James Corden and Emily Blunt Turn ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Into Pop Musical

On The Late Late Show, Emily Blunt joined James Corden to pay their respects to the bard of all bards, William Shakespeare, by remaking Romeo and Juliet. But Blunt and Corden put their own twist on it. They performed an abbreviated version of the play using only contemporary pop songs.

The Montagues and Capulets square off to the tune of “Kung Fu Fighting” in a pop-music version of <em>Romeo and Juliet</em> on <em>The Late Late Show</em>. (Photo: CBS)
The Montagues and Capulets square off to the tune of “Kung Fu Fighting” in a pop-music version of Romeo and Juliet on The Late Late Show. (Photo: CBS)

Corden introduced the musical by saying, “We have 14 songs, seven sets, one take, and zero pressure.”

Blunt, as Juliet Capulet (obviously), kicked things off at a ball singing Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” while Corden, as Romeo Montague (again, obviously), gladly became that somebody with Bruno Mars’s “Just the Way You Are.” The lovebirds then found their way to the next set, where Blunt sang Adele’s “Hello” from a balcony and Corden sang Lionel Richie’s “Hello” from below.

But, as is the case with Romeo and Juliet, the happiness didn’t last. The Montagues squared off against the Capulets to the tune of “Kung Fu Fighting.” Immediately following the fight, Corden and Blunt found themselves in a bedroom rapping the raunchy “What’s Your Fantasy,” by Ludacris. But their parents pulled them apart, after which Blunt responded with “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” by a young Will Smith.

Then, as the story goes, Juliet fakes her death, Romeo finds her and poisons himself, then Juliet wakes up to find him dead, then she poisons herself. In this version, that sequence was to the tunes of “Love Hurts,” by Nazareth; “Tubthumping,” by Chumbawamba; and “Without You,” by Badfinger.

Normally, that’s where the story would end, but this wasn’t normally. After a moment, Blunt and Corden opened their eyes and began singing Robert Knight’s “Everlasting Love.”

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