Piip and Tuut Theatre stages new Romeo and Juliet adaptation

Piip and Tuut Theatre, an Estonian theatre, is staging a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet by Latvian theatre-maker Lauris Gundars, ERR reports. The production, titled “Romeo and Juliet and Love No. 2,” was written for actors Haide Männamäe and Toomas Tross.

The director has broken the world-famous play into pieces to examine what happens in it. Rather than focusing on child protagonists, the adaptation is designed for a mature acting pair.

“I really liked that he can add another layer, where middle-aged actors play young people. That second layer is there, and from time to time we step out of Romeo and Juliet, too,” Männamäe said.

Alongside the main story, Gundars’s adaptation explores love in its different forms. “He has brought the theme of love out of the whole story and expanded it, making excerpts so there are many different kinds of love,” Tross said.

The actors switch roles on the fly and address the audience directly when needed. Musician Siim Aimla, choreographer Marge Ehrenbusch and lighting designer Rene Topolev also help shape the production’s atmosphere.

“I create the atmosphere and comment musically, giving hints about the characters’ inner lives. I can sing sad melodies and move into free jazz on the harpsichord,” said Aimla, who is the production’s composer, musical director and lyricist.