Shakespeare in the hood comes to CAPA

Romeo and…Romeo and Juliet Tonight and Saturday, 8 p.m. Performed by the Classical Theatre of Harlem CAPA Theater Main Stage 111 Ninth Street, Downtown 412-456-6666 $15.50 – $25

If you think you know the Bard and you’ve seen “Romeo and Juliet” 1,000 times, the Classical Theatre of Harlem wants you to think otherwise. With modern costumes, original music and a backdrop of modern New York, one thing is for sure – this isn’t your mother’s Shakespeare.

As a part of its 2007-08 touring season, the Classical Theatre of Harlem will be performing the Shakespearean play with a modern twist for a two-night engagement this Friday and Saturday at the Creative and Performing Arts High School Downtown.

“The show uses music and dance to thrash out the ideas of the text,” said Alfred Preisser, the artistic director. “Which is apropos of our work. We are known to be extremely bold and physical.”

“People are often very surprised at what they see,” he added. “They still have this idea of a certain experience [with Shakespeare]. This is not what people expect.”

Named one of The Drama League’s “Theatres to Watch in America,” the theater company has proven to overturn expectations on many classic theater productions, including those of Shakespeare, Euripides and even Chekov, by using of modern, unconventional castings and stage production, since its founding in 1999.

But the group boasts an equally, if not more, impressive lineup of modern dramas, such as August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and Jean Genet’s “The Blacks: A Clown Show.” Their repertoire also includes stage adaptations of Richard Wright’s “Native Son” and Derek Walcott’s “Dream on Monkey Mountain.”

Tickets for this weekend’s performance can be purchased at the Box Office at Theater Square, online at www.pgharts.org or by calling 412-456-6666. Ticket prices are $25.50 or $15.50, depending on seating. Specially priced student tickets are not available for this performance.