‘A LOT of people think Shakespeare is another word for boring – not if they’ve seen one of our versions,” says Julian Chenery, chief executive of Shakespeare 4 Kidz.

Julian runs, co-writes and directs the company’s productions, which aim to make the Bard more accessible to young people by simplifying the language and throwing in a few catchy tunes. The idea, he says, is “to do for Shakespeare what Oliver did for Dickens”.

S4K is always a popular ticket when it arrives in Liverpool, and returns to the Empire with Romeo and Juliet with two shows on Tuesday, January 13.

It is an award-winning British theatre company that specialises in exciting, fun-filled adaptations of classic Shakespeare plays, blending the best-known pieces of original text with modern language, making a perfect introduction for people of all ages and a base for anyone wanting to study it in greater depth.

“We are trying to introduce the work of Shakespeare in an engaging and entertaining way that young people can understand and enjoy,” he said.

“A lot of the time, people don’t know what to expect and the reaction is always really positive. Romeo and Juliet is a tricky one as it deals with knife crime and suicide, and there’s a lot of stuff you can’t sanitise.

“You’ve got to tell the story properly and I think we have got the balance right. We are trying to give a flavour of what was so fantastic about this work and hopefully do it well.”

There’s two Merseysiders in the cast to boot – Anthony Stuart Hicks, who plays Friar Lawrence, and Noel Andrew Harron – and choreographer Joseph Fowler is from Chester.

Performances at Liverpool’s Empire Theatre are at 10.30am and 1.30pm on January 13. For tickets and information, call the box office on 0870 606 3536.

vickyanderson