In 2002, the Vesturport team, led by Gísli Örn Garðarsson, developed a bold new staging of the iconic love story

Romeo

& Juliet. This production reimagines Shakespeare’s classic through a circus-inspired lens, incorporating acrobatic, aerial, and clowning techniques—without ever losing the emotional and tragic core of the play.

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Romeo & Juliet premiered at Reykjavík City Theatre on November 20, 2002, where it quickly became a major success in Iceland. A year later, in the autumn of 2003, Vesturport brought the production to London, opening at the Young Vic Theatre, where it became an immediate box office hit. The show received widespread critical acclaim in the British press and was hailed as one of the most exciting theatrical events in years. It later transferred to the West End, opening at the Playhouse Theatre on November 12, 2004.

 

During its West End run, a number of distinguished actors appeared as guest performers in the epilogue, including Vanessa Redgrave, Sir Derek Jacobi, Timothy Dalton, Joanna Lumley, Zoë Wanamaker, Jenny Seagrove, Jonathan Pryce, Dawn French, and Francesca Annis. The production has since toured internationally. It was the headline attraction at the Tampere Theatre Festival in Finland, where it received five-star reviews across the board. It has also been performed at the Ruhrfestspiele in Recklinghausen, Germany, as well as in Gdańsk, Norway, and other international venues.