Romeo and Juliet. A concept so simple but so powerful. We learn of Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, while still in school. Some read it in middle school, while others experienced it for the first time in high school. We all know how the story ends, but we keep returning for these adaptations, some of which you might not even realize are based on this play. Here are five of those you may or may not have heard of.
#1: Kelly Asbury’s Gnomeo & Juliet
One of the more controversial adaptations of the classic Romeo and Juliet, Gnomeo & Juliet, released on February 11th, 2011, starring James McAvoy and Emily Blunt, follows the same storyline but with garden gnomes instead of people. Contrary to the original story, this version has a happier ending. This version of Romeo and Juliet happens to be set in Stratford-Upon-Avon, which is Shakespeare’s birthplace.
#2: Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo & Juliet
One of the first and most popular adaptations, Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet, starring Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey, was released on October 8th, 1968. Unlike our first adaption, this one was very near to the original work from William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet meet at the Capulet ball and fall in love before eloping, creating greater tension between the feuding families. Zeffrielli’s adaptation has also been said to be the most popular, nominated for four Academy Awards, winning two.
#3: Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet
The third-ever major film adaptation, Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet, was released on October 27th, 1996, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. This version, set in a post-modern city named Verona Beach, has the Montagues and Capulets as rival gangs, where Romeo and Juliet fall in love at a masked ball thrown by Juliet’s parents. Luhrmann, much like Zeffirelli, stayed true to Shakespeare’s script, though he changed costumes and weapons to be more modern when the film was released, and he did switch a few characters between the families as well as giving first names to characters who had none in the play.
#4: Broadway’s Romeo and Juliet
In 2024, Broadway took on another take of the classic, starring Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler and directed by Sam Gold. The opening show was on October 24th, 2024, and the final show was on February 16th, 2025. Some described the production as having a Gen Z twist with a club-like aesthetic. Some say this version was confusing, and a point can be made with 8 actors playing 17 roles, other than the leads. Some continue to say that this adaption was less of a tragedy due to Zegler’s acting, making the whole thing seem that much more intentional.
#5: Carlo Carlei’s Romeo and Juliet
Carlei’s film, starring Douglas Booth and Hailee Steinfeld, was released on October 11th, 2013. In this version, Romeo & Juliet run away to wed in secrecy, but that does nothing to help when Romeo is banished for his part in the death of Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin. The families, until then, had been somewhat civil under the Prince’s stern eye, though the men of both families were hot-headed and prone to fights, even though the Prince was against such fights.
Conclusion:
There are many adaptations of Shakespeare’s original play, whether they follow the original storyline nearly perfectly, like Franco Zeffirelli’s adaptation, or are almost completely different, like Kelly Asbury’s Gnomeo and Juliet. Is that because we love seeing the same story in different versions? Or is this because we love and crave familiarity? Whatever it is, adaptations like this will never cease as long as the public continues to watch them.
