Good News from Iraq - Live Theatre!

Last month, Iraq’s National Theatre opened an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet at their theatre in Baghdad. In their incarnation, the Montagues and Capulets have been replaced by Sunnis and Shi'ites, the dagger is changed to a suicide bomb and Paris, Juliet’s failed suitor, becomes a Qaeda buffoon wearing an explosive vest. The Islamic sects are not mentioned outright, but the fathers’ headgear makes their alliances clear. The sound of machine gun fire occasionally plays in the background. This production, which they re-titled Romeo and Juliet in Baghdad, is currently being presented at the World Shakespeare Festival in Stratford-upon-Avon.

what eye thynk: Brilliant!