[News Culture] Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is being recast as an entirely different love story. “Star-Crossed,” a play that brings Tybalt and Mercutio out of the shadow of the original tragedy, will return for a second Korean run beginning Sept. 22.
Inspired by Shakespeare’s best-known romance, the play reimagines two sworn enemies as lovers. Familiar characters and events remain, but their unexpected relationship opens a new path through the classic story.
The title comes from the phrase “star-crossed lovers” in the prologue to “Romeo and Juliet,” describing a couple whose fate is written in the stars. Here, that tragic destiny is transferred from Romeo and Juliet to Tybalt and Mercutio.
In Shakespeare’s play, the clash between the two men becomes a turning point that sends Romeo—and the entire story—toward disaster. “Star-Crossed” looks beyond their hostility, imagining the feelings they may have hidden and the questions of identity they could never voice.
While following the central events of “Romeo and Juliet,” the play draws deftly on Shakespeare’s language and dramatic rhythms. The result is a story that feels rooted in the original while inviting audiences to reconsider it from a radically different angle.
“Star-Crossed” began with a staged reading in September 2017 and reached audiences at FringeNYC in 2018. It was later presented at New York’s Lamb’s Club and the Capital Fringe festival in Washington, D.C., in 2019 before receiving its full premiere at Wilton’s Music Hall in London in June 2022. The play made its Korean debut in December 2024.
That production was praised for taking bold liberties with the source material without losing its distinctly Shakespearean character. Through Tybalt and Mercutio, it explored love, desire and identity in ways rarely seen in conventional adaptations of the classic.
Park Jun-young returns as director. Known for moving fluidly between plays and musicals, including “Next to Normal” and “Pan,” Park will once again shape the production through his distinctive theatrical perspective.
All eight actors from the Korean premiere will also return, bringing their established chemistry and a deeper understanding of the characters to the new run.
Jung Dong-hwa, Park Jung-bok and Yang Ji-won will alternate as Tybalt, a man fiercely loyal to the Capulet family yet troubled by questions about his identity and desires.
Jung has built a broad stage career spanning plays such as “Jekyll & Hyde” and “The Pride,” as well as the musicals “Beastie” and “John Doe.” Park is known for finely drawn performances in “Art,” “The History Boys,” “The Elephant Song” and “The Great Gatsby.” Yang has developed his own distinctive style through productions including “Unchain,” “Killing Caesar,” “Angels in America: Millennium Approaches” and “Stravinsky.”
Kim Kyung-soo, Kim Chan-ho and Shin Joo-hyup will share the role of Mercutio, a free-spirited man who refuses to hide what he feels.
Kim Kyung-soo has brought both warmth and intensity to works including “Bbangya,” “The History Boys,” “Fan Letter” and “Seopyeonje.” Kim Chan-ho has demonstrated his range in “Three Days of Rain,” “Press Guidelines,” “The Tribe” and “Bonnie & Clyde.” Shin has earned acclaim for his nuanced performances across theater, musicals and television, including “The University of Laughs,” “Orphans,” “About Death,” “Eoduksini” and the drama “Dynamite Kiss.”
Jung Sang-yoon and Cho Sung-yoon return as the Players, taking on multiple characters—including Romeo, Juliet, Capulet and Paris—to guide the story forward.
Jung’s credits include “The Elephant Song,” “The Boys in the Band,” “Western Story” and “Vincent van Gogh.” Cho has appeared in “Art,” “The King’s Speech,” “About Death” and “The Pied Piper,” earning recognition for his thoughtful approach to character.
With the entire original Korean cast reunited, the revival is expected to arrive with sharper ensemble work and richer performances. Park’s renewed interpretation may also reveal fresh dimensions in a production that has already found an enthusiastic audience.
Its premise alone is provocative: two men remembered as bitter enemies are given the chance to become lovers. By turning one of Shakespeare’s most familiar tragedies sideways, “Star-Crossed” is poised to become one of the more unconventional highlights of Korea’s fall theater season.
“Star-Crossed” opens Sept. 22.
Reported by News Culture M.J._mj94070777@nc.press
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