# STAR-CROSSED: A Genre-Defying R&J Remix

## Metadata

- Slug: star-crossed
- Type:
  - Full-length Musical
  - Full-length Play
- Genre: Drama
- Acts: 1 act
- Duration: 60–90 minutes
- Cast: Large (15+)
- Cast Summary: 17 characters any gender (with doubling: can go as low as 13. With added ensemble: 17+)
- Movement Requirements: Minimal, opportunity for stage combat and dance
- Performing Groups:
  - Community Theatre
  - College/University
  - High School/Secondary
- Primary Image: https://content.uproartheatrics.com/80ebymbbtn6tagtvxcnlrpgzgk7j
- Album Cover: https://content.uproartheatrics.com/jyomvcpuxz3cym4bek2yv6uagq81

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## Authors

- Music & Verse by Daniel Robert Sullivan (author slug: daniel-robert-sullivan)

## Overview

**Shakespeare's most iconic tragedy gets a vibrant, beat-driven pulse in** ***STAR-CROSSED: A Genre-Defying R&J Remix*****.** This electric adaptation reimagines the story's warring streets through razor-sharp rhyming couplets that can be delivered as gripping verse drama, OR fused with original, licensable hip-hop tracks, granting directors the freedom to stage it as either a play or a full-blown musical.
**Hang on, Uproar. You're calling this a play AND a musical?**
Yup. Let's break it down.
***Play version—***speak the verse: the rhyming motif carries throughout, yet somehow stays feeling fresh all the way to the end. Proceed producing like a regular play.
***Musical version—***license the tracks (or make your own!) and set the verse to beats—spoken word/rap fusion storytelling like you've never seen. No harmonies to teach, same emotional bang for your buck in the audience. WAY easier than producing a full-fledged musical. A gateway to musicals, if you will. A musical, but with no actual singing. You get the picture. Check out the YouTube vid for a breakdown of how to make this work really well.
**Back to the piece.**
Designed specifically to empower young performers, the show features 17 gender-flexible roles and a customizable runtime - with space for an ensemble or even a live DJ - to transform the ancient grudge into a heart-pounding, modern theatrical event. *STAR-CROSSED* is more than a retelling; it’s a reclamation, using its inclusive framework and modern sensibility to strip away the distance of centuries and invite a new generation to find their own rhythm within the raw, universal struggles of love, fate, and tragic division.

## Plot

Told entirely through propulsive rhyming couplets, *STAR-CROSSED* plunges audiences into a city fractured by the bitter rivalry between the families of Montague and Capulet. Amidst the chaos, the impulsive Romy and the radiant Jules lock eyes at a masked ball, forging an unbreakable bond in a single, stolen moment. Their forbidden love hurtles them toward a secret marriage, aided by the hopeful Elder Lumen, who sees their union as a chance to mend the city's ancient wound. But hope dissolves into bloodshed when a street fight, sparked by Jules’s ferocious cousin Tiger, leaves Romy’s quick-witted friend Mercury dead. A single act of vengeance causes Romy to be deported, triggering a desperate plan of faked death, a powerful sleeping drug, and a crucial message that tragically never arrives. In the chilling silence of the family tomb, this chain of cosmic misfortune leads the young lovers to their ultimate sacrifice, leaving their families still struggling to find a bitter peace in the rubble of their shared grief.

## Cast

| Name | Description |
| ---- | ---- |
| A NOTE ON CASTING: | 17 characters, plus optional ensemble and DJ. All characters may be portrayed as any gender. All characters may be played by actors of any gender.  |
| ROMY MONTAGUE | Teenage icon. |
| JULES CAPULET | Teenage icon. |
| M. CAPULET | Parent to Jules. |
| MX. CAPULET | Parent to Jules.
 |
| NOVA | Caregiver to Jules. |
| M. MONTAGUE | Parent to Romy. |
| ELDER LUMEN | Respected mentor to Romy. |
| ELDER JUNO | Respected friend to Lumen.
 |
| BOREALIS | Cousin to Romy. |
| MERCURY | Friend to Romy. |
| TIGER | Cousin to Jules. |
| PISCES | Suitor to Jules.
 |
| GEMINI | Employee of Capulets. |
| PLUTO | Employee of Capulets.
 |
| ARIES | Employee of Montagues.
 |
| PREMIER | Leader.
 |
| AQUARIUS | Dealer.
 |
| OPTIONAL CAPULET & MONTAGUE ENSEMBLES |  |
| OPTIONAL DJ |  |

## Instrumentation

Tracks available as a supplemental material, or feel free to create your own beats and use them!

**Orchestra Size**: Performance Tracks

## Materials

### Available for additional fee:

| Name | Description |
| ---- | ----------- |
| Tracks | Beats/tracks for every song in the show, .wav file format. For samples of what they sound like with actors, check out the Spotify playlist at the top. |
| 60-Minute Talkback with the Creator | A 60-minute Zoom/Google Meet with the show's creator. Licensees and guests can ask questions, share experiences, and hear about the artistic journey of the show and creative team. This can be scheduled before or after the performances. If we are unable to make scheduling work, the cost will be refunded. |
| Video Recording License | License to create an archival recording of the show that may be distributed to the cast and crew. This does not allow publicly posting the performance. |

## Production Images

| URL | Caption | Credit |
| --- | ------- | ------ |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/g655kekgfh1o1rvrfw1351dujrh0 | concept image |  |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/4qeqyle936qa95holia17q1rntq7 | concept image |  |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/tb6xx04phug67apol9fxtvg0yyxb | concept image |  |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/vxvreim68kqs6ijtaed2itti1zgc | Saleemah Sharpe: Dramatists Guild presentation | Anneliese Horowitz |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/40yfynthkq9eogvrqwii8k7v1hvo | Ryan Kim: Dramatists Guild presentation | Anneliese Horowitz |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/mb3x5eywd9499vsa3gpijv9et2ml | Noor Hamdi: Dramatists Guild presentation | Anneliese Horowitz |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/g9fn7mwj3do50ae1nrwl5laylpa6 | Alyssa Maitoza: Dramatists Guild presentation | Anneliese Horowitz |

## Videos

- https://www.youtube.com/embed/sYQELzXgCBs

## Press

| Title | URL | Image |
| ----- | --- | ----- |
| STAR-CROSSED To Have Industry Reading At The Dramatists Guild Foundation | https://www.broadwayworld.com/industry/article/STAR-CROSSED-To-Have-Industry-Reading-At-The-Dramatists-Guild-Foundation-20241031 | https://cloudimages.broadwayworld.com/columnpiccloud/STAR-CROSSED-To-Have-Industry-Reading-At-The-Dramatists-Guild-Foundation-1730371748.jpg |
| Photos: Industry Presentation Of STAR-CROSSED: A Gender-Defying R & J In Verse & Beats | https://www.broadwayworld.com/industry/article/Photos-Industry-Presentation-Of-STAR-CROSSED-A-Gender-Defying-R-J-In-Verse-Beats-20241105 | https://cloudimages.broadwayworld.com/columnpiccloud/Photos-Industry-Presentation-Of-STAR-CROSSED-A-Gender-Defying-R-J-In-Verse-Beats--1730818600.jpg |