The premiere of BroadwayHD’s production of Romeo and Juliet starring Orlando Bloom (The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean) as Romeo and Condola Rashad (Smash, Sex and the City 2) as Juliet was held in NYC on Tuesday night. The standing room only crowd was mesmerized by this beautiful screen version of the Broadway play. The country’s leading alternative content provider, Screenvision, and newly formed company BroadwayHD are screening the production for an exclusive run in movie theatres from February 13-19.
The stunningly modern stage production received acclaimed-reviews, including this from the New York Times: “Mr Bloom in a first-rate Broadway debut and the gifted Rashad exude a too fine for this world purity that makes their characters’ love feel sacred.” In addition to Bloom and Rashad, the cast includes Christian Camargo (The Hurt Locker, Dexter), Justin Guarini (American Idol, American Idiot), Tony Award winners Brent Carver (Kiss of the Spider Woman, Sleepy Hollow), Chuck Cooper (Law & Order, American Gangster), and two-time nominee Jayne Houdyshell (Follies). Romeo and Juliet was captured for cinema on November 27 at New York’s Richard Rodgers Theatre by the multiple, Emmy award-winning Don Roy King (Saturday Night Live).
BroadwayHD, a new company created by the show’s Tony-award winning producers Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley, Romeo and Juliet will have broad distribution throughout the United States and Canada with multiple exhibitions. With a combined seven Tony Awards, Olivier Awards, and Drama Desk Awards,Lane and Comley are once again venturing to bring the power of the theater to the cinema. Lane and Comley have also produced stage to screen productions of Company (Raoul Esparza), Cyrano (with Kevin Kline), Sondheim! The Birthday Concert, Company (with Neil Patrick Harris). Additional stage to screen productions the couple have been involved with include The Will Rogers Follies (1991), Grease (2006), and Legally Blonde (2007).
“Broadway is an art that we believe everyone should experience, and now with BroadwayHD we are committed to making that possible” said Lane, producer, co-founder of BroadwayHD. “Romeo and Juliet will be the first show of many available for movie theatres and other ancillary formats.”
“Screenvision shares our belief that Broadway shows, especially limited runs like Romeo and Juliet with Orlando Bloom, should be accessible to all theater lovers. Through Screenvision’s vast network of exhibitor partners more people nationwide will have the opportunity to enjoy this classic love story time for Valentine’s Day,” said Comley, producer, co-founder of BroadwayHD.
World Liberty TV, Entertainment Team was on Hand to Interview Mr Broadway Mr Stewart Lane ,the Producer of the Romeo and Juliet movie Premiere, see what he had to say.