“Romeo and Juliet”: already 25,000 tickets sold, 15 performances added… Already a winning return

A full box. Saturday at 10 a.m., the Palais des Congrès de Paris website crashed when the first tickets for the new version of “Romeo and Juliet” went on sale. The day before, Cécilia Cara and Damien Sargue had announced that they would return to the stage, one last time, where it all began in 2001, from December 3, 2027.

Tickets for “Romeo and Juliet, Love Never Dies”, produced by Live Nation and TF 1, were snapped up: more than 25,000 sales in less than 24 hours. Fifteen additional performances, from December 17 to 31, will go on sale Thursday, February 19 at 10 a.m.

“This return of Romeo and Juliet goes beyond the return of a show. In the economic, social and mental slump in France, people need to find themselves around a sure value. And what value unites more than love? philosopher Angelo Gopée, the general director of Live Nation France who went to see the show in China a few months ago. Love brings everyone together, crosses time, fashions, doubts, sorrows and never disappears. This explains the enthusiasm around the show. Historically, we are on the best sale for a musical, a very strong sign. This is why we add dates.”

The show attracted 11 million people worldwide

Laura Presgurvic, who will direct the film after succeeding her father, is delighted with these dazzling sales: “We dreamed of it when I contacted Angelo Gopée two years ago. That this dream comes true makes us so happy! Now it’s time to work to offer the public a promise kept! »

Since its creation, the show, driven by hits like “Les rois du monde” or “Aimer”, has attracted more than 11 million spectators in around twenty countries. At the origin of the project, Gérard Presgurvic recalls that it initially aroused skepticism from producers but the success of a French musical changed the situation. The music first established itself, with albums sold by the millions, even before the premiere in 2001.

Two formats then coexist: tours with the French troupe (around 70 people) or licenses allowing each country to recreate the show in its language. The work has been performed notably in Russia, Korea, Japan and China, with a strong reception in Asia, including in the Japanese version of the revue Takarazuka, an all-women theater company.

A modernized version with the original songs

The new production promises a major overhaul in terms of staging, sets, lights, distribution, while retaining the original songs. “The arrival of Live Nation represents considerable firepower. With TF 1 as a media partner, you change scale. It’s a guarantee of quality in terms of production and stage ambition,” explains Gérard Presgurvic.

How did the global concert giant, behind the tours of Beyoncé, The Weeknd and Lady Gaga, get involved in the adventure? Laura Presgurvic explains having received numerous messages from French fans and also wanted to address a new audience: “I really wanted to modernize the show, to rediscover it to the younger generation, while responding to very strong demand. » And the artistic director reminds us: “For me, Romeo and Julietit’s the story of a life. When the first version was launched, I was only 13 years old, I see myself backstage… That’s when I wanted to do theater. »

The objective is now clear: preserve DNA (the Capulets in red, the Montagues in blue) while reaching a milestone. “We want the public to rediscover what they loved, while still having a blast,” promises Laura Presgurvic. We want to dare romanticism, without irony, without distance, embrace emotion and do good to people. In an anxious time, this is essential.”

“Romeo and Juliet, love never dies”, from December 3, 2027. New ticketing dates open this Thursday at 10 a.m., in the usual points of sale, from 38 euros.