Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a stage classic. And Italian director Stefano Poda is breathing new life to it, with unique stage and costume designs. The five-act opera by French composer Charles-Francois Gounod is being performed at the National Center for the Performing Arts. Li Qiong reports.

To mark the 200th birth anniversary of French composer Charles-Francois Gounod, the National Center for the Performing Arts is staging one of his operatic masterpieces -- a first for the center.

WEI LANFEN DIRECTOR, ARTISTIC ADMIN. OF DRAMA PRODUCTION DEPT. NATIONAL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS "We chose to reproduce one of Gounod's most representative works, Romeo and Juliet, to memorialize him. The romantic story is quite well-known in China, so we don't need to explain the time and location in the beginning of the opera. Rather, we decided to use a more creative way to do the opera. That's why we'd like to cooperate with director Stefano Poda."

Italian director Stefano Poda is known for balancing traditional images and contemporary art in his own style. Every element on stage speaks for its own -- set design, costume design, lighting and choreography.

LI QIONG BEIJING "Romeo and Juliet is a universal story, and we've seen different adaptations on stage and on screen in various art forms. This time, Director Stefano Poda is trying something fresh with the classic."

This is the first time Poda is working with the National Center for the Performing Arts. For many Chinese audiences, the simple and cool-toned stage set for the complicated story of Romeo and Juliet is a first for them, and as for the costumes.

STEFANO PODA DIRECTOR OF OPERA "ROMEO AND JULIET" "I tried something pure and abstract to illustrate a mysterious world, like the use of colors. I only use three colors. White represents the soul, black stands for the night, and red indicates passion. I think opera should not be produced for opera fans only, but for all who love the arts. So I tried different art forms in the opera."

The opera Romeo and Juliet is running through this weekend at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing. LQ, CGTN, BJ.