1990s a bottle of poison and red flowers

In director Baz Luhrmann's contemporary take on William Shakespeare's classic tragedy, the Montagues and Capulets have moved their ongoing feud to the sweltering suburb of Verona Beach, where Romeo and Juliet fall in love and secretly wed. Though the film is visually modern, the bard's dialogue remains.

Matthew Bourne's Romeo and Juliet is a passionate and contemporary re-imagining of Shakespeare's classic love story. Bursting with youth, vitality and Matthew Bourne's trademark storytelling.

Black and white images pass across the screen as a woman's voice sings a dirge about the fine art of poisoning. We see the remains of men poisoned by women and women poisoned by men. A masked ball gives occasion for a drop of quicksilver into a cup of tea. Solitary mourners, who may also the poisoners, visit graves of loved ones. Money flows from the deceased to the guilty, all under the sign of the cross.