'Romeo & Juliette' and Miami Beach?

It’sShakespeare meets “Miami Vice” as the Michigan State University Opera Theatretakes on Charles Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette.”

TheFrench-language adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy has been transferred to1980s Miami Beach.

“Ourproduction is fun and funky,” said stage director and producer Melanie Helton,an associate professor of voice in the MSU College of Music.

“Thekind of violence, two warring families, it echoed the drug wars of the 1980swith rich, upper-class people being violent with each other,” she said. “Ithought the period would really work.”

Italso helped that Helton already had costumes from the 1980s. She gathered morewardrobe needs from eBay and vintage shops.

“[Theopera] is authentically costumed, and in an era of budget cuts it always helpsto save a bit of money,” she said.

Englishsubtitles will be projected above the stage for the audience to follow along inthe dialogue.

“It’sa perfect example of French grand opera,” Helton said. “We chose to sing it in Frenchbecause pieces in their original language sound as they should, and (often)they don’t sound so great in English.”

Singingin French also benefitted the students involved in the production. During thesecond semester of their sophomore year, every vocal student learns Frenchdiction. Sophomore Jonathan Riesen, who plays Romeo in the Saturday cast, begantaking French diction this semester while rehearsing for the role at the sametime.

“Weonly have one graduate student, as almost all are undergraduates,” Helton said.“It’s one of the things we’re so proud of. We get them started early, and theyapproach everything with such joy and determination. We’ve found in our pastcouple years that the more challenge we give them, the better they’re graduating.”

“Romeoet Juliette”
Michigan State University Concert Auditorium
8 p.m. Friday. March 26 and Saturday, March 27; 3 p.m. Sunday, March 28
$20 general admission, $18 for seniors, $10 for students
(517) 432-2000