The Love Show to Present ROMEO + JULIET

Last winter, The Love Show performed a pared down and amped up version of their contemporary ballet "Romeo + Juliet" in an abandoned storefront in Chelsea, The production was featured in Time Out New York, AMNY, and Alternatives Economiques. The Guardian chose a photo of the production to represent New York and the U.S. in a spread highlighting the human spirit triumphing in times of COVID around the globe.

Now, The Love Show has flipped a former Mrs. Fields cookie shop in Port Authority Bus Terminal into a whimsical pop-up theater and are remounting the production there. This homage to Baz Luhrmann's interpretation of Shakespeare's classic tale of star-crossed lovers was originally created as a site specific, immersive experience for Norwood Club in 2013. It was then performed in a more traditional theatrical setting as part of Theater for the New City's Lower Eastside Festival of the Arts. TLS then teamed with Little Cinema to fuse the choreography with a remixed projection of the film for three sold out runs in 2016, 2017 and 2018 at Brooklyn's House of Yes. Finally, director/ choreographer, Angela Harriell, adapted the work to meet the unique demands of performing during a pandemic, and mounted the aforementioned storefront production, viewable through the storefront window.

Performances at Port Authority will be visible from the 2nd floor corridor in the South Wing. Select performances will be live streamed on Instagram "@theloveshownyc".

Thanks to a space grant from Chashama, This past Autumn, TLS transformed the former Mrs. Fields cookie shop in Port Authority into a pop-up theater, with the stage inside the shop, and the audience in the public corridor, viewing the performances from behind a partial barrier made of plexiglass. With items from Materials for the Arts, Remix Market, and a dollar store in Bushwick, along with a little elbow grease and a whole lotta love, they converted a plain space with white walls into a hub of live art. Along with workshopping and performing their own theatrical dance pieces, the troupe is using the space to host other artists in the community, with shows ranging from live music and comedy to magic, puppetry and performance art. Originally dubbed "Welcome Home", the space was forced to close temporarily due to the Omicron spike. It is now being reborn as "Behind the Glass: The Port Authority Project".

The full calendar of TLS shows, as well as guest performances and events, is updated daily at: theloveshownyc.com

Photo Credit: Ed Jones/AFP