Regular visitors Oddsocks present their slapstick version of the Bard’s most celebrated love story to the Arts Centre from Monday to Friday, while TNT are staging a more faithful adaptation at the Opera House on Wednesday and Thursday

In what appears to be a rather unfortunate programming clash, the Arts Centre and the Opera House are both due to stage productions of Romeo and Juliet next week.

The Oddsocks production of Shakespeare’s most celebrated love story is on at the Arts Centre between Monday and Friday, while the more traditional production at the Opera House by TNT runs on Wednesday and Thursday next week.

It is not the first time that the two playhouses have vied for dominance in St Helier as the ancient houses of Capulet and Montague did in the Bard’s Verona.

Last year, they both staged productions based on the 1980s hit TV show ’Allo ’Allo.
Zoe Faulkner, the marketing and publicity officer for the Opera House, said that double billing was simply an unfortunate clash and insisted that the two venues did talk to each other.

She said that Islanders were getting value for money for the grants of public money paid to both theatres. ‘We do try to prevent this from happening, but it does,’ said Miss Faulkner. ‘There are a number of different points that make this a positive.’