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Radio and Juliet is an hour long ballet. It was directed by Romanian dancer and choreographer Edward Clug. The ballet is a rendition of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet set to the music of Radiohead. Since 2005 Radio and Juliet has guested in the Netherlands, Italy, Singapore, Korea, Israel, Canada, United States, Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, Serbia and Croatia, where production was accepted with a stunning success. 

 

Noted for the ballet's choreography and simplicity, Radio and Juliet represents a modernized interpretation of Shakespeare. As stated by Edward Clug, "You could call this quite a twisted version... My intention was not to retell the story but offer the audience an experience from a different perspective."

The key question of the ballet is - "What would have happened if Juliet didn't take her own life?"

Laced with metaphors and symbolism, Clug's contemporary choreography is a mix of feminine delicacy and male power. The movement is minimalist, at times bravura, and decidedly European in style. The set design consists of an empty stage backed by a video screen that will show footage related to Juliet's story. Clug keeps the costuming simple as well: Juliet will be outfitted in a corset and pointe shoes, while the men will be in dark suits, with bare chests. 

 

Choreographer  Edward Clug is the recipient of numerous national and international awards. He has received the Slovene Award of the Prešern Foundation (2005) as well as the Glazer Charter (2008). He is recipient of the Best Contemporary Choreography prize at the 18th International Ballet Competition in Varna; a Bronze Medal at the International Ballet and Choreographic Competition in Moscow, a Bronze Medal at the 4th International Ballet Competition in the Contemporary category in Nagoya (2002); a Special Prize for Best Choreography at the International Ballet Competition in Nagoya (2002); and third prize and the public award at the 17th Hanover Choreographic Competition in Germany (2003).The show he choreographed, Roses for Anne Teresa/Football Stories, also won a “Special Award for Best Choreography” at the International Theatre Festival MESS Sarajevo 2011. He received in Belgrade Dimitrije Parlić Award for the production of Divine Comedy for Bitef Dance Company in collaboration with Grad Teatar Budva (2011). He was nominated for the Russian awards Golden Mask for the piece Quatro, that was created for the Mariinsky Ballet stars. 

 

The choreography is made up of sharp body movements. This is supposed to symbolize that love and romance have been affected by "the cold hand of mechanization. Common movements include the arching of the torso, the bending of the wrists paired with elbow motions, and stabbing motions of the feet and legs. The choreography includes twitching and jerking motions which give the appearance of robots on stage. The scenes are structured in a way so that the characters move in a series of steps. First, they begin with head movements, then the body lifts, then the characters weave in and out one another where pairing and partnered dancing takes place. Twitching continues throughout the dance. 

 

The entire score of the ballet are songs performed by the British rock band Radiohead. Most of the music is taken from albums OK Computer and Kid A. The robotic voice from the album OK Computer matches the robotic choreography and is used for a solo by Juliet. The ballet uses 11 Radiohead songs including "Fitter Happier," Bullet Proof (I Wish I Was)," "Idioteque," "How to Disappear Completely", and "Like Spinning Plates”. The songs are used to create an atmosphere. The lyrics sometimes match the scene that is taking place like "Bullet Proof I Wish I Was" during Mercutio's death scene. The song lyrics reinforce the fundamental element of the love story, struggling with relationships, however, the music is more important to the story as Edward Clug says, "There are moments when the story meets the lyrics, but that was not really the point. It's the overall emotion they create in their music."