Hooray, hooray, the First of May... oh, wait, THAT play is over.

The joy that the rites of May bring ... well, that joy's days are numbered, too.  

The first half of this month's Romeo and Juliet also brings some joy... right up to when the deaths begin.  There is still hope for joy and happiness in the second half of the play... right up to that fatal fifth act.

For those who want a visual preview, we've added a few R&J-centric YouTube Bill/Shakespeare Project playlists :




assorted Romeo and Juliet videos, including a Shakespeare's Globe production trailer, the Reduced Shakespeare Company production, and a satiric R&J-related video from Second City




Renato Castellani's 1954 version with Laurence Harvey as Romeo and John Gielgud as Chorus




Franco Zeffirelli's 1986 version (missing video #14 of 15): Olivia Hussey as Juliet, Leonard Whiting as Romeo, Michael York as Tybalt




Alvin Rakoff's 1978 production for the BBC's Collected Works series, with John Gielgud as Chorus and Alan Rickman as Tybalt




Baz Luhrmann's 1996 production (missing chapters 1, 2, and 12); Claire Danes as Juliet, Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo, John Leguizamo as Tybalt


Just to let you know: this is just about my favorite play of all time (it may not be the best, but I love it...)... so get ready for a good month.