The Actor's Gang are performing a fun family-friendly version of Romeo & Juliet in Media Park every Saturday and Sunday in August at 11:00 am.

They call it Romeo and Juliet, Monsters in Love, so naturally Romeo is a vampire and Juliet is a sort of Bride of Frankenstein. It's 45 minutes long, and, as promised, "much less tragic."

Here's Romeo (right) with his buddies Mercutio and Benvolio. As is the case in many productions of the play, Mercutio (center) threatens to steal the play with his antics, which include but are not limited to backflips. 

The play has live musical accompaniment, a really nice touch.

Keeping with the monster theme here, my favorite moment was when everyone at the ball where Romeo and Juliet first meet suddenly burst into a pitch-perfect version of the group dance from Michael Jackson's Thriller video. You know how it goes...

But go this Saturday or Sunday, and decide for yourself the best part! Media Park is adjacent to The Actors' Gang Theater, at 9070 Venice Blvd, at the corner of Culver and Venice Blvds.

The Actors' Gang turns 30 this year, and they're celebrating by trying to raise $30,000 in 30 days to kickstart a fantastic 30th Anniversary Season. Go their website to find out how you can help.

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