtain Trilogy, following Strictly Ballroom and preceding Moulin Rouge!, and helped cement his reputation for fusing classical storytelling with bold, contemporary style.
For Melbourne fans, this is a rare chance to see the film the way it was never meant to be watched alone in your room on a rewatch spiral — on the big screen, with a live band doing the heavy lifting on that unforgettable score.
The tour is presented by GEA Live alongside Disney Concerts and Luhrmann himself, in partnership with TEG Dainty for the Australian leg. It kicks off with a world premiere at the Sydney Opera House before heading out across the country, with tickets to the general public going on sale from 10am (local time) on 18 September.
For more information, head here.
