Page 494 - Guildhall Coverage Book 2020-21

This led Metcalfe and his co-producer, actor Simon Gordon, to start

developing ideas. Initially, they wanted to produce a contemporary musical,

but they quickly hit a roadblock when they requested rights and were
rebuffed on the basis that the technology would make it “too similar to a

film”. So, they turned to Shakespeare for commercially viable but rights-

free material. Director Nick Evans, who has worked as an associate on

productions including Jesus Christ Superstar, Rock of Ages and Billy Elliot,

suggested a version of Romeo and Juliet set in an eerily empty theatre, and

the idea took flight.

Producer Ryan Metcalfe

Derek Jacobi as the Narrator in Romeo and Juliet. Photo: Ryan Metcalfe/Preevue